The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-06-04
The Only Words Which Can Properly
Describe the Place Which Was
Once Johnstown.
The Work of Rescuing the Dead and
Giving Them Burial the Only
Labor Left.
The Survivors so Stupefied by Their suffer
ings a. to seem Scarcely Aware
of Their Loss.

town used 70 stand Is half covered WITH
water; the few sidewalks in the part thai
escaped the food were few inches thick
with black, sticky mud through which
tramped a steady procession of people,
composed largely of women who are left
utterly destitute. The tents where the peo-
pie are housed who cannot find other shell
ters were cold and cherries. The town
seemed like a great tomb. The people of
JOhnstown have supped so fully of horrors
that they go about in q sort of daze and
only half conscious of their griefs.
the streets he hears neighbOrs
greeting each other, and their enquiring
without a show of feeling how many each
had lost In his family. To-day l heard a
greyhaired man hail another across the
street with the question, and the reply
came, 81 lost five; all are gone but Mary
and l." 81 am worse of than that" said
the first old gentleman; 81 have only my
grandson left-seven of US are gone" And
so they passed on without apparent excite
ment. They and every one else had heard
so much of these melancholy conversations
that somehow the calamity had lost its
IL exactly as If the dead persons had gone
away and were coming back in a week
The melancholy task of searching the
ruins for more bodies went on today in
the soaking rain. There were little crowds
of morbid curiosity hunters around each
knot of workmen. Even those who came
In from neighboring towns with an idea
of the days strange and CHASTITY expert
ences did not care ts be near after they had
seen one body exhumed. There were hun
dreds and thousands of these visitors from
the country to-day. The effect of the dread
full things they saw and heard was
to drive most OF them TO drink.
By noon the streets were beginning TO be
fun of boisterOus and noisy countrymen.
who were trying to counteract the strain
on their nerves with unnatural excite
ment- Then half the police force, seeing
the unseemly sights that were likely TO
disgrace the streets, drove out and kept out
all visitors whn had not some good reason
for their presence. After that and far into
the evening all the country roads were
filed with drunken straggIers who were
trying TO forget what they had seen.
One thing that makes the search
for bodies slow is the strange way that
great masses of objects were rolled into in
tricate masses of rubbish. As the flood
came down the valley of the South Fork 1t
obliterated the suburb of WoodvilIe, where
not a house was left nor the trail of one.
The material they had contained it rolled
on down the valley, over and over, grind
ing it up TO pulp, and finally leaving it
nno af fVr., .doeF
an eddy. These masses contain human
bodies, but it is slow work to pick them to
pieces. Inside one of them to-day saw
the remains OF a carriage, the body of
harnessed horse, a baby cradle and
doll, tress of woman's hair, a rocking
horse and piece of beef steak still hang
ing TO a hook.
The city IS very much better patrolled
than 1t has been at any time since the flood
occurred. Many members of the police
fierce of Pittsburg came in and offered their
services One of them showed his spirit by
striking man whom he saw opening
trunk among the rubbish a tremendous
blow over the head which Knocked him
senseless. Several big trunks and safes
lie In full sight on the desolate plain in the
lower part of town, but no one dared to
touch them after that
An Associated Press correspondent
waded through the mud and water up the
valley to-day over the site of the former
village. AS has been often stated, nothing
is standing but the old wooden mills. The
place is swept bare of all other buildings
but the ruins of the Gautier wire mill.
The boilers Of this great works were car
ried 10000 yards from their foundation.
The piers, rolls and other machinery
was swept far away from where they once
stood. A German watchman was on guard
at the mill when the waters came. He ran
FOR the hillside and succeeded in escaping.
He tells graphic story of the appearance
Of the water as 1t swept down the valley.
He declared the first wave was as high as
the third story of house. The place Is
deserted, so no effort is being made 10 clear
OF the treets- The mire has formed q
grave for many people. and victims arms
and legs are protrudIag from the mud, and
II makes the most sickening OF pictures
A man named Dougherty tells thrilling
story of ride down the river on 9 log.
When the water struck the roof of the
house on which he had taken shelter he
jumped sstride 9 telegraph pole, riding a |
distance OF twenty three miles from Johns
town to Bolivar, before he was rescued.
Ii was not generally believed that the
district In the neiehborhood Of KernviIle |
would he as extremely prolific Of corpses
rs II has proven to be- The Associated |
Press correspondent visited that part Of |
town where both the river and Stony |
creek. have done their worst He found |
that within the past twenty-four hours al
most 900 bodies have been recovered. or
we're in sight The place is one great re-
pesitory Of the dead. Every day adds 10 |
the long list Of dear ones lost. One hum
1red and fifty persons were taken ont OF |
the sand along Stony creek this morning:
LIS bodies were recovered to-day at Nor |
rellviIle.
Ever since the recovery of the first BODY |
the populace have not had near enough |
ceffins for the dead, although hundreds ar
rive daily, and owing to the decomposed
of most OF the bodies they have
% be and are boxed up in rough board box-
s. merely store boxes, and buried at once.
4 man named Christ Meyers had been
completely insane By the fact
hat his father, mother, two sisters and
'rother are among the missing. When no
iifisd of the loss Of his family. he threw nm
ms hands and exclaimed, "My God. what |
will come next?" From thn.
ime, which was last night
lr til the present, he has been hopeIessly |
insane, even at times bordering on tie
Eiolent and wanting 70 kill himself
The anxious inquiries sent by President
Harrison to-day caused the belief that en-
General HAtton was among the
passengers who were killed on the Penn
'yivania railroad last Friday. President
Harrison knew Hatton was on that train,
and asked the adiutant general TO ascertain
ais fate. No one here Knew anything con-
serning his whereabouts This afternoon
William Henry Smith, general manager Of |
he Associated Press, came In from EIlens-
burg, where he and Mr.. Hstton had
been since the train was lost /