Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-06-06
JOHNSTOWN'S WOE.
Over Four Thousand Lives Lost In
the Disaster.

OVor -FOUR ThOuSanQ Lives LOST IN
the Disaster.
Hest Awful Scsnes-The HoBecaust ut th0
Bridge-Some Alive in tho Ruins
The Woeful Damage
Done. u
Johnstown beggars description. Thou
sands of sightseers and anxious friends
are gathered about the devastated city
and hundreds of wreckers are busily at
work removing debris and assisting the
wounded.
Five hundred men were at work on the
railroad track and at eight O'Clock yester-
day morning the first train passed over
the road from Sang Hollow to Johnstown.
1t was received all along the line with
cheers and shouts of encourage
ment from who were waiting,
eager to obtain supplies contained
in the relief trains, three OF
which lay in Sang Hollow all night
waiting to get through. The first train
over the reconstructed track was sent out
by the citizens of Pittsburgh, and was
Captain A. J. Logan was in charge and
the commissary department. The train
brought glad news and much needed re-
lief to hundreds of starving women and
children. ''God bless you" was enough
to touch the heart of hardened cynics.
Adjutant-General Hastings has estab-
lished headquarters, in the city and has
proceeded to deputize as many citizens as
the other side of the river and by ten
O'Clock the whole locality was fairly well
patrolled. At two O'Clock yesterday after
noon another squad of police came up
from Pittsburgh, so that at present the
plunderers have hard time making any
progress.
It is still impossible to give any accu-
rate idea of the number of dead and no one
places an estimate lower than 1000, and
reliable information tends to show that it
will reach twice that. Relief committees
are we'll settled and are doing big work.
The press relief committee and that of the
Free Masonic order, which was first on
the ground, reached Sang Hollow and
pushed over almost impossible roads to
Kearnsvile where the receiving depot
was established at the house of Alexan-
der Kennedy, president of the Johnstown
council. The amount of clothing and pro-
visions sent in, while very large. will only
last few days and more is needed at
once. The waters are receding rapidly
and by tomorrow or next day most of the
streets of Johnstown will be free from the
food. There is still a wild, surging stream
separating the two parts of the city, how
ever. and it will be several days before
communication is thoroughly established
| The work of repairing the bridge 10 going
on rapidly and it is expected that by
Tuesday or Wednesday trains will run
across it.
THE UNBURIED DEAD.
JoHNsTowN, Pa, June 3.-Three hum
| dred and twenty bodies are lying just
| across the river in Indiana County. The
real estimate of the number of dead can
never be made. You can not turn up a
| log in John stown without finding a body
under it. Five bodies were found in the
upper floor of the club house. One OF
| them was a woman of fine appearance.
| There are at least 600 bodies in the 2,OOo
houses that are still burning. Blackened
| skulls are seen everywhere. The entire
force of Western Union operators is
among the lost. Eight bodies were found
piled in a space five feet square.
| SAW ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY DROWNED.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, June ga baggage
man of the Pennsylvania railroad gives
graphic account of the disaster. His
| train had been stopped at New Florence,
and while standing in his car door he saw
| one hundred and thirty persons drowned
| in less than twenty minutes There was
| terrible current, a whirlpool in the
| river, at this point, and as the people
came to it they went down. The Balti-
more & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads
are carrying supplies free of charge and
are doing every thing possible to relieve
the sufferers.
A HORRIBLE SIGHT.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, June 3-The fire at
Johnstown bridge where drift is burning
has not been extinguished The skulls Of
six people can be seen sticking up out OF
the ruins above the bridge. Nothing but
olackened skulls can be seen buried in the
debris. There are supposed to be several
| hundred bodies there. The whole thing
will be blown up with dynamite.
SOME YET ALIVE.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, June IA member OF
the American Club. who has just returned
here from Johnstown, states that there
are still many people in the wrecked
houses, and among the debris at the
bridge who are still alive. One man was
rescued alive from the water at the bridge
late last night. The idea that some Of the
unfortunate people who are imprisoned
are still alive has created in
tense excitement more especially as
1t was intended and preparations bad
been made to blow up the bridge with
dynamite. The fire engines have just
reached the scene and begun to pour
streams of water upon the burning mass.
Grave fears are now entertained that un.
less this debris can be gotten rid of soon
it will produce an epidemic as it is sup.
posed to contain thousand bodies as well
as large number of horses, cattle and
hogs.
THE FINANCIAL LOSSES.
JoHNsToWN, Pa, June 3.-The financi al
losses by the great flood will be $40. 600, :.
900. This is the conservative estimate
made yesterday by body Of business
men. and it is not one dollar too high. As
tho water recedes the great loss can be
more clearly seen. OF this amount the
Cambria Iron Company will lose at
least 81, SOC, 600. Their great iron plant
is almost a total wreck. One mill has
been completely swept away, and the
machinery in the others has been either
| ruined or carried away. The woodwork
alone of 81 600, 600 was burned last night
| It is now estimated from a careful survey
| of the f1oodsd districts that at least 3,000
| dwellings were carried away.
A Much-Wanted Kid.
HASTINGS, Neh, June 2-David Crinka-
| low, alias Kid Hawkins, the gambler
| charged with killing Frank Fausier. also
/ q gambler last November at the Southern