davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
YESTERDAY IN JoHNsToWN.
Heart-rendering Scenes In the Ruins
of the City.

JoHNsTowN. Pa, June 3.-Developments
every hour make it more and more apparent
the exact number Of lives lost in the Johns
town horror will never be known. All esti-
mates made up to this time are conservative,
and will doubtless prove too small. Over
1000 bodies have been found since sunrise to-
day, and the most sceptical concede that the
remains of thousands more rest beneath the
debris above Johnstown bridge. The pepu-
lation of Johnstown, the surrounding towns
and the portion of the valley affected by the
food was from $4,000 to 55,oOO The concen-
sus OF opinion among the leading citizens OF
Johnstown is that fully 30 per cent OF the
residents of Johnstown and Cambria are
victims of the continued disasters OF fire and
water If this be true, the total loss OF life
In the entire valley cannot be less than 1000
or 5000 OF the thousands devoured by the
names, whose ashes rest beneath the smok-
ing debris above Johnstown bridge, no
definite Information can be obtained. As
little Will be learned Of the hundreds that
sank beneath the current and were borne
swiftly down the Conemaugh and deposited
hundred miles below on the banks and in
the drift wood of Ohio. Probably one thous-
and of the dead will never be recovered. In
many instances whole families were swept
away and found common grave beneath
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
ARAcE WITH THE FLOOD.
Thrilling Adventure of Two Railroad
Men.

JoHNsrowN, June 3.-H. M. Bennett and
F. W. Keltz, engineer and conductor engine
No. 1,165 and an extra freight which hap
pened to be lying at South Fork when the
dam broke. telegraphed the story Of their
wonderful flight and escape on the locomo-
tive before the advancing flood. At the
time mention Bennett and Keltz were in the
signal tower at that point awaiting their
orders. The fireman and fiagman were on
the engine and two brakemen were asleep in
the cab00se. Suddenly the men In the tow
er heard loud booming roar in the valley
above them. The looked In the direct ion Of
the sound, and were transfixed with horror
to see, two miles above them, hugh black
wall of water. at least $50 feet in height,
rushing down the valley upon them.
One look the fear stricken men gave the
awful sight, and then they made rush for
the locomotive at the same time giving the
alarm to the sleeping brakemen in the ca
boose with loud cries, but with no avail. 1t
was impossible to aid them further, however,
so they cut the engine loose from the train
and the engineer, with one wild wrench
threw the lever wide open. and they were
away on a wild race for life.
For moment it seemed that they would
not receive momentum enough to keep ahead
of the Hood, and they cast one deSpairing
glance back. They could see the awful del
uge approaching in its might. On it came,
Aohn6 1hN hOai Alh0 oOLuC bAtdlilC ulOuottI
tossing and tearing, houses, sheds and trees
In its awful speed as If they were mere toys.
AS they looked they saw the two brakemen
rush out of the cab, but they had not time to
gather the slightest idea of the cause of their
doom before the caboose and signal tower
were tossed high in the air, to disappear for
ever in the engulfing water.
Then with shudder.as if at last it compre-
hended its peril, the engine leaped forward
like thing Of life and speeded down the val
ley. But, fast as it went, the flood gained
upon them. Hope however was in the as
cendant, for If they could but get across the
bridge below, the track would lead toward
the hillside in such a manner that they would
be comparatively safe.
In few moments the shrieking locomo-
tive waizzed around the curve, and they
were in sight Of the bridge: But ahead Of
them was a freight train with the rear end
almost on the bridge, and to get across was
simply impossible. Engineer Bennett then
reversed the lever and succeeded in checking
the engine as they glided across the bridge,
and they jumped and ran for their lives up
the hillsides as the bridge and tender of the
locomotive they had been ON were swept
away like bundle ofmatches in the torrent,
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
the POTOMAC REcEDINc.
Fears for the Washington Monumen,
Believed to be CroundIess.

WASHINGTON, June 3.-The postmaster at
Johnstown today telegraphed the Post Office
Department that the Johnstown post Office
building, with all the Office money and
stamps. was carried away in the flood.
After reaching the highest mark on record
yesterday afternoon, the Potomac began to
tall rapidly: This morning the streets Of
South Washington were free from water all
along the river front. 1t gradually receded
throughout the day, bringing the wharves to
view. Hundreds Of fish, left behind by the
stream, were caught in the hands by boys
and men. The fish commission spread large
nets In the river near the monument for the
purpose of recovering as many of the Ger
man carp, which escaped from the Brog sta
tion, as possible. A million young shad two
inches long, were set at liberty by the flood.
Several sch0oners and large boats were left
high and dry some distance away from the
bed of the river, and will have to be hauled
cient recession of the flood to per-
NIT Of a partial examination of the
Potomac fiat. Col. Haines, the engineer in
charge, says the damage will be much less
than anticipated. Some fears have been ex-
pressed that the foundation of the Washing
ton monument might have been seriously
damaged. Although this Is believed to be
wholly groundless, careful examination will
be made. Long bridge remained intact un-
til about 3 this afternoon when one of the
spans next the draw broke loose and started
to be cut away. Tonight or tomorrow the
work Of repairing the bridge will begin. Re-
ports from the surrounding country show
great damage to the roads and crops as
well as in many places near small streams.
Many bridges are down.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
FIFTEEN THOUSAND DEAD.
Search In the ruins Only Increases
the Estimates.

PITTsBURG, Pa, June 3-A despatch to a
3 p. m. extra edition says that fifteen thous-
and lost is now talked of as the ruins are
revealed. The Masonic fraternity met this
morning and appointed a committee to ask
the United States government to take action
at once. The committee telegraphed Presi-
dent Harrison asking him to send out the
sanitary commission Immediately and warn
ing him that unless prompt action was taken
to remove the dead bodies and animals from
the streams in which the Conemaugh
empties, the water would be polluted and
carry plague germs to the people from Pitts
burg TO New Orleans. A like message was
sent to the Pennsylvania senators.
Adjutant General Hastings telegraphed to
Governor Beaver from Johnstown that the
loss Of life is between $4,000 and $1,000.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
Sad Stories Told by Those Whose
Lives We're Saved
After They Had Seen Friends and
Relatives Die.
The Country's Sympathy Expressed
in Needed Contributions.

Fifteen thousand dead id the estimate
made by those on the scene Of the Johns
town disaster yesterday, although one of the
subjoined dispatches repeats the statement
that conservative figures make the loss Of
life from 5000 to 10000. The exact figures
will never be known. Whole families were
swept out of existence together; of others
but one or two survive to tell how their dear
ones perisbed in the rushing waters. Not
until the living can be counted will it be pos
sible to approximately estimate the number
Of the dead.
Today's reports show that considerable
progress has been made in the work of re-
lief. The labor of burying the dead has
been begun and hospitals have been estab-
lished for the sick and injured among the
living. Food enough has been sent in to
supply the immediate wants. but clothing Is
still greatly needed.
The experiences related by those who sur
vive surpass the adventures of fiction. The
whole story of the disaster is one that will
never be told. Every living persen who was
in the track of Fridays avalanche of water
has some thrilling detail to add to the narra-
tive. The few of these which have been
gathered in the confusion of the scene at
Johnstown bring more vividly to mind than
anything else, perhaps, the horror of the
catastrophe. They also serve better pur-
pose in making known the many instances
of heroism, the sacrifice of life and limb in
the endeavor to aid the victims of the flood,
which is the one bright feature in the dark
picture
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
PENNSYLvANIA's BOUNTY.
Acene rous Response to the Needs
Of the Sufferers.

PHILADELPHIA. June 3.-In pursuance to
call issued by the Citizens Permanent Re-
lief Association, a largely attended meeting
Of citizens was held in the Mayors Office for
the consideration of measures for the relief
of the Johnstown sufferers. Generous con
tributions were announced, and committee
appointed to solicit subscriptions and visit
Johnstown. Drexel & Co. were chosen
treasurers of the fund. Drexel & Co. started
the fund with $4,000. The subscriptions In
cluded $4,000 from the Philadelphia & Read
ing Railroad Company, $1,000 from the Phila-
delphia beer brewers, and $4,000 from the
Baldwin Locomotive Works. Up TO this
evening the subscriptions amount to over
S14S.0O0. exclusive Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company's subscription of $500
and the Columbia Iron Company's Of $4,000,
which amounts will be dispensed at Johns
town and vicinity by the officials Of those
corporations. A large quantity of provisions,
clothing, ETC., has been contributed and will
be forwarded to Johnstown as quickly as
possible.
BETHLEHEM, Pa, June 3-The Bethle-
hem Iron Company today contributed $1,000
for the relief Of the Johnstown sufferers.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
DRAINED IN AN HOUR.
A Visit to the Lake-Efforts to Pre-
vent a Break.

JoHNsTowN, June 3.-Messrs. II. Singer
George Singer, Louis Clark and r. III. Binns
OF Pittsburg, relatives of members of the
South Fork Fishing Club, have just arrived
from the broken dam. They all had friends
or relatives at the lake at the present time,
and being anxious as to their fate, they made
a daring break thorugh the flooded dis
trict, and after careful examination
returned this morning. Harry Singer said: /:
'The lake is completely dried out. The
dam broke in the centre at o'clock on FRI
day afternoon, and at o'clock 1t was dry.
That great body of water passed out in one
hour. Messrs. Park and Van Buren,, who
are building new draining system
at the lake, tried to avert the
disaster by digging sluiceway on one
side to ease the pressure on the dam. They
had about 40 men at work and did all they
could without avail. The water passed over
the dam about foot above its top, begin
ing at about half past two O'Clock. What
ever happened in the way of cloud-burst
took place during the night. There
had been but little rain up to dark
When the workmen awoke in the morning
the lake was very full, and was rising at the
rate of a foot an hour, 1t kept on rising un-
til at o'clock it first began breaking over
the dam and undermine it. Men were sent
three or four times during the day to warn
people below of their danger.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
TO AVERT THREATENED DANCER.
The Government VIII DO All That Is
In Its Power.

WASHINGTON, June 3.-The Masonic Re-
lief committee, which went from Pittsburg
to Johnstown, telegraphed President Harri-
SON this afternoon, urging the appointment
of a national commission to take charge of
sanitary affairs at the scene Of the disaster.
They urged that the presence Of so many de-
caying corpses would breed a pestilence
there. besides polluting the water of the
streams, affecting all the country between
Pittsburg and New Orleans. President Har-
rison conferred with Gen. Schofeld and Sur
geon General Hamilton, and the fact was
developed that the national sanitary corps.
If such it may be called, is composed of phy.
sicians located at various points. DR.. At
kins of Pittsburg is one. After full dis
cussion answer was returned to the Masonic
committee that the officers of the national
government could not interfere In the mat
ter. DIR. Atkins would confer with and as
sist the Pennsylvania State Board of Health
in any measures they might institute, and as
TO public health and comfort Surgeon Gener-
al Hamilton would be ready to give advice
or assistance, so that whatever was under
taken might be carried forward by official
sanction and authority. A telegram to
President Harrison this evening, from Gov.
Beaver. saws: "The supply OF food SO far is
evual to the demand, but supplies of food
and clothing are still greatly need. Conser-
vatiye estimates place the loss of life at
5000 to 10000. The property loss Is from
TWENTY-FIVE to forty millions"
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
DAMNED BY CoRPsES.
Scenes on the Conemaugh which
Surpass the IMAGINATION.


PITTsBURG, June 3-The most wonderful
writer of fiction could not surpass the stories
told by survivors OF the deluge, and Eastern
newspaper readers cannot exaggerate in
their mental pictures Of the scene. At one
point the Conemaugh river is actually
damned up by wall Of human corpses
packed together in confused mass. The
great works of the Cambria Iron Company,
the mainstay of the town, are ruined and
may never be rebuilt. In that event the
town would be practically abandoned. Even
the channel of the Conemaugh river is
changed, and some doubt that 1t can be
made to resume its original course. Today
It flows right over the business portion Of
the town.
The number of drunken men was simply
astonishing. Whiskey was as plenty as
water. Men are carrying it around in wood
en- buckets. Barrels of the stuff can be found
among the DRIFT, and men are plunging over
Men and women who have lost all their
children do not yet realize it. They wander
about in dazed condition. One lady saw
her mother crushed to death before her ewes
and the mangled body carried down the
stream.
Mrs. Horner and her 12 year old daughter
were taken out of the river near Lockport
by tramp. The mother and child were
horribly bruised and cut. They had floated
down the river five miles on the top of their
house when the roof parted aud they were
thrown into the current. Both seized a limb
of tree as 1t floated by.
"Can you hold on, daughter ?" asked the
mother. Because if you sink, will let 60
also. We will die together"
"We will hold on until we die, mother" re-
piled the daughter
A few minutes later they were rescued.
Mrs. Horner's husband, one son and one
daughter are among the missing.
DR.. l.. c. Shreengost, surgeon of the Penn
sylvania railroad. reached the mountain top
above ,Jobnstown before daylight on Satur-
day morning. He says:
"The sight that met our eyes beggars de-
| high i'm In the air, and to add to all this the
wreckage was a mass Of cracking fire. Al
the stone bridge the bodies that were en-.
| twined in debris were being cremated, but
| this did not ipcrease the sufferings Of the
victims, as they had passed beyond
earthly pain. We had to climb
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
81 SEEN FORM THE BANK.
A Procession OF Dead and Dying In
the Raging Torrent.

BALTIMORE. June3.-C. w. sLinthieum, a
drummer for Baltimore firm, arrived home
today. He was witnesss to the flood at
Johnstown, and says: "My train was just
about to pull out from Sang Hollow at 4.07
p. M. Friday, when we heard the food COM
ing. Looking ahead up the valley, / saw an
immense wall OF water, twenty feet high,
raging toward us. The engineer reversed
his engine and rushed back to the hills at
full speed. We barely escaped the water.
We ran back 300 yards and the flood swept
by tearing up the track, telegraph poles
trees and houses. We all got out and tried
to save the floating people. Taking the bell
cord we formed line and threw the rope
out, saving seven persons. We could have
saved more but many were afraid to let go
of the debris. The immense volume of
water r0ared along whirling over huge
rocks, ,dashing against the banks and leaping
high in the air, strewn with timber, trunks
Of trees, parts of houses, and hundreds of
human beings, cattle and almost every living
animal.
.We counted 107 people floating by and
dead without number. A section of roof
came by on which was sitting woman and
girl. C. w. Heippenstate Of Pittsburg,
waded and swan to the roof brought the
girl in first and then the woman. They told
us they were not relatives. The woman had
lost her husband and four children, and the
girl her father, mother and entire family.
A little boy came by with his mother, both
as calm as they could be, the boy apparently
trying to comfort the mother. They passed,
unheeding our proffered help, and striking
the bridge below went down into the vortex.
One beautiful girl came by with her hands
raised in prayer. Although we shouted and
ran along the banks, she paid no attention.
We could have saved her If she had caught
the rope. An old man and his wife, whom we
saved, said that eleven persons started from
Cambria city on roof. The others had
dropped off. At about p. m. we started for
New Florence. All along the river we saw
corpses without number caught in the
branches of trees. and wedged in the corners
of the bank. A large sycamore tree between
Sang Hollow and New Florence seemed to
draw into it nearly all who fioated dowr.
They went under the surface at its roots like
lead. When the waters subsidized, 200 bodies
were found at the roots of this tree. At
Pittsburg, rs bodies were found Saturday,
and as many more were seen floating by.
Very few saved anything. / saw numbers
going down the stream naked. The suffer
ing for the next few days will be fearful un-
less relief is extended"
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04

over housetops to get view OF
the main street. 1t is safe to say that not a
half dozen good houses have been left in
Johnstown proper; Out of the seventy guests
we're saved. think 10000 is a low estimate
on the loss of life; but you can't tell any-
thing about it now. 1t will be days. YES.
weeks, before the correct list of the dead is
known"
A pathetic incident happened at Blairs-
but unknown woman was seen floating down,
clinging to a plank. No one could Venture
out into the raging torrent to rescue her.
Just below the railroad bridge She drifted
near shore under some overhanging trees,
ana made despera,e hrancs eaOrE 70 Jump out Of
to catch it and lost her plank, and then at
once sank out of sight,
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04

water grinding it to pulp. The masses
contain human bodies, and 1t Is slow work
to pick them to pieces. In the side of one
today were the remnants of carriage body,
a harnessed horse, baby cradle,a doll, tress
of woman's hair, rocking horse and a
piece of beefsteak still hanging to a hook.
The recovery Of bodies at and near the vi
vicinity Of what was once the Baltimore &
Ohio depot In Johnstown, is increasing with
frightful rapidity.
Chas. Myers has been rendered completely
insane by the fact that his mother, father,
two sisters and brother are among the mis-
sing. This afternoon William Henry Smith,
general manager of the Associated
Postmaster Pcsa ' General. came "'' In from ON
Edensburg. They have been in pocket
since their train was lost. All the passen-
gers, IL or Is, who left the train were killed.
Hatton and Smith were lucky enough to
stick to the train.
When the water struck the roof of house
on which man named Dougherty had taken
shelter, he jumped astride telegraph pole
and rode some 33 miles from Johnstown to
Bolivar before he was rescued. Where
Woodville stood is now sea of.mud. Moth
ing is standing but the old woolen mills. The
place was swept Of all other buildings but
the ruins of the Gautier wire mill. The
boilers of these great works were carried 10
yards. The mlre formed grave for many a
victim, and arms and legs are protruding
The great cry in Johnstown is for men
who will work and not stand idly by and do
nothing but gave at the ruins. The follow
ing order was posted on telegraph pole in
the city today
A WARNING TO IDLERs.
NOTICE During the day men who have been
idle have been begged to aid us in clearing the
town. Many have not refused to work. We are
now so organized that employment can be found
for every man who wants TO work. Men offered
wi a IN q
able TO work must leave Johnstown for the pres
ent. We cannot afford to feed men who will not
idlers who refuse to work will be elected from
the town.
By order of the citizens committee. offic-
ers are stationed at every avenue and rail-
road that enters the town. All suspicious
%SSKpg % nr are ss0ppea aaa ASKED
swer is given the man is escorted to the en-
ployment bureau where he is put to work. III
not he Is turned back.
There were some remarkable escapes. Mrs.
John Gels was standing on Main street. AS
the flood struck the houses. portion of
brick house fell on her. She was rescued
through window.
Mamie Greenwood was in her house talk
ing to her sister when the building was
struck. Her father, mother and two sisters
were drowned. She was caught in an eddy
and:whirled around into Isafety.
Mrs. DIR. John x. Lea, whose husband was
lost. hung by an arm suspended for four
hours in the water supporting her aged
mother till both were rescued.
Today corn patch about an acre in extent
at Nineyeh was dug over by a volunteer
force and 13S corpses unearthed. The man.
ner in which the CHASTITY find was made was
purely accidental. A man walking over the
field kicked clump of earth, overturned 1t
and uncovered a womans face. People
around were called in to assist with the re-
suits above stated. This increases the list
of dead at Nineveh to 220. ~
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
EIFFEL's TOWER SHOOK
In Shower Which DeIuged the Ex-
position Grounds.

PARIS, June 3.-There was furious thun-
derstorm here yesterday, and the wind did
what the earthquake could not do. It per
ceptibly shook the Eiffel tower. The storm
swooped down with terrible effect on the
new arena for the Spanish bull fights. The
iron framework ;ar0und the ring was blown
away. Men were working on the structure
at the time and were blown to the ground
one was killed, three are dying and six
more are badly injured.
The exhibition grounds are practically
ruined by water and the girders badly dam
aOad
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
A Fraud.

The public are hereby warned against a
tall. dark young man Of very plausible man
ners who wears an exceedingly stiff and
shiny shirt collar and cuffs, which his mother
seventy-twO years old did up on her first at
tempt at using certain substitute for
starch which the young man Is attempting tO
sell. He offers with the package OF starch
six cakes OF soap tO be- delivered the nexf
day, but paid for In advance. Ii Is NEEDLES
to say perhaps that the soap does not appear.
He gave the name when in Gorham Of "Han.
his smooth tongue into believing him womb
be glad 10 see him again In
GoRHAn.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04

and from the Allegheny the water is drawn
that flows into all the houses of this city.
From this water stencil is arising. 1t Is
being filed with the putrid flesh of the thous-
ands of bodies that have been unrecovered.
Already tbe water is black, and no one will
drink it. As the bodies further decompose,
1t Is feared that this will give great cause for
alarm. Physicians dread an epidemic not
only here but in the river towns below where
water is taken from the Ohio.
The Portland daily press., 1889-06-04
RAIN SWEPT CITIES.
Half Million Damage In the City Of
Eimira.

ELMRA, n. Y, June 3.-This city is in
bad shape today. The streets of the fifth
ward. which contains nearly quarter of the
BILE on account of the wreckage. Riverside
Park is totally devastated. Bradstreet's
agent estimates the damage to this city
alone at 100000. The Erie express which
arrived in the lower part of the city on Sat-
urday did not get into the city proper until
this morning. Two spans of the Lacka-
wanna bridge at Waverly are gone and a
number of miles Of track between here and
Painted Post are washed away. The north
ern and central trains from the South have
been blocked below Canton and Minnequah
since Friday afternoon. One passenger
ira in is between two big washouts and can
not be reached. The road will not be open
for business for three or four DAYS