Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-06-15
Present a CHASTITY and I'm
wholesome Spec
tacle.
10 Prevent an Epidemic Many
Are Buried Without
Recognition.
Out of a Population of 20,4OO PeO-
pie Only 5000 Have Re-
ported First Relief
Train Arrives.
Delay Is Dangerous.

longer possible. The d~ecomposed cOrpsel
| will inevitably breed pestilence If Longer
exposed to the air. At the first break o.
dawn this morning orders were issued t
push preparations for a gigantic buria
with all possible speed. Where there i
no reasonable hope for identification tn
bodies will be buried at once. 1t is prob
able that by evening there will be at leas
5000 new graves in the valley, many o
which will be unmarked for all time. TIL
bodies taken from the ruins this mornin.
are horrible objects. Recognition ii
impossible on account Of the horribl,
manner in which the flames have ami
hilated them. Swollen putrid anc
burned flesh is terrible and several work
men have already been compelled to leave
their work on account Of sickness. With
this condition of affairs taken into con
sideration together with the fact tina,
work on the immense quantity Of debris
has just begun, the weather growing
warmer and a week or more must pase
before the stupendous task is completed,
the awful dangers of an epidemic and the
horror Of the situation are not pleasan,
to contemplate.
FIRST RRLIEF TRAIN.
JoHNsTOwN, Pa, June 4.-The first re-
lief train, bearing tons of provisions for
the suffering and 1000 collins for the
dead, has just arrived across and impro-
vised trestle and track. For the first
time railroad communication is re.estab-
lished between the stricken city and the
outside world.
TROOPS ORDERED TO REPORT.
Governor Beaver has ordered the
Fourteenth regiment at Pittsburg to re-
port here for duty. Each man is to be
provided with three days cooked Iations
and forty rounds Of ammunition. Sew
erai persons have been killed in disturb
ances this morning.
MANY MORE ARE MISSING.
DR.. John Buchanan, who has charge
of the registration, said this morning
that they had only gotten track Of about
5000 out Of a population Of 20, 400. 1t
does net follow that those not reported
are drowned or lost, but it gives 6 better
idea Of the terrible loss Of life.
Bishop Phelan has been here for The
past two days. A number of sisters of
mercy and Franciscan sisters are at work
doing what they can to alleviate the suf-
fering Of the wounded. Father DAWN
was murderously attacked by a Hungar.
ian, with whom he demonstrated for rob.
bling the head, and was badly Injured.
THRILLING STORY OF A REFUGEE.
George Johnston, whose lumber yard
is on Duquesne way, between Sixth and
Seventh streets, Pi,tsburg, tells a thrill
ing story of flight from the doomed city.
He owes his life to the fact that he took
a warning at which thousands Of others
laughed. Il had gone to Johnstown,"
said Mr.. Johnston, ito place a couple of
orders. ! had scarcely reached the town,
about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when |
saw a bulletin posted up in front Of the
telegraph Office, around which quite a
crowd of men had congregated. 1t read
that the waters were 30 high in the Cone
maugh that it was feared the three.mi,e
dam. as it was called. would give way
l knew enough about Johnstown to fee
that my life was not worth a snap once
that dam gave way. ALTHOUGH the
YOUNGSTOWN people did not seen 70 pay
much attention 10 the warning !
was nervous and apprehensive.
had several parties to zee
but concluded to let all but one go unit
some later day, so / hurried through
with my most urgent transactions and
started for the depot. The Conemaugh
had then gotten 80 high that the resi-.
dents Of the low-lying districts had moved
into upper stories. ] noticed a number
Of wagons filed with furniture hurryipe
through the streets. A few families,
either apprehensive of the impending
calamity or driven from their houses by
the rising waters, had started for the sur
rounding hills. ! was just walking up
the steps to the depot when | heard a
fearful roar up the valley. 1t sounded at
first like q heavy train of cars, but soon
became too loud and terrible for that.
l boarded a train, and as I sat down at
the car window q sight broke before my
view that will remember TO my dying
day. Away up the Conemaugh came a
| yellow wall whose crest was white and
frothy. / rushed for the platform Of the
car, not knowing what ! did, and just
then the train began TO move. Terrified
as | was, | remember feeling that | was
in the safest place and | sank back in a
Scat. When looked out again what had
Seon IL, busy mill yards of the Cambria
J on company. was II yellow, turbulent
ses. on whose churned current houses
and barns were riding like ships in a
storm. The water rushing in upon the
molten metal in the mills had caused
deafening explosions, which, coupled
with the r~ar and grinding of the flood,
made a terrifying din. Turning to the
ther side and looking on down tn. val.
ley | saw the muddy water rushing
through the main streets of the town. !
could see men and horses founderinp
about almost within call. Housetops
were being filled with white faced
people, who chung to each other and
looked terror. stricken upon the rising
food. 1t seemed all had come SC quickly
that none Of them could realize what had
happened. The conductor Of my train
had been pulling frantically at the bel
rope and the train went spinning across
the bridge. ! sat in my seat transfxeG
with horror. Houses were spinning
through beneath the bridge, and I die