Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-06-06

Aio'ooui Chhhioer VI commerce. asking tne
different manufacturers of the Ohio valley
10 take turns for a month or so in furnishing
reliefs of workmen. l shall ask that each
establishment stop work for a week at time
and send all hands in the charge of a fore
man and timekeeper. We will board and
care for them here These gangs should
come for week at a time as no organiza-
ton can be effected if workmen arrive and
leave when they please"
Volunteers Doing Nobly.
The volunteers are doing noble work.
Nearly every town in western Pennsylvania
is represented by from ten to 100 men, and
many towns in Ohio and New York have
furnished laborers. Men who come here will
be paid So day and board
The Masons, Knights of Pythias, the Royal
Arcanum, Knights of the Mystic Chain, and
the Odd Fellows all have sent delegations
here to look after dead or destitute members.
The Pittsburg Odd Fellows brought with
them $1,000 in cash.
Food Is Wanted First.
at is not cash we want first" said Chair
man Scott ave have nearly IA, OS6 people
to feed and must have food Money at this
time is of no use to people, for there are no
stores here-nothing to buy"
A Thousand Funerals.
Dawn had scarcely broken Tuesday morn
ing until 1000 funerals were coursing the
green hllsides. There were no hearses, few
mourners, and as little solemnity as formal
ity. The majority of the collins were rough
pine The wagons were drawn by farmers
teams, and instead of six pall-bearers to one
coffin there were generally six coffins to one
team. Silently, the procession moved, and
silently they unloaded their burdens in the
lap of mother earth.
Terrible Mortality at woodvaie.
Out of a total population of 1,O2O, at Wood
vale, 667 are known to have been saved, max
ing the loss of life about so per cent. of the
submerged portion of the village.
The Orphans Comparatively Few.
1t is estimated that the number of orphans
IN the Conemaugh valley will be about 500.
They are being removed to central points.
where they can be found in case they are in
quired for.
A Church's Heavy Loss.
St Marks Protestant Episcopal church lost
twenty-seven out of a membership of $50
Rector A 2. Diller, wife, and two children
were drowned and have not yet been recoy-
cred. Their new church building has disap-
peared
Alarming Extent of Sickness.
Measles has broken out among the children
to an alarming extent. Typhoid fever is
making its appearance while the prevalence
of pneumonia is causing much uneasiness.
Three hundred surgical cases have been
treated at the Cambria hospital
Carried Away to the Grave.
Many of the bodies recovered yesterday
were much decomposed from being so long
in the water. Wherever possible they were
embalmed, while the others were rapidly
carried away to the cemetery to fill nameless
graves. This expedition is necessary to pre-
vent typhus, which the physicians very much
fear.
A ChiId's Pathetic Story.
Yesterday the depot relief committee were
approached by troop of nine children, walk
ing single file, who were under the command
of girl Is years of age. She told in a SIM
pie, straightforward way how she was the
eldest of her family and that her father,
mother and other sisters had been drowned
while they had survived The officer fed
them and then put them in charge of a man
who verified their story
Mortality at Conemaugh.
In the town of Conemaugh there are only
thirty eight persons positively known to have
persisted.
Twelve tn Ftfteen Thousand naad
The best estimates yesterday morning on
the loss of life, based on the registry Of the
living and the unofficial poll put it ut from
Il, 600 to II, 1000 The drift of opinion among
intelligent men, physicians, engineers, and
railroad men is that 1000 to 800 of the
bodies will never be found
The Troops on Guard.
This ruined city lies within a girdle OF
steel-the bayonets of the Fourteenth regi-
ment. The militia has captured Johnstown,
and last night, over the desolate plain where
the city proper stood, through the towering
wrecks and by the river passes, marched the
patrol, crying "Haltr and challenging the
vagabonds vandals, and ghonls who cross
their path. Gen. Hastings is in command.
Reason for His Despair.
On a cot in the hospital on Prospect hill,
there lies at present a man injured bodily al
most to death, but whose mental sufferings
are so great as to shadow those of his physi-
cal into insignifcance. His name Is Vering
He has lost in the food his who's family,
wife and five children. The look of despair
and agony on that poor man face would
cause tears to flow from adamant wher
swept away in the raging flood he held his
wife in his arms until canght and crushed
into momentary insensibility by a mass OF
timbers Here he let go of her and coming
to immediately saw her sinking. Twice hs
raised her by her hair above water and wa,
too weak TO hold her, and she drowned while
he struggled to save her. He said further
"As If had not suffered enough, few mo-
ments after l saw some objects whirline
around in an eddy which cbk7ed around
until reaching again the current, they foated
past me. My God, mani Would you be-
lieve mei 1t was three of my children, all
dead. Their dear little faces are before me
now-distorted in q look of agony that no
matter whd0I do, haunts me- Obi if could
only have released myself at that time
would have willingly died with them was
rescued some time after and have been here
ever since"
She Was Looking for Her Lost.
The first body taken from the ruins yester.
day morning was that of boy named Davis
who was found in the debris near the bridge
He was badly bruised and burned The re-
mains were taken to the undertaking rooms
at the Pennsylvania railroad station, where
they were identified as those OF Willie Davis
The bows mother has been making tour of