Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-06-05
THE VALE OF TEARS
THE SITUATION IN THE DEC.
MATED VALLEY.


JouNsTowN, Pa, June At Is n ques
tion hero whether Johnsto wn will be re-
built, but the indications show that it
| will.
| thousands OF workmen are engaged TO-
day in clearing away the rubbish that is
scattered AL over the district, aud among
other places engaging their attention are
the office building OF the Cambria Com
pany, In the town proper, and of the
great iron works ON the northeastern side
OF the Conemaugh. About seven
hundred men are now employed.
In all parts of the town, rubbish is
being systematically burned, after It has
been ascertained to certainty that no
dead bodies remain 10 II. With the other
Efforts that are being made to save what
has not been entirely destroyed the out
lines of the streets OF the town are becom-
ing disceruible.
| KERNsvILLE's DESTRUCTION.
South OF Stony creek the heretofore
thickly populated wards of Johnstown
borough, known as Kerrsville, present a
most desolate appearance. Probably 200
houses were upset, broken or ruined by
Hood. Dead bodies were shown here
and there for Identification, and regular
relief and mail stations were established.
| The damage to the place was largely
due to the rebound OF the flood after 1t
swept across Johnstown. The wave
spread against the stream of Stony creek
and passe over Kernsville to depth OF
80 feet In some places.
By good authority to-day the dam ge
to the Cambria Iron Works was esti-
mated at $780, 900, and to the Gautler
| Works $500, 900. General Manager Full
ton said 1t would take about 80 days to
get the iron works IN working order
| again.
SANITARY PRECAUTIONS.
| JonNsTowN, Pa, juno 4.-The Secre-
tary oil the State Board of Health is of
the opinion that the bodies taken out Of
the rivers after Tomorrow cannot be
held for Identification, but must be
buried at once.
| Tomorrow the work of distributing
d!s!nfectants will be commenced, The
city will be districted for efficient work.
Or. Baker, OF Pittsburg, with thirteen
sanitary police, are here, but were
put to work as guards. Tomorrow
DIR. Lee will have them under his com.
mand.
NO one can transport bodies from here
without certificate from the Health
Office. The bodies In the debris must lie
In very bad shape by this time. A few
warm days would produce n condition of
things that would spread pestilence far
and wide. 1t will be necessary and
probably as early as Tomorrow or the
day after to inter bodies as fast as re-
covered. This is necessarily hard on
relatives, In fact 1t is terrible, but the
living must not be sacrificed for the
dead.
THE FIRST RELIEF TRAIN.
/ JoHSsTowN, Pa, June AT IL
O'Clock the first relief train, bearing
thousands of pounds of provisions for
the suffering and 2,0C0 cofllns for the
dead, passed over Johnstown bridge,
across the improvised trestle and track,
up the incline to the Johnstown depot.
For the flrst time railroad communica-
tion Ia re-established between the city
and the outside world.
REGISTERING THE SURVIVORS.
| Twenty-Five registry offices for the
living were opened this morning. Up to
| noon 5000 OF the 81, 600 were registered.
BURYING THE UNIDENTIFIED DEAD.
This was the day set aside by the Cit,-
zens' Committee for the burying OF all
the unidentified dead that have been
| lying in the morgues since Sunday at 10
| O'Clock. This morning the men who
were in charge of the burying started to
work, and have been busy all day. There
are no pathetic scenes at these burlals.
The men who have been hired to do the
work seem to do 1t just as a matter of
/ business.
The scenes at the extemporized mergue
| are beyond the power of description In
| their ghastinees, while the moans and
! groans OF the suffering survivors. tossing
| In agony, with bruised and mangled
| bodies, or screaming In a delirium OF
lever as they issue from the numerous
temporary hospitals, make even the
stoutest-hearted quail with terror.
The saddest sight to be seen OH the
river bank this morning was the case OF a
Mr.. Gilmore, who has lost his wife and
family of five children. Ever since the
calamity this old man has been seen on
the river bank looking for his family. He
insisted on the firemen playing a ream
OF water on the place where the house
| formerly stood and where he supposed
the bodies lay. The fremen recognizing
his feelings, played the stream on the
place for several hours this morning, and
at last the rescuers got to the place the
cld man said his house formerly stood
81 know the bodies are there, and you
must find them" On went the rescners |
after this plea. When at last one of the
men picked up charred skull, evidently
that OF child, this stirred the old man
up and he exclaimed: "That is my child. |
There les my fami y; go on and get the |
| rest of them.
The wOrkmen continued and In a few
minutes they came to the remains of the |
mother aud three other children. The |
heads were completely burned of, but |
there was enough of their clothing lett to |
recognize them by. What was left was |
picked up and placed in collins, the old |
gentleman following closely tie men who
were carrying the collins.
Mothers coolly sacrificed themselves to
the fury OF the flood or fire to save the
lives oil their chIldr,n and loved ones.
Not infrequeutly some pale-faced woman
clinging with her child TO floating debris
and realizing that the support was too
frail for two, would be seen to lit her
precious burden high upon ths floating
debris, and with hssty kiss, dding
farewell to all ttat bound her to the
world, sink beneath the waves.
The estimates of the loss OF life still
vary widely-from 5000 to 5000 being
the most moderate.