The Portland daily press., 1889-06-18
WHAT THE FLOOD LEFT THREATENED
BY the Heavy Discharges of Dyna-
mite at Johnstown.
People Panic Stricken Until General
Hastings Stopped the Firing.
Sad Scenes Among the Bereaved
and Destitute Survivors.

JoHNsTowN, Pa, June 17.-The zeal of
the contractors in breaking up the gorge of
drift by the use of dynamite this morning
ran away with their better judgment. The
quantity of the explosive was largely in
creased with each successive shot until the
citizens ran terror stricken from their homes
fearing that the few houses remaining
would be razed to the ground by the tre-
mendous fire and concussion. Manager Full
ton of the Cambria Iron Company, who. on
account OF the explosions, was compelled to
move his family and effects to the mountain
side for safety, sent note to General Hast
ings demanding that the dynamiting charges
be made smaller. General Hastings replied
that they would cease at once, since which
time no shots have been fred.
Today was the hottest experienced since
the catastrophe. and its effect was apparent
on all classes Of people. The heat is ex-
tremely oppressive aud is bringing out all the
bad smells concealed in the numerous piles
of rubbish. Vast quantities OF disinfectants
are being used freely throughout the commu-
nifty.
To the casnal observed the scene at Johns
town is dreadful one. To the people here,
who have most reason to be Mortified, 1t
seems scarcely to appeal at all There is
such dreadful uncertainty about where
any one perished that they have grown to
either believe that their friends are less
likely to be near the scene of their former
homes than anywhere elso or to hope that
they are among the unidentified dead who
have found at the hands Of strangers rest
lQQ M ndn flnn do fl,o+
dot the hillsides of the Conemaugh. There
has been so much sadness and sorrow in
this valley that the human mind has been
paralyzed.
1t is rare. indeed, to see the people speak
at all. They wander almlessly about be-
tween the ruins, the commissary department
and the houses of the survivors in which
they find temporary shelter. Beyond the
fact that they are alive they haye little to be
thankful for. There are some few merchants
who speak OF rebuilding, and there is w0n-
derful activity displayed by both the Cam
bria Iron Works Company and the Gautier
Steel Works, but beyond these there are few
who give any outward indication that they
have left within them the semblance of am
bition.
This Is hardly to be wondered at
Too many of the wild statements sent out
to an anxious world that they are being COM
f0rtably cared for are fictitious. They are
not. This may be the fault of the conditions
anQ the circumstances, rather than of any
body in charge, but it is a fact. The food
furnished is not tit 10 be eaten in many in
stances, and 1t is not being cleanly handled.
The people are thankful for it, such as it is;
but 1t Is not the food that the great heart of
the charitable world has been led to believe
is being doled out. The rations of bread
served are fairly large in quantity, but in
quality that given out, particularly on Fri
day last, was not fit for human beings to
live on. 1t was badly baked, and had been
carted to the commissary department in filthy
wagons that had done duty in removing the
debris.
1t is one of the saddest scenes imaginable
to tehold the people with their baskets
awaiting their turn at the commissary de-
partment for the rations doled out daily to
them. There you will see men in line who
were prosperous and well to do less than q
month ago. Today they are wearing cloth
Ing OF any color and of every texture, and
are waiting the supplies which alone stand
between them and absolute hunger.
new sun bonnets aud gingham dresses
and ill-ftting shoes which they
wear tell of the haste with
which they had to run for their lives They
had no time to think Of clothing other than
that which was on them when the great
summons came. You can speak to none of
them who are not meurners. They feel their
position keenly, too, and but for the volunta-
ry workers in charitable organizations who
are doing magnificent work they would fare
much worse.
A soldier is a soldier, and his hand is
rough, no matter how tender his heart may
be, and the people much prefer going where
kind words are said than awaiting the
pleasure of those whom oficialism makes
methodical to degree.