Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-06-07

rocks, fences, parts OF n0nses and every
imaginable thing. When the lover part
Of the town was reached the scene pre-
sented was beyond description. Halt has
not yet been told, nor never will be, as TO
the extent OF all the wreck. From the
Pennsylvania railroad 10 Main street there
is nothing standing but stone church
and large brick school house. The Man
sion house is gone, and over one hundred
people perished there From the Bllti-
more and Ohio depot you can see for
blocks in every direction, and betwean
the depot and this point there is standing
only part OF the Morrel block and two
small brick offices. that were protected
by the Morrell building. The town was
az rest early in the morning. Everyone
was thoroughly exhausted with the tar ri
BILE STRAIN and work OF the last two days
and nighns. The town is under martial
! law and everyone who goes about the
place is challenged aud required TO give
an account Of himself. The water has
subsidized 20 great extent, and the streets
in the main part of the town are FREQ from
water. The falling water has laid bare
the terrible work OF the flood. and the full
extent Of the disaster Is only being ascer'
tained now. The streets are one reeking
foul smelling mass OF wood aud debris,
and the work Of seeking for bodies has
only fairly begun. The latest estimates
put the loss of life at from 10000 10 l2,-
900. It Is is impossible 10 get correct
account Of the number lost. Everyone is
so tired ont and overcome by the disaster
as TO be merely unable 20 give any accu-
rate details or figures. The work OF
ldertifying the dead goes on very slowly,
aud comparatively few so far have been
identified. 49, -
Fifteen minutes before the food came,
Mr.. Decker, the Pennsylvania railroad
agent, read me telegram he had just
received. saying: "The South Fork has
broken" As soon az they heard tins, the
people in the station, numbering about
six hundred, made rush for the hill.
certainly think ! saw one thousand bodies
20 over the bridge. The first house that
came down struck the bridge, aud at once
took lire, aud as fast as the Others cane
down they were consumed. believe j
am safe 10 saying that saw one thousand
bodies burn. 10 reminded me Of lot OF
aies on fly paper, each one struggling to
get away, with no hope aud no chance TO
save them. have no idea that had the
bridge been blown up the loss OF life
wonid have been any less. They would
have hOated little further with the same
certainty Of death. Then again, it was
impossible for anyone TO have reached the
bridge IN order to blow It up, foe the
waters came 80 fast that no one could
have done it. I saw fifteen 70 eighteen
bodies 20 over the bridge at the same
time.
From under the large school house l2i
bodies we're taken last night and to-day,
aud in every corner and place bodies are
being found, and are being buried as fast
a. possible. The necessity for speedy
burial is becoming manifest, as the stencil
arising y from the bodies Is sickening. A
number of bodies have been found with
bullet holes m them, showing conclnsiyely
that in their maddening fright suicide
was resorted to by many.
FREDERICK, Md, June 3.--The flood in
! the Potomac river has subsided and the
waters are again flowing quietly on IN
their regular channel along its entire
course. The evidences of the ruin and
general desolation wrought by its terrible
destructive power during the past few
days from Point of Rocks TO HarpeTs Fer
rs can now DO fully seen. Today the peo-
pie to whom the flood was more merciml
than 10 others once again entered thelr
homes, and in au almost heartless way be-
gan the work of restoring them to a hab-
table condition. Many found upon crox-
ING their threshholds.that the task Of be-
ginning life anew as far As the accumula-
ton of material comforts and nscessaries
was concerned was again before them. The
majority had lost nearly their all, and that
which remained was in either such "A
ruined OF filthy condition as 10 be almost
worthless. But for the relief from the
surroun ling country many would actually
be suffering the pangs OF starvation.
DESTRUCTION AT HARPER's PERRY
At Point Of Rocks, Berlin and Harper's
} Ferry assistance will be needed by many
for some days 10 come. AT harpers Fer
ry today the scene Of ruin and wreck pre-
sented was most pitiful one. The town
was Just beginning to feel once more that
! it had about fully recovered from the et-
fscts of the war and was on tue road 10
prosperity when this last blow came, and
now there seems TO be but few hearts
stOnt enough 10 put forth any renewed
efforts. From one end Of Shenandoah
street to the other but little could be seen
but damaged buildings and thick mud.
When the food was at its highest the
water stood in the street 10 depth OF be-
} tween 10 and 20 feet, aud nearly every
resident suffered more or less. Two houses
one owned by James Steadman, and the
other by Thomas Burley, at the corner Of
Shenandoah aud Bridge Streets were car
ried away. The loss sustained will aggre.
gate, including paper mills, at least 3D.
900 or $4,000. Only one span OF the
, London bridge across the Shenandoah
river remains standing. The wIgon-was
at the side of the b. x .. iron bridge
over the Potomac was cons derably dam
aged in many places by buildings, trees,
I logs &c, striking against II, but the sec
tion through which the trains pass Is IN
tact and safe for travel.
HAVOC AT SANDY HOOK.
At Sandy Hook most OF the railroad
sidings we're washed out and carried bod.
ily a considerable distance. lrOn rails could
be seen Ia all directions, broken m half or
twisted into every conceivable shape. The
loss to the railroad AZ this point will prob-
ably amount to $4,000, while that sus-
tanned by the canal company. IN the los.
Iot buildings, will reach an aggregate OF
fully 100000.
AT POINT or ROCKS.
At Point of Rocks Messrs. Hickman
Wright suffer loss of about $1,000 They
had started their goods in two large gon-
dola cars, in the hope Of saving them, but
=. the water came up so rapidly that both
cars we're toppled over on their sides and
the entire stock lost. The completion OF
the new bridge over the Potomac at this
place will now be delayed at least three
: months. It was finished several days ago
and was to have been delivered 20 the
bridge company by the contractors on
Saturday. Their loss will amount to be-
tween $40, ,0C0 aud $4,000. I....
FREDERICK cOUSTY's less.
The loss to Frederick county, Md, in the
destruction of bridges and roads alone, IL
is now believed, will amount TO between
500 900 and Slj0,OOO. Il was learned this
afternoon that one Of the reservoirs from
which the water supply of Frederick >
furnished was also badly injured -
LYSoHBUkG, Va, June -
almost Isolated from the -
4 J...aoa kv cha A ood -