Smyrna times., 1889-06-12
Incidents of the Great Johns
town Disaster.
NARROWING SCENES THAT ARE WIT.
MESSED DAILY.

living, burying the dead and clearing |
away the wreckage comprised the |
work at Johnstown last week. !
Although relief trains from Pniladel-
phIa arrived and others came in from
the West, the supplies of provisions
ran close to the limit, and the stock
of food must be quickly increased,
while the demands of the survivors
for garments have not been nearly
filled. Five thousand men were at
work clearing off the debris, but it is
calculated that upon this task double
that number can be employed for
thirty days at wages of 50 each per
day. The identified dead were buried
under headboards bearing their names,
and the unidentified were numbered
and their descriptions preserved. Dis
infectants were literally used, and dy-
Mantle was employed to scatter the
wreck at the fatal bridge. At the reg
istratiOn offices about 10000 names of
of survivors have been entered, leav-
ing 10000 or 1000 unaccOunted for
which latter figures are accepted as
representing the probable total of the
dead roll, although they may be di-
minished by further registrations.
The property loss in and around
Williamsport decreases to about 50, ,500,-
600 upon a careful survey of the
the ground, but the loss of life in Ly-
coming county does not diminish
below fifty. From the Juniata Valley
the reports make the destruction even
worse than was at first supposed.
SEARCHING FOR SICK AND DESTITUTE.
While Mr.. Scott was talking, an as
sistant handed him a dispatch
announcing that a trainload of roofing
materials was coming on the Baltimore
and Ohio. "They had better side
track that train and let more needed
supplies reach us" was the quick re-
{ jOinder of the President. Continuing
Mr.. Scott said: 1--WE organized q
bureau for the purpose of searching
out all sick and destitute people.
"There are about 5000 people living
under tents pitched in various parts
The camp at Prospect Hill, a mile
! from the town is the largest, where
8 1000 people are quartered. The nights
are cold and the days chilly, and there
are not enough blankets to go arOunC
and keep people comfortable. Th'
other survivors are living in tn,
houses that are still standing, tn
upper stories being habitable, Will
the lower ones, with all their cooking
utensils, have either been stripped o
filled with mud. There is no cookies
food to be had, as there are not man,
( stoves to be found. A few slices G
bread and a sandwich of corned bee
= generally serves as a meal for eac
o. person. In fact it is difficult to &c
more than this from the supply dC
st partments."
/ A very great proportion of childre
v have been swept down the river, an
= their bodies driven in under overhanl
. ing banks, under thickets and in OthC
w places where there is a sparse pOpuli
# ton. AS an illustration of this, ju
e. above New Florence some fragmen
of clothing were in full view of Il
to path on the river bank. Hundreds
Sc people passed the place for three da
IS. looking for bodies, but thought it W
re only shreds of worthless cloth tn,
LII were looking at. Finally someboC
III poked at the rags with a stick, and
- - swirl in the current brought q 2-yea
e,, m babe to the surface.
300 BODIES FOUND IN ONE PLACE.
Cc- Three hundred bodies were exhum
ITS in one spot. At Main and Marx
1t- streets the wOrkmen came upon thiI
We corpses. Among the lot were nj
members of the Fitzharris fami
The father, mother, six children a
12, the grandfather. Only one child
~ little girl of 9 years, is left out of
family of ten; she is now being car
for by the Citizens Committee. 7
49, body of a beautiful young girl v
N found in the Office of the Cambria II
AJ Company. When the corpse was c.
veyed to the mOrgue man entered
search of some relatives. The Fl
lo body he came to was that of his W
lOI and few feet further of he rec
nized in the young girl found at
Cambria Office, his daughter, Their
s. Downs.
,TYI A dozen instances have occur
where people have claimed bodies (
" afterwarps found they were mistak
m Nine children walked into one of
relief stations led by a girl of 16 yei
b They said that their father, mother
two children had been swallowed
L by the food. Near Main street
body of woman was taken out v
three children lying on her.
.6I OFT.TOLD TALES.