Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-08
AMID THE RUINS,
Disease Threatens the Survivors of
Jamestown.
TIL 4 FATA l. DAM.
An Expert PrOnOunCeS 1t of Inferior
Construction.
NOT ON Err DRAWN.
TIE Situation Fully as Bad
as Painted.
a TOUCHING INCIDENT.
Only About Fifty People Saved Out Of a
Large Village.
NOT OVER DIR 4 WV.
TIE Situation Fully as Bad
as Painted.
a TOUCHING INCIDENT.
Only About Fifty People Saved Out Of a
Large Village
lnr TELEGRAPH 70 The nlspa,oa.l

10y telegraph To mo hifpa'ca.l
JrUNsrovN. p. June 1.--" Are the heroes
81 She lood 10 give way 10 the horrors %
plseuef' j. question that Is now agitaung
thC VALLEY Of Conemsugh. To-day opened
warm and almost suliIy and the stencil thst
Hsssiis ones senses as ne wsuderS through
Iohnstown Is almost ovsrpowcrng. Sick
ness iu spIte 81 precautions aud the Her.
culfsn lshors Of The sanitary authorities IS on
tae increase snd fears OF an epidemic grow
with every hour.
"rtlsour imDIcsjon." said DR.. T. l..
White. assistant TO tho State Hoaid OF Health,
H.. morning. "tfat there Is going TO be
Fre,f siceufss here within the next week.
1-,vc CAGE, ~ malignant diohtheria were To-
Gated his morriuCou Bedford street. and a.
they were in different houses they mean five
tfsrffn, r.tnf> for disease. Al this talk
nh1ut fnr dangers ~ 3u epidemic Is
not exaggerated. IS many suppose,
but is founded upon experience. There
Wi De plenty Of typsoid-teyer and kindred
diseases here within q week or ten DAYS IN
1uy opinion. The only thing that has saved
us thus f4r has been ne cold weather. That
hss now given pIscc 90 summer weather,
aud no one knows what the next lew
DAYS may tuuS forth. Even among the
workmu aud attendants there Is already
discernib,e q great tendency TO diarrn0a
and dyscutery. The men are living
principally upon salt meat, and there
s. lack OF vegetables. have been
fero since sunday, and have tasted
fresh meat but once since That time
J. an only one Of many. OF course tho worst
has passed for the physicians. %, our arrange
ulents are now perfected, aud each corps
will be relieved from time TO time.
MORE ASSISTANCE.
"Twcnty more physician. arrived from
aIitshurch this morning. and many OF us
81 DE relieved to-day. But the opinion Is
keueral amoog medical men Thar there will
De more need Tor doctors n week hence
fhau there is now
Or. r. J.. Liobci. u the state Board OF
TIeahh. Is IN charge Of the san'tery head
, quarters. We are using every precaution
known % sciouce,' said he, "to prevent the
:, l0SsibiHtv oi ~ epidemic. our lab3rs
AAer8 have uct been confined 10 any pattc-
&siar channel, but have beeu extended 10
#rarious directions. Disnfec'lnts Of course
- inst in importance, and they have
81 lecn used wiki no sparing hand.
q. lrouDPt crcmaticn OF the dead snlmlls as
- ast q, thew are discovered j. smother thing
Fyhch We have insisted on. The I'M
Mnedisfe erection a. waier-closets through
~ ut the ruins for the wOrkmrn was an
Atbor work % toe greatest sanitary
IA Importance, snd has been attended 10.
"A Dey. too. are being disni,cied at frequent
EnterVas. We have r committee, too, that
"A Iperintends the burial u toe victims A. the
~ meteriCs. u - 81 the utmost importance
"a t1ls wholesale intcrment that The corpses
~ houid De inferred safe distance beneath
a be .uri4cc in order that their poisonous
msnanous may Dot ind am exit through the
~ reYirts % The earth. Another committee Is
q making house-t0-hou,e inspection through |
Il pat the stricken city 20 ascertain TIE nuns |
"a er ~ Inhabitants in each standing house,
II ne number Oh sick, and 10 order the latter
Ia TIE hospital whenever necessary.
n One crest danger is the oYercrOWding OF
~ houses and hotels, and that Is being pre-.
&eute1 rs much rs possible bY the Tree use OF
&ents up on The mOuniaio side. 80 Jar there
b. bui little contagious disease, and We hope
kby dihgcDt aud systematic efforts 10 prevent
&ny dangerous outbreak
Two additional cases Of lyphodfeYer are
LspOred TINS morning from Miuefsdale-
&nukiug total of seven IN that village aioue
&siDre Yesterday morning. Measles are also
Recomiug couHdera0iy prevalent on Pros
Aect fliI. where refugees camp is estab-
Wlsbed. T.. p. Minimum, wealthy con-
al be tor 90 Springfield, o.. arrived TINS fore
XnoOu with q dispatch from Governor Fora
or. 0iiD ring ., iraired iabofei> Tor Johns
"a oWu % Dee sent 90 ~ once n nerded. The
We iitkNI INILNfi TNANfA AAAA ia Ahf AHltih At'N
&Nas needed Ohio stood ready To- respond
#Drouptiy TO the call. AT the comuiesary
8.iation 40 the Pennsylylnia railroad depot
q, here was considerable activity. Crowds oi
~ bout Loco people had gathered about the
q place after Their days rations. The crowd
n ecsme 30 great that soldiers had 10 De called
&, pOu 20 gusrd the place until the Relief
n ommutce VS. ready 10 give ont provisions.
II several carloads OF clothing arrived this
H. fNI u a.
Soon as possible Toe people are badly in
heed Of cothiog. The weather has been
Sen chilly siUce saturday. The number OF
#peolle missing from WoOdyille is almost IN
credible, aud from present indications 70
u oOks ~ II only about fifty people OF The
a borough were saved. Mrs. u. l.. PETERSON,
&obo hs. oeen "a resident OF WoOdyile for
"a uuu,ber Of year.. is one OF the survivors.
&Whiic looking for Miss Pauson, OF Pits
X,urgh. Que a the drowned, she came 10
II Ohio which was marked - Mrs. H. i. Peter
bon, WOodyiie borough, Pa, age, about
#forfv: SIC, i've feet one inch; complex
oH. dsiE; weight, about 200 pounds This
Nv quite on accurate description OF Mrs.
&Peter.on. She tore the card from the colin
#sn0 one OF the officers was about 10 arrest
4ber. bot her explanations were satisfactory
Isnd she was released. Ia speaking OF The
4 alamity afterwards, Sue said "Ihe people
II ID WOod,llle bad plenty OF time 10 get out
a town II they were 50 minded. We re-
4 eiyed word shortly before O'Clock that the
Mood was coming. ana Pennsy iYania rail- /
ffOad conductor vent through The town nou'
$gyng the people. / stayed uutil $3.50 O'Clock, /
$yTheu the water commenced 10 rise very "a
Fpidiy. and thought II best TO 20 to the |
a Ills
"a o. iNFFgIOR CONSTRUCTION.
u A. ". Wellington, with r. Z. Burt, asso-
4 late editor Of the Engineering News, OF |
SNcw York, has just completed an examins- |
ION Of the dam " bich caused the great DIS |
.fer here. Mr.. Wellington states that the |
iau was ia every respect OF very inferior |
4 construction. Both the original aud recon-
tructed dams were Of earth only, with 40 /
E1esrt wall and only rip raped on the slopes.
Elbe Original dam, however, was made IN |
GIsrnmed and waicred lGFers, which stu snow |
tilsuucily In the wrecked dam. The new end |
fyreatiy sdded % SIS stability, but IL Was 10 |
FL appearance simply dumped IN Ike an |
Ordinary railroad Oh, or, II Iatnmed, SHOWS |
30 evidence Of the good effect from ~. Much /
u the old part u standing intact, while the |
Adjacent psrts Of the new work are wholly !
carried Oh There was no central wall Of |
puddle or masonry, either IN the new or |
The old dam. II has been The ipyarable |
ursctce OF engineers for thirty or forty /
,eaf. TO Use one or The other IN building |
high dams Of esrlb.
h Is doubtful n there is single dam or |
Yc.eryoir 10 auy part Of the United states OIL
over lfty feet higD which lacks lnls ctntai |
v,.U. The reconstructed dam also bears the 4
gaark II great ignorance or cateiessueSs ia /
having been made nearly TWO feet lower Ia /
Zoo middle tban ~ toe ends. u shouId
Tsiber have crowded 10 the mldoie "hlch /
would hays concentrated the overflow II
should have occurred " the ends instesd OF
lie centre. Had the break began al The |
snos The cut OF The water wouId nsfe peo"
o. efadoal that little or 30 harm might have
ge,u.led. Had the dam been at once cut ~
ile euds when the Wster began runnipg over
ihe centre the sudden breaking would have /
been 1t least greatly diminished, posslVN
Prolonged % that little BARN would nave
Ioulted. The crest Of the Old dam bad not
been raised m the reconstruction OF 1881.
al.aF.r