Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-06
ONE CHASTITY find.
A Church That Proved a
Death Trap to Many.
ABOUT THE WORST YET.
Even the Seasoned WOrkmen RecOII From
the Scene in HorrOr-A Row That Null
IIpIied With Great Rnpidity-The First
. Relative Found of Man Who Lost 20.
rrHoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

JoHNsTowN, June 81 The story of the
calamity of the Conemaugh Valley will never
| be told. Its magnitude is too much for any
human conception, and details are so numerous
that no ordinary mind can grasp them all nor
have the time to record them in their true
light. As the hours grow apace new horrors
are developed. As the great number of the
working force is increased the heartrending
scenes, the sickening sights and the appalling
incidents multiply. 1t seemed yesterday as if
the climax of the terrible tragedy had reached
its highest development To-day the news
swept abroad that 100 bodies had been found
together within an area of as many square feet.
1t was about 2 o'clock when the men of Booth
& Finn, who were engaged to clean out large
excavation which had been filed with mass of
debris suddenly struck the dead body of a
child The tiny mortal had not occupied much
room. 1t was doubled up in a, sitting posture,
and the man pulled the little one from the
cradle of its death by himself without any
assistance. Quickly it was put upon stretcher
by some of the other workmen, and the search
was continued.
1t was not in vain. No sooner had the man
applied his shovel to the soil to throw out some
more debris when he touched another human
body. Quietly the man reached down to clear
the rubbish away and lay his find bare; but this
time he could not get ont the body alone, and
he had to call for somebody's assistance. 1t
took few minutes to complete the task, but
no wonder, because a little careful removal of
few boards and stones revealed to the
workmen three corpses tightly clung together,
with the dust and mud clinging to them. They
were an
Unrecognizable Mass of Human Flesh
and bone; but before these three were placed
on a streteher to be carried away two more
were brought to light There are two more
people here" said one of themen to his fore
man, who stood close by. The words brought
several more men to the spot, and the two dead
bodies were carried out into the light of the
sun. There were no more stretchers
handy now, and as one of the
workmen was running to get one from
another gang Of diggers, foreman stopped
him.
Hold on my man. he said, '1et us lay these
two on the ground over here, perhaps there are
even more underneath the rubbish
The man did not know that his words were
really to be proven fact, but like an echo to
horrible prophecy another couple were hauled
out of the excavation. Thus it continued, one
after another they were hauled out and one
after another the dead were carried on to the
sand and laid out side by side. From moment
to moment the row grew in length and the
number of the corpses was multiplied
=. But still the excavation @ was not It emPtied of
lying on the barren land around the debris, and
the men engaged in the sickening work of
hunting for the dead stopped. They were
their nerves refused to act any longer.
An Enforced Pause.
The men stood back and leaned against the
walls of the cavity from where the limbs of
human shape and form denoted that even
more were awaiting to be delivered from their
horrible resting place. These men who were
engaged in digging for dead bodies since last
Saturday, who had hauled them out of the
premature graves py the dozen every day, and
TrbO arfcf hory ucad 90
sickening task-even they recoiled-they could
not go any farther.
--4II siii dioae, said one of tAeni 81 anfsickS
said another; Let me get out of this place."
pleaded another, and SO one after the other
laid down his tools and turned toward the exit
from the catacomb of the dead unfortunate.
who will take these mems placesP" the
foreman quietly asked of his gang of workers
The way in which he put the question made it
evident that he did not expect any volunteers,
but he was mistaken. The spirit which seems
to be imbued within the hearts of the majority
of the men who are at work here asserted
itself, and number of men promptly stepped
forward.
1--WE can't leave those people down there
they said in their rough way, which however,
sounded like music to the ear of the foreman,
for he knew that it conveyed spirit of willing
ness.
Death Reisned There.
These bodies were unearthed in an exca-
vation near the Johnstown Presbyterian
Church. From some of the people who stood
around learned that the house had withstood
the murderous waves for long time and a
large number of people had succeeded in MAX
ing it a refuge until the roof broke in and its
occupants were buried beneath it. In the
Alma Hall, another large building whose ruins
cover large territory, there were IL bodies re-
covered. of which belonged to a family
named Fitzharris, the Others have not been
identified vet except Frank O'Donnel.
OF the SO bodies which were found near
the Presbyterian Church one was said to be the
corpse of Charles B. Hoffman, a boy 16 years of
age. His cousin, John Hoffman, from Altoona
was standing in the morgue of the Presby-
terian Church afterward where saw him.
This boy" he said, sis the first of my rela-
tives who has been recovered, and there are ~
of us lost God knows when and where the
other Is will be found" HENRICHS.