Wichita eagle., 1889-06-13
UNDER MILITARY RULE.
Johnstown Now Governed by the Hastings
AutOcracy.

YOUNGSTOWN, Pa, June 12.-The borough
of Johnstown and the surrounding towns
are now under military rule. At z o'clock
this morning General Hastings took
charge and soldiers were placed on guard
at all the commissary stations and
morgues.
A slight rain has been falling all morn
ing and the city presents a most dismal
aspect. Everything is turmoil and confu-
sion, and little or no work has been done.
For the first time since work has COM
menced the men seem tagged out, and are
not in a hurry to get to work.
However, all the men at the
morgues, and the relief committees are
still hard at work. The sufferers were at
the commissary stations as early rs usual
this morning and stood around iii the rain
several hours before they We're served.
They have the same distressed look as they
have had ever since the flood, and as the
days roll by they do not seem to liven up
any. In fact the people here, that is, the
residents, are just commencing to realize
fully the terrible ordeal they have gone
through. The excitement has kept them
up until now, but the since excite
ment has been dying out they
are now conscious Of the situation
and if number of suicides do not follow
it will be something remarkable For the
first time since the calamity the people are
commencing TO talk of their financial
losses and this seems to worry them as
as much as anything else, and to say that
n vast number of the former merchants
are disheartened is putting it mildly. On
all sides You will hear these merchants eX-
claim: 1T is no use; we shall never re-
cover from this; we have lost everything"
The Pittsburg wholesale merchants who
are here are trying to comfort them, and
are offering the old merchants some very
elegant inducements to start up again. 4
circular has been received by these men
from several Pittsburg merchants offerin 2
them all the credit they want
All the laborers employed by Booth &,
Flynn and all the volunteer and other
workmen were paid off at the club house
this morning by the finance committee.
Over 1, 100 men surrounded the place and
it was with considerable difficulty that
they were paid. \ number of them forgot
their numbers and it caused no end of
trouble. The pay roll altogether amounted
TO about $4,000
General Hastings states that the work
of carrying away the debris under the di-
rectlon OF the state Will commence in
earnest tomorrow morning. James Nc
knight, OF Pittsburg, has been selected as
one OF the contractors and he will
have 1000 men at work tomorrow
morning. An Altoona contractor and two
other contractors from the eastern end OF
the state have also been selected to do
work for the state.
The contractors sent here from Mary
land by Governor Beaver have been left ont
IN the cold. They were TO have 5000 men
ut work, but when they came here they
did not have a hundred men and wanted
TO so into combination with James Nc
Knight, but the latter refused and the
Maryland gentlemen went home, sadder
but probably wiser men.
Hastings, in an interview this morning.
said: Il have now taken charge OF
this work, and it will be work
in earnest and not on paper.
The time for red-tape foolishness is past,
and intend TO push the work to finish
no matter whom it pleases or 6ispleases.
have been placed In such position that
/ can proceed expeditiously and propose
to do IL. Your can hear lots of criticism
but we will not listen to anything of that
kind. l have gotten tired OF all this TOM
foolery and we want here business men 10
work on buriness principles | have de-
tailed soldiers every place possibly could
and / intend TO get all til work out of
them that is possible. The state has TO
pay for the work and if it is in NV power
intend to see that it is done as it should
be. Today we will do little or
nothing. This is of course on account Of