Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-06-05

dood at New Florence, and IS we assembled
the river the scenes grew steadily more
and more horrible, until at Ninevsh, we
could see that the newspaper accounts had
mot been overdrawn. At about five o'clock
We reached the vicinity of JOhnstOwn, snd
alighted lust below the stone viaduct, 80
often referred to in the dispatches. We at
once set out on foot to hunt up General
Hastings, and found him in the railroad
depot. near the Cambria Iron Works, or
rather near where those works had stood.
General Hastings received us very kindly,
and furnished rs with al we required to
enable us to procure the fullest informa-
ton
eve spent Monday evening until dark
in looking about on the north side Of the
Conemaugh river, in the vicinity of the
ruined Cambria works, and In gazing over
the tangled stretch of water-suept ground
upon which the town Of Johnstown had
stood. The scene wss terrible one. For
a space OF probably three miles long by M
average width of half mile, lying be-
tween the Conemaugh river on the north
and Stony Greek on the east and south,
the ground bad been practically swept
clear Of buildings Here and there shat
tered ruin could he seen, and against such
distractions there were piled tangled
masses of drift and debris-the wrecks Of
ruined homes.
As 1t grew dusk we retTaced our steps
back 20 and across the viaduct bridge, and
made our way to the telegraph office,
L. No1afrrarra with fmhnTfp
trouble. 10 Treasurer Simpson, and then we
went on back and no on hillside, where
we found O house. The owner gave us
room, and We passed the night as best We
could, sitting up in chairs, OF sleeping on
the floor.
"As soon as it was light this morning,
We started out sgain, and recross'ng the
visduct bridge, We went on uD past the
Cambria Iron Works TO the depot, and
then crossed the improyised bridge, con-
structed of ropes, upon which boards have
been laid. and entered the Water-swept
plain on which the city Of Johnstown
formerly stood. The scene was one OF su-
preme Oscillation. The west end Of the
city begins at point between the Cone
maugh river and Stony creek, at the VIA
dnct bridge, and thence runs back to the
east about three miles, and 70 the south
along Stony creek, giving an average width
of about half a mile From the point up
Conemaugh river for q mile aud hslt, or
80, was JonstOWn proper, and then above,
toward the east, came IN view
Couemaugh. Wo0ddsle and East Cone
maugh. These are separate Dor
oughs. hut the whole, with Johnstown,
practically forms one city, being built up
continuously. Streets run north and
south. between the river and the creek,
and are bisected st right angles by other
streets. running east and west, practically
psralel with the river. Main street, the
principal street, runs north and south,
about midway from the point at the via
duct bridge, to Conemaugh borough.
ave wandered all over this district,
and a terrible trip il was. Wreck and
ruin were everywhere. Practically, the
entire site of the city had been swept
clear. West Of Main street, and between
il and the curve of Stony creek, there are
a few shattered ruins of buildings stand
ing. they having been substantial business
houses, and against them, and filling the
line of what was Main street, Is a great
msss OF debris Of every conceivable de
scription. beneath which many bodies are
supposed to lie. This morning a force OF
men we're put to work at the south end OF
Main street, towards Stony creek, and
when a distance Of one square had been
excavated total of three hundred and
| ffty bodies had been found.
''The ruin is complete. Not only have
/ the habitations Of from twenty to twenty
five thousand people been wiped out Of
/ existence. but the very foundations have
/ in many instances disappeared, and com
ma ativelv few cellars can be seen. Water
I ia runni * through the whole space, sno
thers-Are vast piles of stones, sand, mud
and everything else which the rush Of
water could carry, lying all over the sre'.
You can form an idea of the whole when
/ say the bed of COnemaugh river along
bv the Cambria works Is about twenty
ieet higher than it was before the flood.
''There are few shattered houses stand
ING a considerable distance east OF Main
street. and against them, as against every
obstruction. there is lodged miscella
Moons mass of drift. To the south, acrosi
St,nv creek. there are some houses against
the hill. above the water, but many
of these are partly gone, "a though
a cyclone bad torn through the place
We went AZ far up as East COnemaugh
and got very good idea OF the wnoi'
situation. Coming back, we recrossed tn'
rope bridge to the depot, where Genera
Hastings was. and went down on the
north side of the Conemaugh river to th'
visduct bridge sgain. The railroad runs
east along the river bank, from the viaduc
bridge mast the Cambria works, sud on az
TO East Conemaugh. Just above the
visduct. the river has cut q way through
the railroad embankment, 1t being unaol'
10 push it's way upder the viaduct arches
and this break had to be bridged by the
railroad people. -,
cat the viaduct the scene is horrible
That is where the drift caught fire teou
the upsetting Of stoves, etc, in houses
which were carried down and lodged there
I think there must he twenty or twenty
i've acres of this stuff, and it looks like tn
minis Of town blasted by fire, SIS indeed
il ia There are hundreds, perhaps thous
o,ds of bodies beneath this mass. Thi
morning gang Of men were set 10 worl
upder the arches on the west side OF III
viaauct bridge, getting out the timbers
with the aid of dynamite. Many msngle'
and charred bodies have been found, som
burned 70 perfect skeletons.
ut ia our estimate that from twelve t
/ fifteen thousand people ere homeless L
, Iohustown. and must be provided fol
j Everything they possessed has gone. In
= dead number anywhere from eigh
TO ten thousand according to IN
- best estimates furnished rs, by men wh
lived in Johnstosn all their lives.
Everybody was very kind TO us. w
ara under obligations - General Has
ings. Mr.. Maxim, ma1sger Of the johns
town Siesl Works; NJ Scott President G
7 the Johnstown Street Railway Company
: and Sheriff Steionaun, who showed d
- every attention We left for PittSburg q
half-past one O'Clock this afternoon, an
. came right on through 70 Wheeling"
e DO YOU know anything about Nj
5 Frank Wheat's body p
|, 1--WE know this: We went to the mOrgu'
a Il was full of bodies. We made know
n our errand to Rev. Dr. BeAll, who is
a charge, and he said the body had bee
there, bat had been removed. An atten'