The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-04
Estimates On the Loss Of Life
Vary From 5000 to $4,000.
INTENSE INDIGNATION AGAINST THR
MHUMAN HUNS.

Bodies Being Recovered by Hundreds
in Every Direction-A Belief That at
Least 2,OOO Lie Beneath the Ruins
Left by the Fire-Ghoulish Rob bers
Lynched on the Spot When Caught
A Graphic Description of the Burst
ing of the Dam and the Starting
Leaps of the Awful Torrent
JoHNsTowN, PA, June 3, II A. M.-This
morning opened up dark and dreary. Great
drops of rain fell occasionally, and another
storm seemed imminent. Every one
felt thankful that the weather
still remained cool, aud that the
gradual putrsfaction Of the hundreds
of bodies that still line the streams and
lie hidden under the miles of driftwood and
debris is not unduely hastened. This morn
ing the peculiar stencil of decaylng human
flesh was plainly perceptible to the senses
as one assembled the bank Of Stony creek
for half mile along the smoldering ruins
of the wreck, and the most skeptical now
concede the worst and realize that hun
dreds, aye, perhaps thousands, of bodies lie
charred and blackened beneath the great
funeral pyre.
sEARCHERs AMONG THE RUINS.
Searchers wander wearily over this smok-
ing mass, and as occasionally sudden shout
comes over the waters, the patient watchers
on the hill realize that another CHASTITY dis
covery has been added to that long list of
revelations that chill every heart and draw
tears to the eyes of pessimists. From the
banks many charred remains of vic
tins of the flames and flood are plainly WIS.,
ible to the naked eye, as the receding
waters reluctantly give up their dead Be
meath almost every log or blackened beam
glstening skull or blanched remnants of
ribs or limbs mark all that remains of
hfe's hopes and dreams Since 10
o'clock last night fire engines have
been busy. Water has been constantly
playing on the burning ruins. AT times
the fire seems almost extinguished, but the
fearful flames suddenly break out afresh in
some new quarter and again the water and
flames wage fierce combat.
PHYSICIANS FAVOR CREMATION.
The chief sensation of the morning has
been the united remonstrance of the physi-
cans against the extinguishment of the
burning wreck. They maintain, with a
philosophy that to the anxious searchers
seems heartless, that hundreds, if not thou
sands of lfeless and decaying bodies lie
beneath this mass of burning ruins. 1t
would be better. they say, to permit ma
ture's greatest scavenger, the flames, to
pursue his work unmolested than to expose
to further decay the horde Of putrefying
bodies that lie beneath this debris. There
can be but one result. Days will elapse be-
fore the rubbish can be sufficiently removed
to permit the recovery of these bodies and
long before that every corpse will be a
putrid mass, yielding forth those frighttul
emanations of decaying human flesh that in
crowded community like this can give
but one result-dreadful typhus. Every
battlefield has demonstrated the necessity
OF the hasty interment of decaying bodies,
and the stencil that already arises is a fore
runner of inpen il.+ danger.
POPULAR OIL o PREVAILS.
Burn the wreck. Burr the wreck A loud
cry OF indignatioq arose from the lips of
the vast multitude, and the warning Of
science was lost in the eager demands Of
those that sought the remains of those near
and dear. The hose was again turned upon
the Missing mass and rapidly the flames
yielded to the supremacy of the water. 1t
Is almost impossible to conceive the exten
Of these smoking ruins. An area of eight
or ten acres above the dam is covered to a
depth of 40 feet with scattered houses,
borne from the residence center of Johns
town. In each Of these houses, it is esti-
mated, there were from one to twenty or
twenty-five people.
This is accepted as data upon which to
estimate the number that perished on this
spot, and if the data be correct the bodies
that lie beneath these ruins must run up
We'll into the hundreds, if not thousands.
Adjt. General Hastings, who has charge
OF everything stated this morning that
there was at least 1000 people under
the burning debris, but the only way
to find out how many lives were lost was to
take census of the people now living and
subtract that from the census before the
flood.
A train of FIVE cars came in from Cum
berland, Nd, this morning loaded with
provisions, and thirty men to help clean up
the debris The general undertaking rooms
are at work and about sixty coffins contain
Ing bodies of unknown people are piled
upon the station and platform.
PATHETIC SIGHT.
Quite pathetic sight was seen this morn
Ing upon the bridge. Up till to-day Gen.
Hastings had his headquarters on the east
side of the river, but this morning he came
over, followed by about 125 men carrying
collins. He started to work Immediately,
and has ordered men from Philadelphia,
harrisburg and all eastern towns to do
laboring work.
The stealing by Hungarians at Cambria
Clty and points along the railway has
almost ceased. The report of several lynch
iings and the drowning of two Italians while
being pursued by citizens yesterday has put
an end to the soulless piifering for time.
TWO OF THE GHoULs SHOT.
:, While Deputy Sheriff Rose was patrol
ling the river bank he found two Hun
garlans attempting to rob several bodies,
and at once gave chase. He found that the
iuGltlves were taking to the woods and
ne pulled out his pistol and shot twice
wounding both men badly. From the latest
reports the men are still living, but are in a
critical condition.
The sheriff has taken charge of Johnstown
and armed men are this morning patrolling
the city. People who have property in the
limits are permitted to enter the city if they
are known, but otherwise it is impossible to
get into the town. This regulation seems
harsh, but is a necessity.