Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-06-07

stances whole families and their rela-
tives were swept away and found a
common grave beneath the wild waste
of waters.
The total destruction of the city
leaves no data to even demonstrate
that the names of these unfOrtunates
ever found place on the pages OF eter-
nity's history.
"All indications point to the fact
that the death list will reach over
5000 names, and i'm my opinion the
missing will reach 5000 in numbers, y
declared Gen. G.. II. Hastings to-day.
At present there are said to be 2, 200
recovered bodies. The great Difficult
ties experienced in getting correct
list is the great number of morgues.
There is no central bureau of infor-
nation, and TO communicate with the
different dead houses is the work of
hours. The journey from the Penn
sylvania Railroad morgue tn the one
in the fourth ward schoolhouse in
Johnstown occupies at least one
hour. This renders it impossible to
reach all of them in one day, particu-
larly as some OF the morgues are stu
ated at points inaccessible from Johns
town.
Living i'm a row i'm church were five
children. from two TO six years old.
No one had identified them this after
noon. Their little curls were matted
with mud; their nostrils were filled
with sand and their eyes completely
covered. No one had come to wash
away the dirt from their tiny faces or
the blood stains from their bruises.
Where are their parents? Across the
aisle lay the massive frame of Hun
garian laborer. Strong men as well
as children were the torrents victims
JoHNsTowN. Pa. June 4.-Four
DAYS have elapsed since the bursting
of the reservoir above Johnstown,
CARRYING death and devastation
through the valley of Conemaugh,
and the sky is still overcast with
heavy clouds. For thirty-siX hours,
without intermisSion, the fire engines
have played upon the smoking ruins
above the bridge, but the flames
break out afresh at frequent inter
walls. To-day dynamite was used to
blow up the wreck at the bridge in
order to allow water to pass into the
main channel and relieve the lower
part of Johnstown proper. Nearly
two thousand men are employed in
different parts of the valley clearing
up the ruins and prosecuting dill
gent search for the undiscovered
dead. Three hundred more bodies
have just been found opposite Min
eveh. This makes seven hundred
bodies found at this point Pneumo-
MIA has broken out among the ref
ugees on Prosp ect Hill.
William Gaffney, aninsurance agent
at this place, had a very pitiful duty
to perform this morning. On his faith
er's and wife's side he lost fourteen
relatives, among them his wife and
family. This morning he got man
to take his deceased relatives to the
grave. and he had the mournful duty
of digging his wife's and children's
graves and burying them. In speak
ing of the matter this morning he said:
Il never thought that | could per-
form such sad duty, but | had to do
it and | did it No one has any idea
of the feelings of man who was I'M
dertaker, grave-digger and pall-bearer
for his own family.
The saddest 81 ght to be seen on the
river bank this morning was the case
of Mr.. Gilmore, who had lost his
wife and family of five children Ever
since the calamity this old man has
been seen on the river bank looking
for his family. He insisted on the
tiremen playing a stream of water on
the place where the house stood and
where he supposed the bodies lay.
The firemen. recognizing his feelings,
played the stream on the place for
several hours this morning, and at last
the rescuers got to the place the old
gentleman said his house formerly
stood Il know the bodies are there,
and you must find them" On went
the rescuers after this plea. When at
last one of the men picked up char
red skull, evidently that of child,
this stirred the old man up, and he
exclaimed: THAT is my child. There
lies my family. Go on and get the
rest of them" The workmen con-
tinued, and in a few minutes they
came to the remains of the mother
and three other children. The heads
were completely burned off, but there
was enough of their clothing left to
recognize them by. What was left
was picked up and placed in collins,
the old gentleman following closely
the men who were carrying the cot
fins
What is needed here today more
than anything else is grave-diggers.
This morning hundreds of bodies
were lying around, and there was no
one to dig graves. This morning
there have been at least fifty funeral
professions passed the Associate ed
Press headquarters. 1t was not DIN
unusual sight to see two or three
collins going along one after another,
followed by a number of mourners,
all in the same family. 1t is impos-
sible to secure wagons or conveyances
of any kind, consequently all funeral
professions are on foot.
Bodies are still being found by the
hundreds, but the great pile of drift
still contains an incalculable number.
1t has been suggested that the pile be
burned, and the bodies thus cremated.
Weeks, months will be required to re-
move the stupendous mass by artifi-
cial means, and meantime the rotting,
putrefying remains of poor humanity
buried therein uould be dealing pollu-
ton and death to all the surrounding
country.
The relief trains are arriving fast
now, carrying TO the destitute people
clothing, food and supplies of. all
kinds. Those who are in need are
being relieved as rapidly as possible.
The Cambria Iron Works, one of
the greatest iron manufacturing es-
Establishments in the world, and whose
5000 employees and their families
composed most of the population of
the devastated valley, sustain a loss
of about S2,5OO,O0O. Their works are
in a fearful shape, but the company
will rebuild immediately.
YOUNGSTOWN, Pa, June 5.-Estimates
to-day of loss of life vary from twelve
to fifteen thousand. Over 5000 bod
les have been recovered. The coun-
try is responding nobly to the APP
pea's for relief. Philadelphia has al
ready raised for the sufferers S400, 600,
~ 81 D.