The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-05

UoWn ana IN these the bodies are heid unit
decomposition renders it unsafe to keel
t4en lor gei. These temporary places TO
the deau are in the churches and schoo
houses, the largest one being the Fourth
ward school house where planks have beel
LAID over the tops of the desks and on then
the remains are placed
The corpses dug from the bank are GOV
cred with mud and are taken to the ante
room of the schoolhouse where they arr
placed under the hydrant and the mud anC
slime washed off. With a clasp knife the
clothes are ripped open and the attendant
searches the pockets for valuables or pa
pers for identification. Four men then lift
the corpse upon the rude table, and there
it is thoroughly washed and embalming
fluid injected into the arm, and then with
the other grim bodies the corpse lies in the
larger room until it is identified or becomes
offensive; in the latter case it is hurried
TO the large grave that will hereafter have
monument over it bearing the inscrip-
ton; Unknown dead
The number of the latter is growing
! hourly because peStilenCe stalks in Johns
town and the bloated and dis1igured masses
of flesh cannot be held much longer. The
bodies of stalTart worlcingmen lay beside
the remains OF dainty ladies, many Of
whom are still decked with costly earrings
and jewels on their fingers. The rich and
the poor throng these quarters and gaze
with aNe-struck faces at the masses of mu-
/ tilations, in the hope of recognizing a miss
( ing one so as to accord the body a decent
/ burial
| a wealthy young Philadelphia named
| . gle recently became engaged to Johns
town lady, Miss Carrie Diehl They were
u be welded in the middle of June and
both parties were preparing for the cere-
mony. The lover heard OF the terrible
| Hood, but knowing that the residence of his
dear one was up III the hills, he felt little
fear; to make sure, however, he started for
JohnstOwn, arriving to-day Near the
Fourth street morgue he met Mr.. Diehl.
Thank God you are safe,'' he exclaimed,
and then added SIS Carrie well! n ''She was
visiting in the valley when the flood came,n
was the sorrowful reply. Then he beckoned
the young man to enter the chamberof death.
A moment later young Ogle was kneeling
beside the rough bier and was kissing the
cold white face. From her lifeless finger
he slipped a thin gold ring and placed ii on
his own; then he slipped quietly out. He
was but one of thousands made to mourn
by the bursting of the South Fork dam.
Mamma, mamma" cried a child She
had recognized body that no one else
could, and in moment the corpse was
tlckcu5d, boxed and delivered to the
laborers, who bore it away to join the long
funeral procession. A mother recognizing
her baby boy. Keep it a few minutes, she
asked the undertaken in charge. In few
moments she returned carrying in her arms
little white casket, then she hired two
men to bear it to the cemetery.
No hearses are seen in Johnstown. Rel
atlves who recognize their dead, secure cof-
inns and get them carried the best way
they can TO the morgue and then to the
grayeyards. A prayer, some tears and
few more of the dead thousands are buried
in mother earth
A frequent visitor at these horrible |
places is David John Lewis All over
Johnstown he rides powerful gray horse |
and Of each one he meets, whom he knows, |
he asks: Have you seen my sister.:' !
Hardly waiting for areply, he gallops away |
either to seek ingress to the morgue or |
+ de along the river bank. One week |
ago Lewis was worth 500, 900, his all being
invested in a large commission business. |
To-day he owns the horse ne rides, the
clothes on his back, and that is all In the |
fierce wave were buried five of his near
relatives, his sisters Anna, Lizzie and
Maggie. The latter was married, and her
little boy and babe were also drowned.
The flood and fire claimed among its vic
TINS not only the living but the dead. To
lay handsome coffin was found half
burned in some charred Wreckage down
near point. Inside was found the body
5corched about the head and face as to be
The supposition is that
the house in which the dead man had lain
mad been crushed, and the debris partially
consumed by fire.
j. H. Klein claims the distinction of being
lhe only New Yorker in Jamestown who
escaped the flood and horror and having
'escued or assisted in rescuing sixty people
His base of operations was the Merchants
lotel, and his plan was to lift persons from
he windows of the houses swimming by
Among those he saved was the Rev. Phillips
Who, as he glided by, was trying to hold
lis wife and two children above the water
~ means of a table on which ne placed
hem and raised the load to his head. The
house swung against the hotel and stayed
ust long enough for the rescue to be com
)leted.
Klein has been working hard to alleviate
he suffering of the victims.