The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-06-08
AFTER The FLOOD.
pneumonia breaking 0ut-Robbing the
Dead-Ihe Unsafe Dam.

PNEUMONIA Breakins Uut-Rohbing the
Dead-rhe Unsafe Dam.
JoHNsrowN, Pa, June 4.-Up the
ragged sides of Prospect Hill, the same
to which several hundred terrified peo-
pie He'd to escape the flood last Friday
night, | scrambled this afternoon. /
came upon pneumonia scourge which
Dlds ialr 10 DO for q number of the cs-
capped victims what the flood could not.
Death has pursued them TO their high
est places, and terror will not die. Every
lttie house on tho hill, and
there are hundred or two Of them,
Lad thrown its doors open TO
receive the bruised and half-clad fugi
yves on the dark day OF the deluge and
every one was now n crude hospital.
nan the women who Esd sealed the
heights " ere 50 overcome with fright
that they have been bedridden ever
since. There bad been pneumonia on
the hall, but only a few isolated cases.
To-day, however, several fresh cases
developed among the flood fugltjyes,
and 4 local physician said
the prospect for scourge are all too
promising. TIE en- n'eebled condition of
the .tlents, the unhealthy atmosphere
perVadlng the valley ana the necesSa-
rily close quarters in which the people
are crowded render the spread Of dis
ease almost certain. To-day 4 ray of
llSht came IN tie nature of Il carload OF
| provisions and another from Columbus,
o., containing clean mattresses and
bedding tor the Prospect Till sufferers.
Chairman MOXham, of the citizens
committee, tells of fri.htful desecration
of the dead and Of the loot'ng of
honses. On the afternoon OF the dis
aster he was working among the VIC
| TINS on the hillside above Johnstown,
| when he noticed q co,ored man hand q
| colored woman gold watch and chain
| with the remark: Hold my watch for
| me; Pm afraid / Will lose it." The
man was apparently working indus
| trlously upon the wreck, and Mr..
| Moxham did rot think any
| thing OF the circumstance until
| ne saw the negro step up to the woman
again, hand her another watch
| and repeat his remark. Suspecting
| something wrong, Dir. MoXham had
| the woman placed under arrest. Her
| pockets We're found TO be filed with
| watches and iewelry. There were sew
i eral rings that were bloody. The fin
| gers had been cut off the dead for the
| gold. Later on Mr.. Moxham discovered
| several carloads Of shoes and clothing
| secreted back on one Of the hills. One
| man nad his line strung tull OF cloth
| ing, evidently taken from flood vie
| Tins, rs thev were wet and muddy.
! When the officers attempted to seize
| the goods the fellow opened fire upon
| them with a revolver. They returned
| the salute and did not stop, after re-
| gaining the clothes, to see what the eff
| feet had been. As to the failure OF the
| JohnstOw1 council to afford police pro-
| lection, there are found many extenuat-
| ing circumstances. One-fourth of the
| councilmen are believed to have lost
| their lives in the flood. and there is
scarcely one of the living who has not
met with some terrible loss. The sad
| fate OF the family of Chief of Police
| Harris is known, all having perished in
the disaster.
| l notice that the secretary of the
| South Fork Fishing Club said Yesterday
| that the club had not vet fled an in
/ demnity bond, a claimed by a citizen
| OF Ebensburs, ana that no complaints
| had ever been made about the safety of
! the dam by auy Of the ,ioWnstOWn citi-
| zens. He is undoubtedly correct as TO
| the bond, but Is misleading as to the
| second part Of his statements
| There is not a shadow Of doubt
| but that citizens Of Cambria
! County frequently complained, and
! that at the time the dam was construct
| ed very vigorous effort was made TO
| put stop to the work. 1t is true that
! the leader otthe movement was not
/ citizen Of Johnstown, but he was and is
q large mine owner in Cambria county.
| His mine ad Joins the reservoir proper
! ty. He related to me on Saturday the
| story OF his labors in an effort 10 pro-
| tect the lives and property of the peo-
/ pie in that valley He was frequently
on the spot, and his cwn engineer in
! epected the work. He saws the en-
! bankment was principally OF shale and
| clay and that straw was used to stop the
| leaking of water while the work was 90
| ing on. He called on the sheriff of Cam
| brla County and told him i; WAS his duty
| to apply TO court for an Injunction. The
| sheriff promised TO give the matter his
| attention, but, instead Of going before
! court, went to the Cambria Iron Works
| tor consultation. An emplOye was sent
| up 10 make an inspection, and as his
/ report was favorable TO the reservoir
work the sheriff went no further. But
| the gentleman referred to said he had
| not tailed to make public his protest at
| the tice and TO renew il frequently.
New Gork's contributions so far
reach $ll4297. The total cash collec-
| tions in Cleveland, O., amount to $3S,-
| 600; ten car loads of merchandise have
| been shipped. Mass meetings to raise
money for the relief OF the sufferers
| have been called in st. Louis. The col
| lectIons at Cincinnati amount to Sl3,-
| 372; at Pittsburg, $4,000 in
! money and $4,000 in provisions and
clothing. The louisville chamber of
! commerce has subscribed $1,000 Chi
/ cago has sent S21.0OO. Special benefit
Z r