davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
The Death Score.

The committee at Johnstown in their last
bulletin placed the number of lives lost at
eight thousand. In doing so they are fgur-
ing the inhabitants of their own city and the
towns Immediately adjoining. But it must be
remembered that the tidal wave swept ten
miles through populous district before 1t
even reached the locality over which this COM
mittee has supervision. 1t devastated tract
the size and shape Of Manhattan Island.
Here are q few facts that will show the
geographical outlines of the terrible dis
aster: The Hotel Hurlburt, of Johnstown,
6 massive three-story building of 100 rooms,
has vanished. There were in it seventy-fve
guests at the time OF the food. Two only are
now known to be alive. The Merchants Hotel
is leveled. How many were inside it is not
known, but as yet no one has been seen who
came from there or heard of an inmate escap-
ing. Atthe Conemaugh round house forty
one locomotives were swept down the stream,
and before they reached the stone bridge all
the iron and steel work had been torn from
their boilers. 1t is almost impossible in this
great catastrophe to 60 more into details.
stood on the stone bridge at o'clock and
looked into the seething mass of ruin below
me. At one place the blackened body of a
babe was seen; in another, fourteen skulls
could be counted. Further along the bones
became thicker and thicker, until at last at
one place it seemed as if a concourse of people
who had been at ball or entertainment, had
been carried in bunch and incinerated. At
this time the smoke was still rising to the
height of fifty feet, and it is expected that
when it dies down the charred bodies will be
seen dotting the entired mass of burned
debris,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19

currences Of the whole disaster was how MIR.
Walters got to the hall He has his Office on
the second floor. His home is at 135 W alnut
street. He says he was in the house with his
family when the waters struck it. ALI was
carried away. Mr.. Walterss family drifted
on a roof in another direction. he passed
down several streets and alleys, Until he came
to the hall. His dwelling struck that edlhce,
and he was thrown into his own office. About
200 persons had taken refuge in the hall, and
were on the second, third and fourth stories
which all were bound to respect. Mr.: Walters
was chosen President. The Rev. Mr.. Beale was
put in charge of the first Aoor, A. NJ. Hart Of
the second floor, DR.. Mathews of the fourth
floor. No lights were allowed, and the whole
night was spent in darkness. The sick were
cared for. The weaker women and children
had the best accommodations that could be
had while the others had to wait. The scenes
were most agonizing. Heatrendlng shr1eks,
The CRYING of children mingled with the sup
pressed sobs of the women. Under the guar
dianship of the men all took more hope. No
one slept during all the long dark night.
MANY knelt for hours in prayer, their
supplications mingled with the roar OF
the waters and the shrieks OF the
diving in the surrounding houses. In all TINS
misery two women gave premature birth
children. DR.. Matthews is hero. Several
Of his ribs were crushed by a falling timber
and his pains were most severe, yet through
all he attended the sick. When two women In
a house across the street shouted for help, he
with two other brave young men climbed
across the drift and ministered to their wants
No one died during the night, but women and
children surrendered their lives on the sue
ceeding day as result Of terror and fatigue
Miss Rose Young, one of the young ladies in
the hall, was frightfully cut and bruised.
Mrs. Young had leg broken. All OF Mr.
Walters's family were saved.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Sleeping on the Ground.

walked along the hillside and saw hun
'dreds Of persons lying on the wet grass
wrapped in blankets or quilts. 1t was grow
ing cold and misty rain had set in. Shelter
was not to be had, and houses on the hillsides
that had not been swept away were literally
packed from top to bottom. The bare ne
cesSities Of life were soon at premium and
loaves of bread sold at fifty cents. Fortu-
nately, however, the relief train from Pitts
burg arrived at o'clock. Otherwise the
horrors of starvation would have been added
All provisions, however, had to be car
ried over a rough rocky road distance of
four miles las I knew, who had been COM
PEELED to walk it, and in many cases they
were seized by the toughs and the people
who were in need of food did not get it. 1t
may sound strange to say much about the
damage to property, but it must be re-
membered that the living are those who now
suffer and aid is asked for the thousands who
are left homeless and without a change Of
clothing. The damages, including personal
losses, cannot fall short Of $40, 100000.
learned in Johnstown that the Great
CHARTERS Steel Works are swept away with
all the valuable machinery. This alone en-
tails loss of s2,OO00O0. One million will
not make the Cambria Iron Works whole.
Rich and poor were served alike by this ter
rible disaster. saw girl standing in her
bare feet on the rivers bank clad in loose
petticoat and with a sawl over her head. AT
first I thought she was an Italian woman, but
her face showed that l was mistaken. She
was the belle Of the town-the daughter OF
wealthy Johnstown banker-and this single
petticoat and shawl were not only all that
was left her, but all that was saved from the
magnificent residence Of her father. She had
escaped to the hills not an instant too soon.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
A CANAL DESTROYED.
A Historic Waterway Costing S12,-
100000 Wrecked Beyond Repair.

A Historic Waterway Costing S12,-
100000 Wrecked Beyond Repair.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, running
from Cumberland, Md, to Georgetown, Dis
trict Of Columbia, a distance of 1874 miles, Is
wrecked beyond repair. President John
Quincy Adams began the work in the pres
ence Of Congress. 1t cost nearly $12, 600, 0O0
to build. 1t has never been productive, and
it has sunk for the State Of Maryland, in
principal and interest, over SIS, OOO,O 600. II
connected the bituminous coal regions OF
Maryland and Virginia with tidewater.
The canal was the first great work OF its
kind in this country. George Washington was
its protector. As early as 1774 he secured the
passage Of law by the Legislature of Vir-
einia for the opening of the Potomac to navi-
Cation. but it was not until 1920 that the work
was pushed with vigor. The real commence
ment of the work was on the 4th of July, 1885,
when President Adams broke the ground.
TWENTY-FIVE wears were spent in its construc-
tion. In the l84 miles it has total rise Of 609
feet. A part of it goes through tunnel that
cost 81, 600, 600 to construct. Among its Presl-
dents was Arthur P. German, now United
States Senator. The floods swept away EN-.
bankments that cost thousands Of dollars.
Most of the locks are gone and the canal and
the Potomac River for long distances are now
practically one body Of water. Many canal
boats were swamped, and about ten thunsand
tons of coal were caught en- route and washed
away. At Williamsport the canal is under
twenty feetof water. .
1t will be impossible to repair the canal, and
all its officers acknowledge that it will never
be used for navigation again.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
CuriOsities Of Appetite.

Sir J. Gorst said in the English Par
lament the other day, to illustrate the
ancient truth that 'one mans meat is an
othe mans poison" that he was once Sc,
verely examined by aparty of New
Zealand chiefs who had strong views on'
the depraved English habit of eating
what they called decsyed cheese. he;
might have further elucidated the pro-
verb with long list of eatables in which!
I'VE delight, but which certain savages;
cannot even mention without feeling of,
Fepulsion. A while ago DR.. Finsch saw
hens scratching around in New Guinea
villages, and learned that the domestic
fowl is good for nothing except feathers.
The natives could hardly conceive that
human beings would eat such creature,
and the bare idea of lunching on eggs
WAS enough to make a respectable Pap
uan i'll. Chicken feathers, however,
particularly of white, heighted the
charms of the fair sex when tastily dis
posed in their abundant frizzes, and So,
after all, these gentle birds were not
made wholly in vain.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Walking in the Torrents Path.

walked late yesterday afternoon from
New Florence to place opposite Johnstown,
distance of four miles. I describe what 1
actually saw. All along the way bodies were
seen lying on the river banks. In one place a
woman was half buried in the mud, only a
limb showing. In another was mother with
a babe clasped to her breast. Further along
lay a husband and wife, their arms wound
around each Others necks. Probably fifty
bodies were seen on that side Of the river,
and it must be remembered that here the cur
rent was the swiftest, and consequently fewer
Of the dead were landed among the bushes
On the opposite side bodies could also be seen,
but they were all covered with mud. Near
Johnstown the wreckage became grand in its
massive proportions
The scenes, as I neared Johnstown, were
the most heartrending that man was ever
called to look upon. Probably three thou
sand people were scattered in groups along
the Pennsylvania Railroad track and every
one Of them had relative lying dead either
in the wreckage above, in the river below, or
in the still burning furnace. Not a house
that was left standing was in plumb. Hun
dreds of them were turned on their sides and
in some cases three or four stood one on top
Of the other. Two miles from Johns
town, on the opposite side of the
half of the water-works of the Cambria
Iron Company, structure that
had been built Of massive stone. 1t was filed
with planks from houses, and large abut-
ment of wreckage was piled up fully fifty feet
in front of it. A little above, on the same
side, could be seen what was left of the Cam
bria Iron Works, which was one of the finest
plants in the world Some Of the walls are
still standing, it is true. but not yestdge Of
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Pathetic Incidents.

The sad scenes will never all be written:
One lady. told me Of seeing her mother crushed
to pieces lust before her eyes and the mangled
body carried off down the stream. William
Warner lost six children and saved babe
about eighteen months old. His wife died
lust three weeks ago. An aged German, his
wife and five daughters floated down on their
house to point below Ninevah, where tne
house was wrecked. Theive daughters were
drowned, but the old man and his wife stuck
in a tree and hung there for twenty-four
hours before they could be taken off.
One of the most pitiful sights of this ter
rible disaster came to my notice when the
body of a Young lady was taken out Of the
Conemaugh River. The woman was ap-
parently quite young, though her features
were terribly dis6gured. Nearly all the
clothing except the shoes was torn on the
body. The corpse was that of mother, for
although cold in death the woman clasped
Young male babe, apparently not more than
q wear old, tightly in her arms. The little one
was huddled close up to its mothers face,
who. when she realized their terrible fate,
had evidently raised the babe to her lips to
imprint upon its little lips the last motherly
kiss it was to receive in this world. The sight
was pathetic one and turned many stout
heart to tears.
Among the miraculous escapes to be re-
corded in connection with the great disaster
is that of George j. Leas and family. He re-
sided on Iron street, Johnstown. When the
rush of water came there were eight people
on the roof. The little house swung around
off its moorings and foated about for nearly
half an hour before it came up against the
bank of drift above the stone bridge. A
three-year-old girl with sunny golden hair
and dimpled cheeks prayed all the while that
God would save them, and it seemed that
God really answered the prayer Of this limo.
cent little girl and directed the house against
the drift, enabling every one Of the eight to
get off. Mrs. Leas carried the little girl in
her arms, and how she got off she doesn't
know. Every house around them, she said
was crushed, and the people either killed or
drowned.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19

desk to desk, and as fast as the hands OF large
body Of men and women can put the remains
1,ossib1s ~ sIJ identification, and removed a.
plS ppuieEly as possible se!enty-aye still remain,
although many have been taken away, and
they are being brought in every moment aNa, 1t 1t
the huge School taken up by rows and
rows Of corpses, each with clean white
sheet covering it, and on the other side Of
the room promiscgous heap Of 5od1es ;od1 In an al
ali the world like decaying tree trunks.
Among Al ing the number identified are two bes9ti-
full young ladies named respectively Mrs.
Richardson, who was teacher in & the kinder Under.
sister I afterward noticed at one Of the cor
ners @ near by, weeping as if her heart 'Ias
broken. Not single acquaintance die he
count in all of the great throng who passed
her by although many Of them
their own losses"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Narrowing Story of an Eyewitness


A correspondent telegraphs aword-pisture
of Johnstown as it looked after the subsidence
Of the food. He says:
"The point of observation was on the hill.
side, midway between the woolen mills Of
Woodvale and Johnstown proper, which
reached after a journey through the por-
tions Of the city from which the waters,
receding fast are revealing scenes OF
unparalleled horror. From the point
on the hillside referred to, an excellent view
of the site Of the town can be obtained. Here
it can be seen that from the line of the
Pennsylvania Railroad which winds along
the base Of Prospect Hill, to point at which
ST. Johns Catholic Church formerly stood,
and from the stone bridge to Conemaugh,
on the Conemaugh River, but twelve houses
by actual count remain, and they are
in such a condition as to be prac-
tically useless. To any one familiar with the
geography of the iron city Of Cambria
County, this will convey vivid idea OF
three miles in length. In all the length and
breadth of the most peaceful and costly por-
tion of Johnstown not shingle remains, e1-
cept those adhering to the buildings men
toned.
"But do not think for an instant that this
comprehends in full the awfulness OF the
scene What has just been mentioned IS a
waste of large territory swept as clean as II
by a gigantic broom In the other direction,
along the course of Stony Greek, as far
as Alexander Kennedy's, the President
of the town councils, some few
of the houses still remain, but they are up
side down, piled on top of each other, and In
many ways SO torn asunder that not q Single
one Of them is available for any purpose
whatsoever. It is in this district that the
loss of life has been heartrending. Bodies are
being dug up in every direc Jon.
ION the main street from which the waters
have receded sufficiently to render access and
work possible bodies are being exhumed
They are as thick as potatoes in field,
Those in charge seem to have the utmost
difficulty in securing the removal of bodies
after they have been found.
cat the public schoolhouse the scene beX-
gars description. Boards have been laid from
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
Is II any Wonder

that DR.. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery
outsells all other blood and liver medicines;
since 1t possesses such superior curative prop
erties as to warrantits manufacturers In sup
plying It to the people (as they are .dotng,I
Through drussists) under conditions such as ne
other medicine is sold under, VIZ: that it mustI
paid for it viii be promptly returned. It cures
ali diseases arising from deranged liver, or.
from impure blood, as biliousness. "liver COM
'plaint," all skin and scalp diseases, salt,
The,lm, letter, scrofulous sores and swelings,
fever-sores, hip-joint disease and kindred ALL
meptS
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
PROMINENT PEOPLE.

MARK TwA1N's income is $50, 600 year.
SENATOR FARwELL began life as sur
veyor.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT began life as a
farmer.
JOHN BRIGHT bequeathed 1920 to his
children.
P. T. BARNUM earned his first money as
bartender.
PRINCE GEORGE Of Greece has Joined the
French navy.
EARL GRANVILLE, the British statesman
is seventy-three.
TsUI Kwo YIN is the name Of the new
Minister from China to the United States. =
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, the new Civil
Service Commissioner, is thirty-two years
old.
SIR JULIAN PAUNcEFoTE, the new British
Minister, says his name is pronounced
"Pantsfut."
Ex-PREsIDENT RUTHERFORD b. hayes
has been giving course of lectures at Ober'
lin College, Ohio.
KING ALEXANDER l., of Servia, though
only thirteen years old, speaks French, Ger
man and Russian.
GOVERNOR FORAKER has received s4:Ss
from an accident insurance company for the
loss of his toe-nail.
GENERAL JOHN c. BLACK ex-Commis-
sioner of Pensions, is to reside in Chicago
and open law Office there.
JOHN BAY LYNCH, the new fourth Auditor
of the United States Treasury, is Louisiana
mulatto, but he was born free.
THE baby King Of Spain is going to the
Paris Exposition in June. he will be the
youngest Monarch who ever visited that city.
THE Countess Crosy, Of the old nobility Of
Austria, has gone on the road with her circus
troupe. She will take it to Paris before the
exposition closes.
WILLIAM BLACK, the author Of Macleod
Of Dare" "Green Pastures and Piccadt1y,"
and many other fine novels, has larger in
come than any living English novelist.
POSTMASTER GENERAL WANAMAKER pays
tax upon an annual business Of more than
$4,000, 900, and pays q tax to the city of
Philadelphia Of nearly $4,000 year upon
real estate.
PRESIDENT CARNoT asked to be presented
to Perry Belmont in Paris a few days ago.
He remarked that Mr.. Belmont was one OF
the very few men in the world who had re-
fused the Legion Of Honor.
IT is not generally known that Chauncey
M. DepeT had a narrow escape from becom-
ing American Minister to Japan twenty-three
years ago. He was offered the mission by
Secretary Seward in 1866 and debated over
accepting it for whole month, when he sent
in refusal to the Secretary.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, the author, is
completely in love with Hawaii. He has
taken house at Wiki, near Honolulu, and
is busy with his literary work. The house is
beautifully situated on the seashore sur
rounded by trees, and in quiet spot where
fAw come to disturb the author.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
A Paul Revere Among the Dead.

A nameless Paul Revere lies somewhere
among the nameless dead. Who he is may
never be known, but his ride will be famous IN
local history. Mounted on a grand big bay
horse, he came riding down the pike which
passes through Conemaugh to Johnstown like
some angel Of wrath of old shouting his por-
tentous warning: Run for your hVes 10 tne
hillsp' sRun to the hillsI" The people crowded
out of their houses along the thickly settled
street. awestruck and wondering. Nobody
knew the man, and some thought he was q
maniac and laughed. On at quick pace he
rode, and shrilly rang out his awful cry. In
few moments, however, there came q cloud OF
ruin down the broad streets, down the narrow
alleys, grinding, twisting, hurling, over.
turning, crashing, annihilating the weak and
the strong. It was the charge Of the flood,
wearing its coronet of ruin and devastation,
which grew at every instant Of its progress.
Forty feet high, some say, thirty according to
Others, was this sea, and it Travelled with a
swiftness like that which lay hidden in the
heels of Mercury. On and on raced the rider,
and on and on rushed the wave. Dozens OF
people took heed of the warning and ran up
to the hills. Poor faithful rider; it was an un-
equal contest. Just as he turned across the
railroad bridge the mighty wave fell upon him,
and horse. rider and bridge all went out into
chaos together A few feet further on several
cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad train from
Pittsburgh were caught up and hurled into
the cauldron, and the heart of the town
reached at the hero, who turned neither to
right nor left for safety for himself, but rode
on to death for his townsmen.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
An Estimate of the Number Of Dead

Adiutant- General Hastings, whose bureau
at Johnstown is endeavoring to make some
thing like complete record Of the number
of bodies found, sent to Governor Beaver
on Monday his official estimate that at
least 5000 deaths would be absolutely proven,
This does not include the large number Of
deaths that will never be known of positively,
and General Hastings's own estimate of the
total is 5000.
The loss of property will be far up into the
millions, but no one thinks Of that. The
tale of the dead is bad, says a dispatch, but
the tale of the living is bad, too, and it must
have attention. There are as many OF
them as of the dead and they are
hard pressed for food, clothing and all
the necessaries of life. Their necessity
will continue, not for q day, nor for
a week, but for months. They are
as destitute of all that goes to support
life, except the bare breath in their
bodies, as are the very dead whose half nude
bodies line the banks of the Conemaugh for
miles Their ordinary means of earning live
lihood are gone, with the rest Of the town, but
there is abundant work for every one. But
there must be money to pay the workmen.
Food for the immediate necessity OF the
people in Johnstown itself is coming in from
every side, and there is enough to relieve
their wants.