Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-06-13
AMONG THE RUINS.
Clearing Away the Debris in
Johnstown and Vicinity.
The Militia In Possession of the City--Ths
Ruins OF an Express Train Found
Contributions Flowing In from
All Quarters.
NEWS FROM loHNsrowN.

JoHNsTowN, Pa June THE tnvestiga-
tions have brought TO light another hor-
rihle thing in connection with the Johns
town disaster Many Of the people in
Johnstown must have been smothered to
death and many others must have died of
starvation The positions in which some
Of the bodies were found show that they
were not drowned and there are no evil
dences of crushing
WASHINGTON, June r.. Surgeon-General
Hamilton has been notified that there is
serious danger of sickness at Johnstown
unless active sanitary measures are taken.
He has given the necessary orders, and has
had shipped a large quantity OF disinfect-
ants A temporary depopulation is urged.
YOUNGSTOWN, Pa, June THE militia is
in possession of the town and its approaches,
and sight-seers and curiosity seekers are
debarrnd from entering. Good order pre-
walls and the homeless and destitute are be-
ing cared for as amply as possible.
Over 5000 men are employed in Johns
town proper clearing the streets, about
1000 of these being the regular street
hands hired by contractors Booth and Flynn,
of Pittsburgh, the others being volunteers
Mr.. Flynn declares it will take 1000 men
thirty days to clear the ground so that the
streets will be passable and the work OF re-
building commenced.
There is a strong movement in favor of
applying the torch to the wrecked build
ings and, although the suggestion meets
with strong opposition at this time, there
is little doubt the ultimate solution of ex-
listing difficulties win be. by this method
gang of workmen have located the day
express which was swept away at Cone
maugh The ruins of the train lie
about 100 feet from the fourth but
tress from the western end of the stone
bridge. Parts of the parlor cars have
been found, as wen as traces of the pas
sengers. 1t is evident that many lives were
lost on this train, more than at first sup
posed The whole train affair Is still a
mystery. At least the passengers have not
SO far been found and located
PHILADELPHIA, June General Manager
Pugh says that as near as can be learned
nineteen persons were lost from the day
express at Conemaugh. Some of the pas
sengers heretofore mentioned as being
dead have turned up alive in various parts
of the country and probably some of the
names now given may be those of persons
still alive but not yet located
JoHNsTowN, Pa, June T. Food and cloth
ing have arrived plentifully, but not in ex-
cess of the demand. There are thousands
of busy workmen TO feed and the men in
control here feel that supplies can not ar
rive in too great a quantity.
Up to the present the committee has re-
ceived in actual cash contributions S25,-
796 16, with N7, 1885 promised in addition.
The greater part of this is represented by
kilograms from a distance instructing the
committee to draw on certain banks This
Is an impossibility, as there are no
banking facilities left here. The
committee hopes that contributors will for
ward their money by express. Mr.. ]. d.
Roberts said that Philadelphia had
promised $500, 600, which is now at the dis
posal OF the committee Governor Beaver
has reported 100000 ut hand, but has not
made any move to send it so far as known.
Pittsburgh has about $500, 900 in receipt
One of the peculiar things stranger
notices in Johnstown is the comparatively
small number OF women seen in the place
OF the throngs who walk the streets, search
ing for dead friends, there is not one woman
to ten men. There are SO many more
nen than women among the living in
Johnstown now because there are so many
more women than men among the dead
OF the bodies recovered there are at least
two women for every one man. Besides
the fact that their natural weakness made
which the disaster came was one when the
women would most likely be at their homes
and the men at work in the open air
or in factory yards from which es-
cape was easy. Children also are rarely
seen about the town, and for a similar rea
son. They are all dead. Never a group of
the dead is discovered that does not con-
tain from one to three or four children FOR
every one grown person.
While many still held to the belief that at
least - -, ote people persisted in the Cone
maugh valley, it is becoming apparent that
this estimate is considerably too high. For
the last four days number Of people have
devoted themselves to little else than en-
deavoring TO arrive at a correct idea of the
death list, and have now figured out the
loss Of life at little over 1900 The fol-
lowing table shows their estimates Of the
loss of life and property in the stricken
towOe.