Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-06-12
PLACED AT 5000.
A Conservative Estimate at Johnstown-
Less Than Half That Number Recov-
ered-No Danger of an Epidemic as
Was at First Reported-The Search
for the Victims Being Carried On by
q Large Force.

YOUNGSTOWN, Pa, June 9. -To-day is
the tenth day since the disaster i'll the
Conemaugh Valley occurred, and the ex-
tent of the fatality can be appreciated
when it liz known that bodies are still
found wherever men are at work. To-
day one of the morgue directors was
met and asked the usual question:
Glow many bodies were recovered to-
fOh, not very many" he replied. ST
believe there were fifty-eight altogeth-
err The loss of life has been so great
that fifty eight bodies found III one day,
even if that was the tenth, was cOnsld-
| cred light showing.
The remains that are now being re-
| moved from the drift are far advanced
in decomposition, and physicians in
charge are advocating their cremation
as fast as found. as it is almost impossl-
BILE to handle them safely.
The work of clearing away the debris
is progressing very encouraglngly. The
workmen were not required to proceed
to-day, but nine-tenths Of them volun-
| teered to continue. AS result .
large inroad was made on the drift
in the central portion of city.
principal thoroughfare and one
of the worst blockaded, is now
about cleared. At the wreckage above
the stone bridge, the work is going on
rather SLOWLY. The force is small and
the difficulties great. Arthur Kirk, who
| has been using dynamite blasts to scpar-
ate the drifts, suspended operations to-
day. A considerable force continued to
| use pike poles and cleared few feet
| more. The ex-internal revenue collector
| ofthe Western Pennsylvania district said
| to-day to an Associated Press reporter
| that if he were given permission he
| could bring in 200 practical cant-hook
men from the Clarified lumber dis
tricts and clean the channel above the
bridge in two days. The trouble with
those now at work, he says, is mex
| perience. He mentioned the matter to
Adit.-Gen. Hastings, but did not meet
| with very much encouragement.
This has been very quiet day in and
| about Johnstown owing to the fact that
| the Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio
! Railroads refused to run trains from
Pittsburg or other important points
nearer than Bolivar on the former and
lockwood on the latter road. This rule
| kept out large influx of excursionists
and lett the field clear to the workers.
Religious services were held at vari-
Gus places to-day. Most of the suburban
| towns where the church buildings re-
manned had regular services. In Johns
town open air meetings were held at
| different points.
| This has been the hottest day since
| the disaster and the weather is telling
among the workmen. With the fires
that are constantly kept going burning
up the rubbish and the hot
sun many of them are exhausted
before evening. The hot sun beating
down on the wreckage above the bridge
has developed the fact that many bodies
of animals and probably human beings
are vet in the ruins. The stencil aris-
sive to-day than at any time yet, al
| though at no time has it been as bad as
reported.
| Gov. Beaver arrived this morning
about o'clock. He spent the day in
visiting the ruined portions OF the city
and drlvingup the Conemaugh valley.
He held conference this afternoon
with the committees heretofore in
| charge, and as result will assume con-
troi on Wednesday morning. He LETT
this evening in Supt. Kings private car
over the Baltimore & Ohio for Phil
adelphia.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany is pushing forward it's lines and
| tomorrow will open an office In the
| Morrill, building in Johnstown. The
| Associated Press will also secure quar-
tiers in the city tomorrow, and the
whole newspaper force will then be
| transferred from the west side Of the rail-
road bridge into what was the business
portion of Johnstown.
The two large hospitals here, the Cam
bria and the Bedford, have but little to
do now, but the large corps of physi-
| clans are kept very busy. At the Cam
| bria hosp tal sixteen persons injured
| by the flood were cared for and only
| two died, Miss Maggie Hughes and Mrs.
sons have received the attention of the
physicians at this institution. Several
| of the women who nursed some of the
| injured became i'll, and one of them NAV
not recover.
At the Bedford Hospital $50 injured
| persons were cared for, and when they
could be removed safely were taken to
Phtsburg hospitals. Only three patients
were brought to the hospital to-day
They received slight injuries while at
work clearing away the debris Over
| 60U persons were furnished medicine
and attention by the physicians in
charge of the hospitals.
TIE tent hospitals have been prac-
tically abandoned, and none of them
| have had case for several days The
health of the valley is unusually good
Notwithstanding reports of threatened
| epidemic. The following bulletin has
been issued by the board OF he alth and
| speaks for itself. It was posted to-day
in every conspicuous place about the
| town. The encouraging words of DR..
| Croft will do much toward relieving the
| anxiety Of the many thousands Of sur
| vivors and workingmen in the stricken
valley, who have feared the outbreak of
an epidemic. For this reason many of
| them have deserted the town. More are
| constantly arriving, however. The bull
letin reads:
Health Bulletin-The general condi-
! ton Of health In Johnstown and vicin-
| ity is excellent. No epidemic disease
| of any kind prevails, nor is it expected
| that any will arise. The whole region
has been divided into convenient dis
tricts, and each placed under a
competent sanitarian. The state
board of health is prepared to meet all
emergencies as they arise. The air is
wholesome and the water generally