The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-08

one caught In the act OF Sucn Vanud-
lism and theft.
The town of WoOdvale is entirely
wiped out. East COnemaugh suffer-
ed nearly as bad. The Gautier Wire
Works are gone entirely. The Cone
maugh river has changed its course
and runs through the Cambria Iron
Works, and also South of the com.
pany's store instead of North as
heretofore.
PITTsBURG, Pa, June 3.-The
Masonic fraternity met this morning
and received reports from the COM
mittee sent to JOhnstown. The chief
point was the terrible sanitary con-
ditiOn. A committee was appointed
to ask the United States Government
to take action at once. This COM
mittee telegraphed to President Har-
risOn asking him to send out a sani-
| tary commission Immediately, and
warning him that unless prompt &C.
ton was taken to remove the dead
bodies and animals every stream into
which the COnemaugh empties would
be polluted and carry plague germs
to the people. This would affect
this country from Pittsburg to New
Orleans. Like messages were sent
to the Pennsylvania Senators.
JoHNsTowN, June 3.-As near as
the record can be kept, about $500
bodies have so far been taken from
the ruins. Coy. Hastings, who is in
the best position to form a trust
worthy opinion, believes that the
death roll will certainly reach 5000
people, perhaps 10000. Vice.Presi.
dent McMiIlen, of the Cambria Iron
Company, estimates the direct tinan-
ciaI loss by the food in Johnstown
and the nine suburban towns tribu-
tary to it at Sl5,O00,000. These are
the grim dimensions of The disaster
which has fallen upon a narrow val
ley within the distance of half doZ.
en- miles,
1t has drizzled rain all day, but
the work went on as rapidly as ener-
gy could drive it in such circum'
stances. Grief is the common condi-
ton of the people. More than half
the families in the community are
in mourning. Those who have lost
but one are expected to give aid to
the more sorely smitten. Beside
the 1890 bodies recovered, fully 1000
persons are missing. Hard work
cannot be had from the survivors.
Gen. Hastings has accordingly tele-
graphed to Pittsburg for 1000 work.
men. Captain Jones, of Braddock,
came to day with $50 men and will
have charge of all the men seEt. Gen
eral Hastings will have tents Tor 5000
men tomorrow. The idle men here
and the wcrkmen from abroad will
be set to work systematically on the
four principle streets in Johnstown
clearing up the wreckage, removing
bodies and piling the rubbish in
heaps along the river bank to be
burned, Thirteen volunteer work.
men are here from Irwin and other
squads are dropping in. The work
done so far has made no noticeable
impression in the wreck,
There are fifty acres in one solid
raft, filing the bed of Stony creek
above the bridge. All except the
large timbers and trunks of trees haye
been burned away, and these thrust
/ their black skeletons up from solid
bed of ashes which fills the old chan
mel of the stream for three fourths Of
Il mile and from shore to shore. A
very few bodies have been taken out
of it, and few will be taken out eX-
cept in fragments. Not 100 of the
ten times that many buried under
this IA 1t of ashes can eyer be identi.
fed. Thirty-tWo Pennsylvania rail
road locomotives lie buried in the
wreck. OF the 1900 bodies found
more than half are unknown and the
proportion of identifications must
hereafter be still smaller. The waves
of the Conemaugh and the Kiskimi-
neias and the Allegheny and the
Ohio are rolling them along over the
stones, mangling the features and
grinding the flesh from the bones in
grim rivalry with decay. to rob the
survivors of even the poor comfort
of burying their dead.
YOUNGSTOWN. June 3.-The work of
extinguishing the fire that has been
consuming the huge mass of matter
that has caught and accumulated by
the Pennsylvania bridge over the
Conemaugh has been practically
completed. Now that the great pile
of stuff has been Invested of its en-
yeloping smoke. it is seen how wild
were all the conjectures relative to its
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