Smyrna times., 1889-06-12

were but the filling in of a mountain
like mass of houses, railroad tracks
trains and other debris, which went
crunching and crashing through a
valley three miles long.
UNKNOWN" THE EPTTAPH OF
HUNDREDS.
All day long the cOrpses were being
hurried below ground. The unidenti-
fed bodies were grouped on a high
hill west of the city, where one epitaph
must do for all, and that the word
unknown" There are hundreds of
these graves already, and each day
will increase the proportion. The pos
sibility of Identification diminishes
every hour.
Although the funerals of the morn
ing relieved the mOrgues of their
crush before night they were as full of
cOrpses as ever. Wherever one turns
the melancholy view of coffin is met.
| Every train into JOhnstown was laden
with them, the better ones being gen.
orally accompanied by friends of the
dead. Men could be seen staggering
over the ruins with shining mahogany
caskets on their shoulders. Several
stumbled and fell into the abOunding
pits. The hollow houses of the dead
went bounding over the stones like
drums in a funeral march, The coffin
famine appears to be alleviated.
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
An eye witness of the horrible scenes
in and about the stone bridge of the
railroad during Friday night and Sat
urday states that nothing in art or lit
erature can half delineate the horrors
of that night after the ruins had taken
fire. DOre's wonderful imagination
would be incapable where he to attempt
to depict anything so fearful in its ac-
emulation of horrors as this showed
At all times during the night the
mOans and shrieks of souls in the fear
I
above the roar of the flames and the
booming torrent which thundered by
All through Friday night the horriC
din kept up until some of the OnlOokerl
!, fed from the spot, unable to bear i
longer. Another party as late al
, Saturday morning heard the shrek 0
a wOman's voice amid the ruins, and
} looking in the direction, was hOrrO
} stricken to see q woman's white arm
) and shoulder amid pile of ruins, ol
, which the flames were rapidly en-
l croaching. For several moments tn
Q arm swept the air, the hand clutchin
Q convulsively at space; then a brOa
9 sheet of flame swept down toward il
o and the most fearful scream of morta
g agony that ever thrilled the air arose
r Then all was silent, and the wave {
i fire swept on, cracking as if in glee 8
Y what it had done.
II NIGHT IN THE VALLEY.
If DOre never never dreamed wierde
h ghastlier picture than night in tn
It COnemaugh valley since the food de-
, Olated it. Darkness falls early frol
the rain-drOpping, gray sky thu
has palled the valley ever since
N became vast bier, charnel house
d miles long. The smoke and stea
= and stencil from the placers of smou
or dering debris above the bridge aids
a. hOrrify the night. Few lights glea
st out, except those of the scattered fir
is that still flicker fitfully in the mass
le wreckage. Gas went out with Il
of food, and oil has been almost entire
vs. lacking since the disaster. Candl
as are used in those places where peop
ey think it worth while to stay up aft
ly dark. Up on the hills around Il
a town bright sparks CLEAN out Ii
lr- lovely stars from the few homes bu
so high. Down in the valley the glOc
settles over everything, making it 10
ad from the bluffs. around like some VI
,at death pit, the idea of entering whi
.tv brings a shudder. The gloomy eff
No is not relieved, but rather deepened
w the broad beams of CHASTITY pale lig
nd thrown across the gulf by two or TIN
a electric lights erected around
he Pennsylvania railroad station. Th
.ad dazzle the eye and make the glo,
he still deeper.
vos Time does not accustom the eyes
on this CHASTITY scene. The flames risi
m. and falling over the ruins look mi
IN like witches bale fires the more IL
rst are looked at. The smoke-burdeI
;fa depths in the valley seem deserted
op. every living thing, except that OC
the sionally, prowling ghoul-like about
esa edges of the mass of debris, may
seen as they cross the beams of cleo
rad lights, dark figures of men, who
md drawn to the spot day and night, b
an ering over the place where some cha
+ho movement may disclose the body 9
ore wife, mother or daughter gone dc
md in the wreck. They pick listle
nm away at the heaps in one spot
Tho awhile and then wander aimlessly
v;tb only to reappear at another spot, r
ing feverishly at some rags that loo
like dress, or poking a stick in 81
hole to see if there is anything soft
Aies the bottom.
heir an ,v,,,,,,sDoDr
The value of the lumber lost ins
a' ON of being S., 100000, as was at first
'na' lieved, will probably not exceed l
loAhs 30 EOO 000 Gaoratarv Pryor of