Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-03

many occupants at the time. None were
saved. The losses of the Cambria Iron CON-
pauy are gwen at from 81 000 900 to 81, SOC, ,000
but little of this can be recovered.
1.-THE ROPE BRIDGE.
Crossing the bridge which spans the chasm
dug by the waters between the stone bridge
and Johnstown, is an exciting task, 1t is
narrow rope bridge. slide, series OF
frightful tosses from side to side, run and
you have crossed the bridge. The bridge
pitches like ship in storm and within two
inches OF your feet rush the muddy waters
of Conemaugh. One has to cross Conemaugh
at a second point in order to reach Johns
town proper. This was ACCOMPLISHED by a
skih ferry. The fcrryman clung to the rope
and pulled the load over. After landing,
one walks across q 1esolate sea of mud in
which there is inferred the remains of many
hundred bodies. 1t was once a handsome
portion of the town. The cellars are filled
up with mud so that person who has never
seen the city can hardly imagine that houses
ever stood where they did.
The work of getting the bodies together
for Identification began this afternoon on
Sarsheld avenue on vacant lot. AT
O'Clock this was almost entirely covered with
coffins, while between them and STOPPING
over them were weeping men and women.
Although the number was short of 100, at
o'clock others will come, and there is no tell
ing what the total will be. In one rough box
was piece of paper with the words, "Three
children" Tonight they were lifted out
and all three placed in one coffin. The little
bodies We're almost nude, and their faces
were bruised and cut.
The scene iu st. Columbia Catholic church
was awful. Forty or fifty bodies had been
carried INTO it and laid side by side. In this
church we're five children. No one had iden-
titled them this afternoon. Their little curls
were matted with mud. Their nostrils were
filed with sand and their eyes completely
covered.
THE FLooD-SwEPT TOWN.
1t is impossible to describe the appearance
of the main street. Whole houses have been
swept down the street and become lodged.
The wreck is piled as high as the second
story windows. The reporters could step
| from the wreck into the auditorium of the
| opera house. The ruins consist of parts of
| houses, trees, saw logs, reels from the wire
| factory, etc. The houses have their side
| walls and roofs torn up and you can walk
| bedroom, or go in by way of the top. Fur
| ther up town raft of logs was lodged in the
| street and did great damage. The best de.
scription that can be given of the
| imagine number of chidren's blocks
| placed closely together and then draw your
| hand through them in almost every direc
| ton. AT the commencement of the wreck
| age, which is at the opening of the valley of
| Conemaugh, one can look up the valley for
| miles and not see house. Nothing stands
| but au old wooden mill. Charles Luther is
| the name of u boy who stood on an ad dacent
| elevation and saw the whole flood. He said
| he heard n grinding noise up the valley. and
| looking up he could see dark line moving
| slowly towards him. He saw that it was a
| house. High in the air would be tossed q
| log or beam which would fail back with
| crash. Down the valley the flood moved
| and across the little mountain city. For ten
| minutes nothing but moving houses was seen
| and then the waters came with roar and a
| rush. This lasted for two hours, and then it
| began TO flow more steadily.
| HUMAN yULTURES,
The pillagng of houses in Johnstowu is
something awful to contemplate and de-
| scribe. 1t makes one feel almost ashamed
| to call himself man and know that others
| who bear the same name, have converted
| themselves into human vultures preying on
| the dead. Men are carrying shotguns and
| revolvcrs and woe betide the stranger who
| looks even suspicously at any article.
Goods of great value were being sold IN
! town today for a drink of whisky. A sup
| ply store has been established in the Fourth
| ward in Johnstown. A line Of men, women
| aud children extending for square waited
| to have their wants supplied.
The school house has been converted into
| morgue, and the dead are being buried
from this place. A hospital has been opened
| near by and is full of patients.
The Pennsylvania railroad is laying its
| track from Johnstown to the washout. A
| temporary bridge is being built, and by to-
| morrow evening trains will be run into
| Johnstown. Communication by rail has
end of the stone bridge, Assistant Superin-
tendent Trump Is on the ground and is au-
thority for the news. He knows nothing of
the condition of the track between Johns
town and Altoona. In some place, it is said
the tracks were scooped out to the depth of
twenty feet. Tho Pennsylvania railroad
loses thrty-ive engines and many cars The
Baltimore & Ohio tracks are now open.
| The fire IN the wreck has spread rapidly
all day and the upper part of the drift is
burning tonight. A fire engine Is stationed
on the river bank and others will be gotten
there by the Baltimore & Ohio. The natu-
| raj gas has deem shut off, owing to the many
leaks in Johnstown. No fire is allowed in
! the city.
a funeral was being held at one of the
| Catholic churches at the time of the flood.
| The congregation deserted the church and
the body was burned with the building. The
citizens committee has issued proclamation
that all men who are able for work must re-
| port for work or leave the place. There is
| too much to do to support dlerS and the COM
mittee will not abuse the generous help that
is being sent by friends.
| ANOTHER STORY.
Johnstown is the most complete wreck
that the imagination can portray. Probably
| five hundred houses have been swept from
the face of the earth as completely as if they
| had never been erected The main street
from end to end IS piled fifteen to twenty
feet high with debris and in some instances
is as high as the roofs of the
houses. This great mass of wreckage
fills the streets from curb to curp and
| frequently has crushed the fronts of build
ings in ana filled the space with reminders
of the terrible calamity. From the wooden
mill above the island to the bridge, a dis
tance probably of two miles, a strip of terri
tory nearly half mile in width has been
swept clean, not stick of timber or one
brick on top of another being left to tell the
tale All day long men, women and children
were plodding about the desolate
waste, trying in vain to locate the
boundaries of former homes. Nothing but
wide expanse of mud remained for their
contemplation. These losses, however, are
as nothing compared to the frightful sacri-
fees of precious human lives to be seen on
every hand. During all this solemn Sunday
Johnstown has been drenched with the tears
of stricken mortals and the air is filled with
sobs and signs that come from breaking
| hearts. There are scenes enacted here every
hour and every minute that effect all behold
ers profoundly.
| LEFT ALONE.
| An utterly wretched woman named Mrs.
Tenn, stood by a muddy pool OF water trying
to find some Grace of happy home Sne
was half crazed with grief and her eyes were
red and swollen. AS the writer stepped to
her side she raised her pale and haggard
| face and remarked sFhey are all gone Oh