Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-06-07
Thousands of Tents Are Now Pitched
Where the City of Johnstown
Once Stood.
Relief Trains Are Rolling in From
Every Direction Every Hour
of the Day,
But the Supply of Provisions, ETC.,
is Hardly Adequate to the
Demand.
Clearing Up the Wreck.

JoHNsTowN, June Sin the midst of
the scene of ruin and desolation, relenting
providence seems to be exerting subdu-
ing influence. Six days have passed since
the great disaster, and the temperature
still remains low and chilly in the Cone
maugh valley. When it is remembered
that in the ordinary June weather of this
locality from two to three days are suf.
ficicnt to bring an unattended body to a
degree of decay and putrefaction that
render it almost impossible to prevent the
spread of disease throughout the valley.
The inestimable benefits of this cool
weather are almost beyond appreciation.
Emanations from the half-mile of debris
above the bridge are but little more often
sive than yesterday, and should this cool
weather continue few days longer, hum
dreds of bodies may yet be recovered from
the wreck, in such state of preservation
as to render Identification possible. Many
hundreds of victims, however, will be
roasted and charred into such shapeless
masses as to preclude hope of recognition
by their nearest relation. The work of
clearing up the wreck and recovering the
bodies is now being conducted most sys-
tematically. Over 5000 men are at work
in various portions of the valley, and each
little gang Of twenty men is directed by a
foreman, who is under orders from general
headquarters. AS the rubbish is gone over
and bodies and scattered articles OF value
recovered, the debris is piled up in one
high mass and torch applied. In this
way the valley is assuming less desolat-
ed condition. In twenty four hours more
every mass of rubbish will probably have
been searched, and investigations will be
confined to the smoking wreck above the
Johnst0wn bridge.
There is no surcease OF the horrors here
to-day, but the situation is resolving itself
into something like order. The relief
which has arrived is being distributed, so
that there is no fear IF confusion. People
are formed IN lines and supplied with pro-
visions. In turn, men and women with
families are given bread, butter, cheese,
ham and canned meats, tsa ur coffee and
sugar, and unmarried applicants sliced
bread and butter or sandwiches. Some
thing like accuracy is being reached too in
the estimate OF the loss Of life, the most
conservative estimate now putting the
number at 10000. Nine hundred army tents
brought on by Adjutant General Axline Of
Ohio, have been divided, and two white
walled villages now afford shelter to nearly
SIX THOUSAND HOMELESS PEOPLE.
Those villages are policed and under
charge of Gen. Axline. The action of the
authorities yesterday in consolidating all
authority and vesting it in c. B. Scott Of
Pittsburg as dictator, is received with
favor on all hands. Dictator Scott has
taken hold of the stupendous task imposed
upon him with energy, and already has
mapped out the work and assigned the
direction of the various portions of it to
the jealous. Already he has 250OI men at
work and has called for $500 more, to
whom he promises work for sixty days at
So per day and board. Mr.. Scott, inian in
terview this morning said he proposed to
clear the town of all wreckage and debris
of all description and turn the toWnsite
over to the citizens when he mas completed
his work clean and free from
distractions Of all kind. In con-
versation to-day Superintendent Duncan
of the Johnstown street railway and one
of the leading citizens of the state, de-
clared that as soon as the people recovered
In measure from the. .dazed condition in
which they have been since the catastrO-
phe, immediate measures will be taken in
the direction of rebuilding. This will be
agigantic and costly work, but Mr.. Duncan
expects to see anew city spring fsom the
ruins Of Johnstown. Although the loss of
the Cambria Iron company will foot up
into millions, the destruction of the plant
is not as bad as apprehended and reported
at first and the officers Of the company now