The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-06-13
Chaos and Confusion.

JOHNSTOwN, Pa, June Sit is the |
morning of the eighth day since the
demon of destruction swept down the
valley of the Conemaugh, but the de-
ISOLATION that marks its angry flight is
still visible in all its intensity and hor-
ror. The days that have been spent by
weary toilers whose efforts were steeled
by grief, have done little to repair the
restitution wrought in one short hour
by the potent fury of the elements.
To the watchers on the noun
tain side all seems chaos and
confusion. The thousand fires that
spot the valley show that the torch is
being used to complete the work of ar
initiation, and as the smoke curlS up
ward it reminds one of the peace offer
ings of ancient Babylon. The corps of
government engineers arrived last
night and has already demonstrated
the valuable assistance which it is ca
pable of rendering in these times of
| emergency with but a few hours rest.
| These men were up eIe sunrise this
| morning, and by s O'Clock pom
toOn bridge had been stretched
across the river at KernVille.
| Acting in conjunction with the Penn
| sylvania military authorities they are
pursuing their labors at various other
points and by sun down it is confident
| ly expected that pontoon bridges will
be erected at all places where the nee
| esSities of traffic demand. 1t is fact
probably not generally known that the
great government of the United States
/ owns only five hundred feet of pontoon
bridges and that these are the same
that were used by the federal forces in
the civil war, twenty-five years ago.
| The bridges that are to be used at
JohnstOwn were brought from West
| Point and Willis point, where they
have been for years used in the Ordina-
| ~ course of instruction in the military
and engineer corps. A most welcome
| arrival this morning was DIR. II. Bui-
with him fifty barrels more of his
| disinfectant. The doctor will take
charge of the disinfecting of the dan
| gerous sections of the flooded district,
| and probably at the stone bridge. DIR.
Lee, of the safe board of health, says
this disinfectant is the most effective
| of anything of the kind he ever saw,
and 1t is most highly recommended by
| all the undertakes and doctors here.
| twenty-five barrels have already been
used, with most favorable results. Its
great virtue consists in the fact that it
/ is perfectly harmless. DIR. Bullen was
a former resident of Johnstown and
lost thirty relatives in the flood, among
them three brotherS-in-law, three I'M
| Giles and two aunts. From Bolivar to
| Johnstown the side tracks of the Penn
sylvania railroad are filled with cars
| loaded with lumber, furniture and
| goods and wares of ali descriptions for
| the sufferers. The Cambria Iron
company's works present mot
| ley scene to-day. At least 900
men are at work and most rapid pro-
gress is being made in clearing away
| the wreck. It is said that the works
will start up in about three weeks.
| There is little change here in the sit
uation, everyone is working with the
one end in view to clear away the
| WVeckage and give the people of johns
town a chance to rebuild. One thing
| is notable, and that's the men
under Booth and Flynn aredoing most
excellent work. The laborerS working
at the Cambria Iron works and on the
| Pennsylvania railroad seem to be max
ing more rapid progress. This is no
doubt for the reason that these men
are more used to this kind of work.
About ten O'Clock the rain was over
and the sun came out with its fierce
June heat. In all directions, both up
and down theSriver the debris being
burned as fast as overhauied and
fire is the great assistant in the work of
clearing away the wreck. Arthur
Kirk has fired a number of charges of
dynamite during the day and each time
with good effect. The channels
through TO the bridge are almost clear
of debris, and each charge of dyna-
mite has lossened large quantities of
the wreckage. Some complaint has
been heard to-day about what is be-
lieved TO be the unnecessary delay of
transportation of passengers and goods
from Pittsburg. The train that left
| Pittsburg over the Pennsylvania road
reached here at II O'Clock last night to
show that the people are beginning 70
recover from the panic. 1t is stated
that the proprietor of the Merchants
hotel will arrange to open that hote
within few days.