The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-05
The stencil arising from

OF machinery, iron pipes, the wares of every
conceivable kind OF store. In the midst OF
the wreck clothing store dummy, with hand
in the position of reckoning to person. stands
erect and uninjured The artist had succeeded
in outlining distorted grin, but II now had
smile of fendish mockery.
1t is impossible to describe the appearance of
Main-st. Whole houses have been swept down
this one street and become lodged. The wreck
IS piled as high the second-story windows.
The reporter could step from the wreck into the
auditorium of the opera-house. The ruins con-
sist OF parts of houses. trees, saw logs and
reels from the wire factory. Many houses
have their side walls and roofs torn up and
| you can walk directly into what had been sec
ondstOry bedrooms, or 90 IN by way OF the
| TOP. Further no town a raft of logs lodged in
:he street and did great damage.
The best description that can be given of the
general appearance OF the wreck is to imagine
a number OF children's blocks placed closely
together, and then draw your hand through
| them in almost every direction. At the COM
mencement of the wreckage which is at the
| opening of the valley of the Conemaugh, one
can look up the valley for miles and not see a
house. Nothing stands but an old WOODEN
| mill.
Charles Luther is the name of the boy who
| stood on an adjacent elevation and saw the
| whole food. tie said he heard a grinding
noise far up the valley and looking MP he
] could see a dark line moving slowly toward
| him. He saw that it was houses. On they
/ came like the hand OF a giant clear
| ing of his table High in the air would
be tossed log or beam which fell back with
crash. Down the valley it moved and across
the little mountain city. For ten minutes
nothing but moving houses was seen, and then
the waters came with roar and rush. This
lasted for two hours, and then it began to flow
more steadily.
The pillaging Of the houses in JOhnstOwn is
something awful to contemplate and describe.
it makes one feel almost ashamed 20 call him.
self man aud know that others who bear the
same name have converted themselves into
human vultures, preying on the dead. Men are
carrying shOt-guns and revOlvers and woe be-
tide the stranger who looks even suspiciouSly
at any article. Goods OF great value were being
sold in town to-day for drink OF whisky.
supply store has been established In the Fourth
ward in JOhnstown. A line of men, women
and children extending for a square waited
patiently 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. One of the victims,
DR.. Thomson was removed from q piece OF
wreckage in which he had been imprisoned
since Friday. His leg was broken and his face
badly bruised. He was delirious when rescued,
and will not recover.
The Pennsylvania railroad is now laying
tracks from Johnstown station to the washOuL
temporary bridge is being built and by to-
morrow evening trains will Re run into Johns
town. It will be more a matter OF luck than a
certainty. Communications by rail have been
established between Pittsburg and the end of
the stone bridge. Asst. Supt. Trump IL on the
grounds and is the authority for this news. lie
knows nothing of the condition of the track
between JohnstOwn and Altoona. In some
places. il is said, the tracks were scoOped out
/ to a depth OF twenty feet. A train of ears, sill
7 loaded was run on the Conemaugh bridge.
They, with the bridge, now lie in the wreckage
at this point. The Pennsylvania loses thirty
five engines and many cars.
The Baltimore & Ohio tracks are now open,
and a train run 10 the city, free of charge
( for passengers, at l o'clock. Mails are getting
through by means OF cOuriers across the noun
tains. 4 pony express line has been estab.
/ lished. The Pennsylvania viii run line of
/ stages between JObnstown and CTessOn, If the
! tracks are as bad as is reported. Messengers
I were sent along the line yesterday. They will
make their reports in the city Offices.
The "elang. elang, clang" Of the Duquesne
I has a homeiike sound TO the reporters. The
/ FIRE has spread steadily all day and the upper
/ part OF the DRIFT is burning tonight. The ire
/ engine is stationed on the river bank and
| line of hose laid Tar up the track TO the coal
/ mine. The flames tonight are higher than ever
before and by its light long lines Of the curious
can be seen along the banks No. will be
/ put in service in the morning. Chief Brown has
| ordered an engine TO JOhnStOWn to go by way
/ OF the B. & q. 1t will be held
4
/ break out. The natural gas has been shut off,
/ owing TO the many leaks in .Iohnstown. No
| FIRE is allowed in the city. The walls of many
| houses are falling Their crash can be heard
/ across the river, where the newspaper men are
| located In the walk through the town to-day
/ the word danger could be noticed painted by
the rescuers on the walls. Newspaper men
| are indebted to the Greensburg relief corps for
| their supper.
Bishop Phelan is in Johnstown to-day. He
made the trip on the swinging bridge. For an
/ aged man II was dangerous trip. Father Gal
/ lagher is also here. One OF the catholic
/ churches in the town burned on Saturday. A
! house drifted down against it a1d set it on fire.
/ A funeral was being held in the church at the
/ time. The congregation deserted the church
and the holy was burned with the building.
/ Two large trees passed entirely through abrick
| catholic church located near the center of the
town. The building still stands, but is total
/ wreck.
Thirteen bodies were taken from the river at
/ New Florence. Five we're brought east to this
/ point. Several were placed in rough boxes
/ and buried on the hillside opposite New Flor
/ ence. Several were recovered below that point
and brought to Morrellville.
| Five hundred tents arrived from Ohio to-
night, in charge of Adit-Gen. Axline. Sixty
i've have been put up on the hillside, and are
! now occupied by families
/ Charles Myers and wife of Braddock came
here this morning 20 look for
/ their parents and relatives. Myers had
/ not been here long before he was
/ told that Mrs. Myers was found at Pittsburg.
| Ii hiss since been learned that both Mr.. and
/ Mrs. Myers were drowned, together with three
| daughters and son.
! Only rneager details of the buildings that
! were swept away can be conveyed at this time.
/ In the Second ward OF JohustOwn there were
\ $50 houses; now there are seven standing.
/ There are seven wards in the city and the Sec
| ond is the average. The municipal building,
n two-stOry brick, is RACED: so IS the
| postOffiee, scattering mail from Jobnstown to
| New Orleans Among other buildings de-
stroyed were the following: Cambria library.
( residence on Washington-st in Park
| of the Cambria company James j.
| Murphy Adam Brinker and George Slater
residence Of Frank Dealy of the Cambria CON-
| pany; the elegant brick episcopal church build.
| ing; residences of Jacob Fend, Isaac Chandler
and ). P. Sellers the Cambria club rooms four
stories, brick; W. H. Rosenthal's residence
| on Walnut-st; residence of Howard Roberts
| cashier OF the First national bank Che also
loses his wife and SOM; residences OF James P.
MeConaghay and Cyrus Elder; the English
| Lutheran church; the German Luth-
! eran church; Puss, Foster & Quinn, dry
goods; residence of John Reisser
! Main-st; Kamp q Horn, stationery
| and wall paper; c. o. Luther, general
| store; Henry Fntz, three-story brick on Gin
ton-st., liquor store and residence; T. T. Schotf
dry goods Cliuton-st.; c. III. McAleer, saloon
| Hubert house, fOur-stOry, ffty-three guests
only seven escaped; Merchants hotel. rear de.
stroyed-four-stOry building; opera house; Lu.