New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-03
4 GRAVEYARD LAID OUT.
PREPARING FOR THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD
THE coNEMAUGH RIVER DAMNED WITH CORPSE
DISORDERS IN YOUNGSTOWN.


unidentified body will DO inferred until COM
plete description is taken This forenoon the
choulish work Of foreigners added 10 the horror
of the scene. A Hungarian was caught in the
act Of cutting of dead woman's finger, on which
vvas costly ring The infatuated spectators raised
an outcry and the fend fed. lie was hotly pur-
sued. and after half-hour's hard chase was cap
tured and hanged 20 telegraph pole, but was cut
down and resuscitated by officers Liquor en-
boldened the ghouls, and p ftsburg was iegraphed
for help, and the sth and 14th Regiments, Bat
terry and the Washington Infantry were AZ
cncc called out for duty, members being apprised
BY posters in the newspaper windows. Only small
detachments have so far been forwarded, how
ever.
The most wonderful writer Of fiction could not
surpass the stories told by survivors OF the deuge
and Eastern newspaper readers cannot eXagge rate
in their mental pictures Of the scene. Az one
point the Conemaugh River is actually damned
up by wall Of human corpses packed toge ther
in confused mass. The great works OF the
Cambria Iron Company, the mainstay OF the
town. are ruined and may never he rebuilt IN
that event the town would be practically aoan-
doned Even the channel Of the Conemaugh River
is changed and some doubt that IL can be made
70 resume its original course. To-day IL flows
right over the business portion Of the town.
The number OF drunken men was simply as
tonishlnE whskcy was as plenty as water
Men are carrying it around IN wooden buckets
Barrels OF the stun can be found among the
drift and men are plungnG over the piles OF
drift, searching for It. One correspondent tcle-
graphs:
Il stood on the keyboard and strings OF
riano while watched number OF xhouls break
huA % "a
n barrel OF fine brandy. and were fairly stepping
themselves in it
Msn and women who have lost all their
children do not yet realize It. They wander about
in n dazed condition One lady saw her mother
crushed 20 death before her eyes and the mangIcd
body carried down the stream. William Warner
lost siA children and saved babe about eighteen
months old. His vile died three weeks ago
An aged German. his wife and five daughters
1onted down on their house 10 point below
Nineveh where the house WIS wrecked. Inc
daughters were drowned. bat the old man and his
wife reached tree and hung there for twenty
four hours before they could bc taken of. Louis
T Dallnver who escaped from n trnin NJ Johns
town when the deluEe cane. said:
There were FIVE Trains OF cars detained at
Johnstown bv n wash0ut AZ Lilly Station. The
first notification we had OF the disaster was Se
blowing Of the whistles Of the engines aud the
rushing OF trainmcn through the cars, calling 20
passengers 10 run for their lives, but scarcely hid
this been done and those on board comprchendcd
the danger when the water. with mighty rush
and roar, dashed down the mountain side ana was
upon them The waters AS they struck the Trains.
lifted cars and locomotives Mike from the tricks
and their burden Of human freight, ms II they Ind
been papcr TOYS. carrying them on In the angry
ncod amid the groans Of mcn the piercing screams
Of women and plnintivc walls Of children. Many
OF the passsngrrs in their frantic efforts 20 70
lease themselves. dashed their hands and faces
against the windows, the broken glhss cutting
gnshes from which blood poured forth in streams.
Some OF the men succeeded in climbing 10 the tops
Of cars only 10 he dashed OF into the water
The rumor that the day express which left
Pttsburc for the East on Friday was wrecked
was confirmed by s. f. Bell, the conductor. to-day.
lie said:
"Whcn we arrived NJ Concmhugh on Friday We
heard OF a wnshout at Lilly, Just above Us. We
were ordered 10 lie over until further orders.
Al 3;54 o'clock perfect river OF winter cam"
npon us and almost completely dcluged the place
The bagcnge-car and one coach, the latter In The
middle OF the train, were turned over and thrown
| from the track As the coach rolled down the
embankment At the side Of Ia" track, we noticed
two men climb out OF the car window to the
roof; the car turned over agnin and again and
still they were seen on top; but alas, the fath
| third time came, and that was the last We saw
| OF them II is impossible 20 tell how many per
| sons were lost on the train. did not 60 through
| the trim after we left Johustown. However, q
committee are looking up the passengers who were
| on the train and will probably be able 90 tel
| lust who were on
| The ruins rcek with the smell Of decaying bodies
| Adiutant-Geneml Hastings, who Is IN charge o
the relief corps At the railroad station, hos force
| of carpenters at work making rough boxes, IN
| which TO bury the dead. General Hastings drove
aftveight miles across the country In order 10 get
| 20 Johnstown and soon as he came, took charge
James J. Fronhciser. general superintendent Of
the Cambria Iron Works, was found to-day, sit
ting on pile Of drift fully thirty feet high. liz
was CRYING like a child. Ills wife md lttc boy
Inv buried underneath the drift lie could hardt
sneak and could not be induced TO leave the place
The family OF John Harmon, except one daugh
| tar yvaS Eayed The entire family were in th'
| bonse when the water came They were forced u
the third story and thence 10 the roof. The hOus'
rosc from it's foundation and began TO move, nnC
then suddenly parted near the centre Mamie
| Harmon age twenty-five, was separated from tn
rest OF the family Just rs the end Of the hous
on which tho young lady had taken refuge broio
away nov father put out his hand to save her, bn
at that instant she was struck by log, and wa
not seen again
Mrs Horner md her twclve-year-old dAught"
were taken out OF the riycr near LocI'port by
tramp The mother and child were horribl
bruised and cut They had honted down III
river Ave miles on the top Of their house, whc
the roof parted and they were thrown into III
| current Both seized limb OF a tree as IT aoate
by.
Can you hold on, dnushter?' asked ii