Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-06-06


New Florence to place opposite Johns
town, distance Of four miles. describe
what actually saw. All along the way
bodies were seen lying on the river banks.
In one place woman was half buried in
the mud, only limb showing. In an.
other was mother with her babe clasped
to her breast.
Further along lay husband and wife
their arms wound around each others
necks. Probably so bodies were sesn
on that one eide of the river, and it
must be remembered that here the
| current was the swifteet and consequently
flower of the dead bodies were landed
among the bushes. On the opposite side
| bodies could also be seen, but they were
all covered with mud.
wREcKAaE IN VAST QUANTITIES.
As / neared Johnstown the wrecksge
became grand in its massive proportions.
| In order TO show the force Of the current
| l will say that three miles below Johns
town saw q grand piano lying on the
bank, and not board or key was broken.
II must have been lifted on the crest of
the wave and laid gently on the bank.
In another place were two large iron
boilers. They had evidently been treated
by the torrent much the same as the
piano had been.
HEAaTRENDINe SCENES.
The scenes as neared Johnstown were
the most heartrending that man was ever
called on to look upon. Probably 5000
people were scattered in groups along
the Pennsylvania railroad track, and
every one of them had relative lying
dead either in the wreokage above, In the
river below or in the still burning fur
mace. Not house that was left stand
ing was plumb. Hundreds of them were
burned on their sides, and In some cases
three or four stood one on top OF the
ether.
THE CAMBRIA IRON WORKS.
Two miles from Jamestown, on the
opposite side OF the river from where
walked, stood one half OF the water
works OF the Cambria Iron Company, o
structure that had been built of massive
stone. II was filled with planhs from
houses and large Abutment OF wreckage
was piled up of fully so feet in front Of
it. A little above, on the same side,
could be seen what was left Of the Gam
issia Lsaa Works wlieh wes-one Of thf
finest plants in tho world.
Some of the walls are still standing, II
is true, but not vestige OF the valuable
machinery remained in sight. The two
upper portions OF the work were swep,
away almost entirely, and under the
pieces of fallen iron and wood could be
seen the bodies of 40 workmen.
... FIEBY FURNACE.
At this point there was o bend In the
river, and the fiery furnace, blazing fol-
quarter OF mile square above the stone
bridge, came into view. my GodF
screamed woman, who was Fastening
up the track, ''can it be that any are In
there?" eyes over thousand" replied
man, who had Just come from thu
! neighborhood, and il is now learned that
he estimated / 900 too few. The scene.
OF misery and suffering and agony and
and despair can hardly be chronicled.
. EFFECTS OF DESPAIR.
One man, o clerk named Woodruff
was Keeling along intoxicated. Sud
denly, with frantic shout, he threw
/ himself over the bank into the flood, an'
| would have been carried to his death has
} he not been caught by some persons be
! low. LET me de-" he exclaimed wheel
they rescued him. 'My wife and chill
.. dren are gone; have no uss for m.
life." An hour later l saw Woodruff
I lying on the ground entirely overcome b,
liquor.
! Intemperanee was a merciful boon il
7 his case. Persons WHO knew him SAT-
J that he had never tasted liquor before
Probably so barrels of whisky wer
washed ashore Just below Johnsto Hn, an'
those men who had lost everything il
this world sought solRoe in the fer.
liquid, so il was that as early as ocloel
Z last night the shrieks and cries of womel
were intermingled with drunken howl
= and curses.
Z FRIGHTFuL ESTIMATE.
, Here / will give the latest, conserva
tive estimate OF the dead: It is between
/ seven and eight Thousand drowned an
D two thousand burned.
3 The committee ct Johnstown, in thei
bulletin, placed the number OF lives los
at 5000. In doing 80 they are figuring
the inhabitants of their own city and tn
towns Immediately adjoining. But
must be remem bered that the flood swep
, 10 miles through populous district be
fore it even reached the locality owe
4, which this committee had supervision
: : It devastated tract the size and shape o
" Manhattan Islands. Here are few fact
!, that will show the geographical outline
: OF the terrible disaster. The Hotel Hurl
burt of Johnstown, q massive three-stor,
. building Of 100 rooms, has vanished
There were in II as guests at the time o
the food. Two only are known to b.
I, alive. The Merchants' Hotel is leyeled
How many were inside il is not known
|, but as yet no one has been seen VIII
! came from there or heard of an inmat
2 . oh
house Al locomotives we're swept dow
: the stream and before they reached til
stone bridge all the iron and steel worl
-. had been torn from their boilers.
i THE SCENE AT THE STONE BRIDGE.
. II is almost impossible in this gres
a catastrophe to go more into details.
I stood on the stone bridge at 6 o'cloc
i and looked into the seething mass G
0 ruin below me. At one place the BLACK
{ ened body OF babe was seen; in snothe
T IA skulls could be counted. FuTthe
: along the bones became thicker an
e thicker, until at last OF one place
= seemed as If conoourse OF people, VIII
Q had been at a ballS.or entertainment, ha
been carried in a bunch and incinsrated
q At this time the smoke was still rising I
b the height of so feet. end it lie expscte
Il that when it dies down the charre
4 bodies will be seen dotting the entir
o mass OF burned debris. A cable ha