Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-11-06
STOLE FROM THE NEEDY
SCANDAL IN REGARD TO THE
JOHNSTOWN FUNDS.

Sufferers from the Great Flood I'm the
Conemaugh Valley, u third of It Was
Misappropriated.
New York dispatch
Under Johnstown, Pa, date the
Herald prints a fve-column expose OF
the manner in which the charity fund OF
S5,0O0,000 for the relief OF tho flood suf-
ferers was placed at the mercy OF con-
tractors and supervisors, clerks and em-
ployes. Following are the leading para
graphs in the .Hcrdlds expose:
l--The great flood at Johnstown, Pa, oc-
Cured May 81, 1889. IL involved the loss of
upward OF 1900 human lives and the de-
structlon of 80, 100000 in value of individ-
| ual property. 1t left %, 900 survivors home-
less and temporarily destitute. many OF
them crippled or prostrated by exposure
| and suffering.
| The sympathy of the civilized world was
! aroused by this frlghtful calamity, and
i within a few days nearly So 900, 900 was
! contributed In money for the sief of these
infortuhates. besides other millions In pro-
Visions clothing, aud general supplies.
/ Three million six hundred aud sixty four
thousand six hundred and twenty -seven
dollars and seventy'3even cents OF this
4 magnificent contribution was given as a
| general fund, to be distributed without
| Limitation or restriction for the Immediate
| relief of the sufferers.
OF this vast sum the afflicted people were
permitted TO receive but secs, $50 In money.
The remaining sum of SLABS, ,750.77 was
variously alienated in passing from the
donors to the intended benefcaries. Nearly
Sl5O,OOO of 1t was appropriated by the State
Government Two hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars was appropriated without au-
thority, to relieve distress in other phrts of
the State. Seventy-fVe thousand dollars
was appropriated To build elegant per-
manent bridges year and half after tho
disaster TO replace temporary ones previous
ly provided from this charity fund.
Forty thousand dollars went TO pur-
chase new steam fire engines for
the municipality. Thirty thousand dol
lars was expended during the present year
in exhuming the buried victims OF the flood,
gathering them from the several burial
places In the valley and reburying them In
grand cemetery; and other thousands are
TO be paid for monument already ordered.
Forty thousand dollars was set apart TO
establish permanent hospital after all the
injured by the flood had been discharged
from medical or surgical care. An unde-
termined or unannounced sum Is appropri-
ated TO defray the cost of writing and pub
fishing history of the great calamity,
upon which a professor in the University
OF Pennsylvania Is now engaged.
Other thousands were squandered among
contractors, superintendents, overseers and
clerks.
The record is one replete with evidences
OF maladministration, political corruption,
robbery and jobbery well calculated to heap
disgrace upon the State of Pennsylvania
and discourage a similar demonstration OF
flle IfeT'ttd 'tnch pf0cCeds TO show that
the fund of S3,664,627 was increased TO
81, ,060 by contributions from rail
roads, churches, secret societies, ETC., to
CO " fun nf n1r
medicine and other nccessaries. The
article continues:
Following are the contributions of few
of the great cities: New York contributed
k623,O70; Philadelphia, S4S6, SOC; Pittsbury
contributed S255, 500; Boston contributed
sl50,763; Chicago contributed $3.50 ,573.
And now as TO the disposition OF tho money.
No attempt Will be made to show the dis
bursemcnt OF what may be called the pri-
vate funds those contributed through the
the fraternal societies, the rail-
road companies, and the Cambria Iron Com-
pany, and other similar agencies, but will
deal only with what may be termed the
public funds-those contributed for gem
oral relief. These, as already shown,
to S3,664,627. That money was
from the four quarters of the
globe for the relief of human suffering and |
distress. Not one penny OF IL was given to
tho great State OF Pennsylvania to aid 1t In
". /
Nor was any part OF it given to aid in
Or Oo impfuS6IUs ly,IruI,i-,s.a- avS5rr-u,r- ~
was intended by fits donors to build monu-
ments or to endow hospitals for the benefit
OF sufferers by possible future calnmities
Twelve days after the horrible tragedy |
and when IL became manifest that an inn
mense sum of money would be contributed |
for the relief of the sufferers, Gov. Beaver |
created commission to acquire control OF |
this fund and manage its disbursement. 1t |
committee and none from the Conemaugh |
Valley, where the distress existed. This |
fund of 50, 269, 1G7 passed under the Commis- i,
soners' control The-books show that but |
81, ,225, 677 ever reached the hands of the !
sufferers of the Conemaugh Valley for !
whose relief alone IL was given. This as
statement taken directly from
official sources, shows an apparent aliena-
tion of 81 ,043, $40 of the money.
The next material item going to make up
this great shortage is money expended for
supplies. The Commissary General of
who personally superintend-
ed the distribution OF food supplies after the
State took charge, in his official report esti-
mated the money value OF the provisions
and the clothing donated at S1,250,OO0, and
yet with such a showing Mr.. Kremer reports
the disbursements OF the commits sion for
supplies as SOL, ,533 &C. And added TO this
Mr. Kremer reports further expenditure
Of S43, ,031, which he says was for labor in
handling supplies and tho hire OF teams in
them. In addition TO this tho
local Finance Committee charges S5,515 ex-
pended from its funds for supplies, making
u total of S1l0,0S0 charged to this account
The next item of disbursement the COM
mission reports is for "buildings, rent and
labor on buildings, s179,033.n This opens up
One OF the greatest scandals of the adminis-
tration of this trust, regarding which the
has ample data to establish
the most flagrant jobbery and robbery.
Paid for the burial of the dead and for
the removal of the dead to sGrand View,p
the purchase OF the plot and
the appropriation made for improving the
sround, and for purchasing headstones,
s30, ,4S5.
This item the Herald criticises as
because the victims were all
iecently buried in the first place. This
money was used in exhuming the bodies,
recoffining them, transporting them to
! swell cemetery, and thcro reinterring
hem in newly purchased grounds, plac-
ng heavy marble stone at the head of
zach grave, to be followed by the erec-
ion OF a costly monument-all this
While widows and other survivors were
suffering.