Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-02-14

and on behalf of the survivors OF the Conemaugh
Valley, it becomes my pleasant duty to extend
TO you and your excellent wife most hearty
welcome. It is not necessary TO express to you
our gratitude. cts speak louder than words.
BY this demonstration. as the long stream OF
people, from the small child to the aged citizen,
passed by TO greet you. you knew that their
hearts were full Of gratitude. They owed 1t TO
you for your services.
This conemaagh valley was once beautiful
place. The flames of its furnaces and the hum
| OF machinery continued from the first of JAN
uary TO the thirty-first of December. This had
built up q beautiful city, the people OF which on
1.-THE 30th of last May turned out TO do honor to
those who had fought to defend the Union and
preserved the constitution. Yet in less than
twenty-four hours thereafter this people were
| stricken down by a calamity, the like OF which
never befel an English-speaking people on the
face of the earth. Homes, friends, and all that
| is dear to the heart of man went down. Five
thousand of our best people went down at a
time when the very atmosphere seemed to labor
for our destruction. But by good fortune ,sir,you
| were within the confines OF Cambria county.
| From yonder height, as soon as you could
be brought here, you beheld our ruined city.
You waited not for authority, but went to work
| for relief, at time when there was great
| need for q leader. You cared for all alike You
looked for the burying of our dead. You saw
| how powerless we were from the condition OF
our society. We needed strong arm at the
head ofaffairs. You brought order out OF chaos
| you threw around us protection. Your strong
| arm and stout heart were ever ready TO feed the
hungry you bid US be of good cheer and take
| heart, reminding us that every dark cloud has
| its silver lining.
The crowds that came to greet you, sir, this
| evening, had a desire TO see you. Although un-
known to many OF them they knew Of you. They
heard OF the good advice so generously given,
| and the interest manifested by you in the well
rare of our people. \ ou remember the changed
| condition OF our streets, and how with that
pluck so characteristic OF the American people
we have again set to work to rebuild our city,
And in conclusion on Behalf of all our people,
although find myself wanting in words, let me
say in the words of the poet, we are poor
even in thanks, but we thank you.7
General Hastings arose and in well
measured words spoke as follows;
CAPTAIN KUHN, LADIES AND GENTLEaEN:
1 shall always be grateful to you for these
Kind expressions OF your good WILL / feel that
the emotions which can scarcely control may
prevent me from tinding words to thank you as
l would + this wholly unmeritea compliment
1t is indeed a pleasure to meet you again. to take
you by the h nd and renew the a,quaintances
and friendships formed when clouds OF sorrow
hung over poor JohnstowQ and the valley OF the
Conemaugh. find many changes since left
you, but they are all changes for the better.
They are evidence OF new birth of hope and con-
fidence for the future OF Johnstown.
/ find that hope and confidence have taken
the place of tears and weeping. Your streets
present again almost their wonted activity.
Your industries give fourth almost their old
time melodies. The faces of anguishand despair
are no longer seen. The ruins and remnants OF
old houses that were clrearsd away first In the
search for the loved and the lost now mark
the site of new and cou Portable homes around
whose firesides alas are many vacant chairs
The places once used as morgues and flied
with the dying and the dead now echo with the
ppy voices of school children. Tonight the
graves OF your loved ones are clothed in the i'm
partial snow OF winter but soon the dead flowers
viii be touched into a living beauty by the dewy
finger OF spring, and with trust and confidence
in him who plants his footsteps on the sea and
rides upon the storm" you will surely ente
upon sprlngtime OF peace, prosperity and hap
pipess. The shock which like some monster
from the skies swept through the valley OF tn
Conemaugh, leaving death, desolation and
gloom In its wake. touched tender chords In the
great he 1T OF humanity.
The whole world was turned to you in com
passion, in pity, in endeartng love and in SYM
pathy It was granu spectacle, but II was lit
tie less grander and noble than the achievement
of the survivors of this valley who, with death
In almost every household and almost every
house ruin, bravely turned their faces to the
future and resolved that there was yet In life
plenty to live for.
They buried their own dead and then turned
to perform the sad Office for their neighhor,
There was an Intelligent appreciation of the sit
uatI6n, aid there were plenty of cool heads.
Good order prevailed Relief and assistance were
received. The rising out OF the gloom of death
an desolation, the rehabilitation of Johnstown
by her own people will excite the admiration
and continued sympathy OF the people of the
state and country. | thank you with all my
heart for this undeserved token OF your friend
ship When ! think of the warm-hearted men
and women who came to yodr relief, when call
10 m1nu l1e nODle NOIk VI tne CHAIRMAN OF your
first committee, Mr.. Moxham OF the wonderful
executive f0rc4 OF j. b. scott, OF the good men
and the true who composed your loca organiza-
tion, so many cannot name them all, when ]
call to mind the ministratlOn Of that good angei
of mercy, Clara Barton, and the men and women
with whom she worked, feel very unworthy I'd
be the recipient OF this great honor. My friends
when the fisal history of the great calamity is
written, or, perhaps, after it is written, there
Will come q time when, doing injustice TO none
it will appear that there was man standing in
tile background, guiding, directing, aiding, en-
eouraging, working night and day gathering
funds, and organizing for your relief, brave
generous man who placed In the balance every
dollar he owned, the savings of his lifetime, tC
| relieve this suffering people-James A. Beaver
thank you again and again, and with heart
nlled with gratitude / wish you of the Cone
maugh Valley God speed"
Mr.. John Fulton being called upor
spoke feelingly in reference 10 the fiooc
and the trying times that followed. H'
said
There are some events that fasten themseiVe
on our minds so tina we seem never 10 forge
them such was the grea calamity that belel
the Conemaugh valley. l was abseh
In Connellsville al Tie time, The next mornln!