The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-08-29
Wilkes-Barre Cyclic le.
ONE THOUSAND HOMELESS.

| WILKEs-BARRE, Aug, 21.-Mayor SUI
ton to day said that in his Judgment
1000 persons, if not more, mad been
made practically homeless by Tues
days cyclone. Yesterday the people
counted the dead and the wounded
To-day they tried to count the number
of buildings damaged aud demolished
1t is now over 400, and if every one
that sutainei very seight damage were
counted the figures might be doub 1.
Two more deaths occurred to day. The
funerals will occupy attention to-mor-
row. 1t is not probable that any ap-
peal for aid will be made. That SUD-
| iect will be discussed tomorrow night
by the City Council and also by the
Board of Trade.
The town was busy o-day in buying
itself new roof Mechanics by the
dozens hocked in, and there wasn't a
idle man in the city except of h'S
own choice. Street Commissioner
Crogon let others pull the trees, fierce
rails, tin roof ond other rubbish, ont
oe the front of his house, while he hi
ed every team he could to carry aw
the debris that filled street after street
for blocks The long line of wagons
made an endless procession through
the prettiest section of the town, down
to the river bank above the b. ;dge at
Market Street. Only the trees wera
being carted off today, but their dead
branches stuck high above the bluff
over which they had been toppled.
SCARCITY OF woRKMiN n.
The repairs were mostly of temp
orary character. Temporary repair
ing done promptly-carpente wanted
was frequent sign. Wherever loose
boards could be put on they were used
as stop-gap. Men who hadn't dri,
en- nail for years tried their hand at
it. So scarce were men to-day that as
THE Press correspondent passed along
South Main Street he saw the matte
of-fact wife of one of the weather.
merchants in the town actually vigor-
ously welding pitchfork in the
stable 80 that the hired man might lug
big boards to her husband, standing
half way up the side of his house on a
ladder. She was in hurry To have
shelter for her horse, for the day was
lowering and the whole town shudder-
ed as it looked toward the hills.
So busy are the people that they
have not had time to pause and con-
slider whether they need help, Two or
three hundred poor people have lost
their all and have only the clothing
on THAR back to show for THAR mum
dane possessions. Speaking about aid
| for the distressed, Mayor Sutton said,
this afternoon.-
| have made no appeal for help, but
L clip is certainly needed. | think 1t
will be better to leave the matter for
City C)uncils and the Board of Traue
to decide. You know that there is a
great deal of wealth in this CITY, and
am not sure but that we ought to do
something for ourselves first. Any
help that may be sent we will gladly
accept and we can make good use of
1T.
As it was Wilkes Barres boast that
she was safe form cyclone, so has it
been that she was the wealthiest city
of her size in the United States. She
certainly makes no pompous or vulget
show of her substance, but it is more
than probable that the hand of wealth
will not feel like binding up Il 9
wounds of others until after it has first
bandaged its own.
A careful glance at the situation
shows that the damage was greatest at
the eXtremlties of the path and almost
exactly in its middle. The rich were
struck two-thirds of the way along tue
route, aud then the poor of "Five
Points" suffered. A spectator. wao
saw from hill the storm raging &C. D )
the town, said today
The large column that moved ahead
! of the deb,is seemed 800 to 400 feet
high and yards in diamater. The roo
timbers, fences, and trees were sw It
along like feathers in a wind.
The dead of to-day are James Nc
Intyre, who was crushed in the ruins
of the Hazard wire rope factory and
James Olen, a German, who was n-
jured on the streets. His back
broken by me- 'sive timber, and he
was taken to the City Hosnital, where
he died, never having regaiued consci-
business, Several Others of the wound
ed are moving fast toward the grave,
it is thought.
The stories of narrow escapes in-
crease as do the minutes One of the
most thrilling-and it has not yet been
told-was that Of young man named
+ John Judge, who was ondeavoring to
, reach bis boarding house. He was
picked up off his feet, whirled $50
, yards over vacant lot and two story
house and landed unconscious ia some
branches, to whose plability he cows
his life. He is in bed, badly bruised,
{ but the doctor says he will be about in
a week
, A thrilling story Is told of the ad-
ventures of an engineer and fireman in
the railroad yard. When they saw
the storm coming they scrambled to
the ground and sought safety under
the ponderous machine. A flying
timber entered the cab, threw the lever
over and opened the throttle. The
, engine at once started up the track
and the two men had hard scramble
to get from under the moving machine.
They succeeded. mounted the cab and
/ stopped the engine in time to save
b ad collision in the yard
, The estimate Of tho loss still over
+ tops the million mark, and one fifth OF
tha. is thought to he the burden laid
upon those now destitute
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