The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1903-06-27
SITUATION At HEPPNER, ORE.
IMPROVING SANITARY CONDITION
GOES ON RAPIDLY.
Two Persons Have Gone Insane From
the Effects Of the Disastrous Flood
More Dead Found-17O Bodies All
Told So Far-IIeIp In Way Of Labor
ers and Money Wanted.

ers and Money Wanted.
Heppner, Ore, June 22.-The bad
0 effects of the great disaster at Heppner
are now being felt on the residents Of
this city. Word has reached here that
3 Mrs. Sarah Stamp Of Heppner, who
5 was visiting at Prescott, Wash. a
town long distance from here, has
been committed to the insane asylum
at Medical Lake. She became insane
4 a week ago yesterday. II is said that
, while In Prescott she heard a prophecy
Of a fortune teller that all Heppner
would be destroyed by a great food.
The news TO her was so fearful that
e she could not stand up under it and
; she was driven into a maddening rage,
and had TO be sent TO the insane hos.
: pital.
Word also comes from Willow juno
; ton that John Gaglimo, a French
sheepherder. is a raving maniac. He
was just below Heppner when the
nood came. He rushed TO the hillside
only N time TO escape and see the men
who were with him perish by floating
down with the tide. Many people,
especially those who have lost all their
earthly belongings by the great food
OF a week ago. have not yet awakened
to the great enormity Of their losses.
They are still under great excitement
and will be until the greater portion
lof the debris is cleared away, all bodies
recovered and after a greater portion
of the people who have come in 10 give
assistance have left.
Time after time can be heard on the
streets the prediction that people will
go crazy, commit suicide or commit
some rash act Some Of the most
heavily afflicted have said they are
afraid their minds will become de-
ranged.
Work Of improving sanitary condi-
tons is conducted rapidly under direc-
ton OF DR.. Smith OF Pendleton. The
FIRST work Of cleaning up will be the
pumping out OF mud and slime from
cellars wells and other deep holes
Oiled al the time the water rushed
over them. Engines are at work day
and night pumping out these places.
These are the places where it is ex-
pected more bodies win be found. The
bodies are found right in town in un-
expected places. while ruins and wet
mud are being taken from the street
beds.
The dead are arriving extremely
slow, only two being found. ]. L. Ayers.
pioneer OF the county and sheen
owner, and W. A. Fisher, Of Spray. |
This makes the total recovered and |
identified 40. Estimates greatly in.
crease the number Of lives lost. which |
probably will reach $50 or 275. The
bodies found are badly decomposed.
Ayers was buried this afternoon.
A heavy rain prevailed here for two
hours. This retarded work consider
ably. but was a godsend, as it will
probably be the means OF saving the
rest Of the town from destruction by
IRE. Many OF the debris fires were
extinguished.
Store buildings and only partially
ruined residences are being moved
back TO their places. Services were
held in only one church Sunday and
those by outside ministers. The meet.
ings we're well attended and more
than ordinary interest taken. There
were numerous applications offered
for the dead and bereaved. 1
Aid continues to come. but the {
magnitude OF the wreckage and de- I
struction grows as time goes on. More S
help in the way OF money and laborers {
is needed. v
The executive committee has an S
pointed II. c. Johnson, J. X. Carr and 3
J. A. Thompson to examine and mark o
All buildings that have to be torn down G
and hauled away. such as are beyond a
any redemption and repair. There are
many such buildings. II will be two
weeks before even the bulk OF the
iebris will be burned. &
Stencil ls Awful. s
Heppner, Ore, June 24.-with the
LEANING up Of this city, which was :
wo thirds destroyed by the horrible =,
iood over week ago, the stencil has
'ecome unbearable. Diseases Of many =
linds are expected to break out at any
line. AS result Of this, men who stin
eside here are sending their families
nut OF the city until the wreckage can
'e cleared away. ID
The worst odors came from vaults.
ellars, wells and cess pools. which u
we're filled with debris. mud and slime. W
contrary to anticipations. no bodies A
'ere found in these places. The work y
4 pumping out these places is nearly %
ompleted and disinfectants are placed
them as quickly as possible. AL.
ali dirt was used in most instances.