The Washington times., 1936-03-20
CITY IN RUINS,
% PERSONS
KN0WNDEAD
IS Millions Lost in
Flood; IA Held in
Lootinq, ! Shot
BY KENNETH T. DOWNS
Copyright, 1885, by International News
Servlce)

ServIce)
JOHNSTOWN, Pa, March 20
U.N.S0.-Believe me, Johnstown
can take it."
The way this city is picking it.
self up after being knocked down
by a flood only a whisper less dis
astrous than the almost legendary
1889 inundation is truly remark
able.
The town Is virtually in ruins;
property damage is very conServa-
lively estimated at twenty-five mil
lion dollars; at least 20 persons are
known to be dead, 70 are missing.
And yet Johnstown is plunging
into the business Of reclamation
today with high heart and no
complaints. There's a great deal
Of the early pioneer spirit that
helped build this country in these
hardy western Pennsylvania steel
and coal industry workers.
LOOting Breaks Out
The flood waters which rose al
most to the high mark of the 1889
disaster had receded completely
from the city streets today, but
disease, famine, vandalism and
looting presented new dangers to
the stricken populace. Mayor
Daniel j. Shields told me this
morning that ID persons had been
arrested for looting and that one
shooting had occurred, although
details of this were lacking.
The mayor declared the city
was under martial law, but there
seemed to be some doubt about
the technical accuracy of this
statement on the part Of officers
of the regiment of militiamen
who are here, who said they were
taking orders from the mayor.
Be that as it may, the town
was under martial law in effect.
All liquor aleS have been SuS-
pended. All business appertain-
ing to anything but rehabilitation
work has been halted and no one
is permitted on the streets after
8 o'clock at night except police
men, National Guardsmen and
such officials and private in
dividuals who have passes per.
sonally signed by the mayor.
Like Ghost City
From 8 o'clock last night until
daylight, Johnstown resembled a
ghost city-one of those aban-
doned communities that dot the
mining areas of the Far West.
There was no light anywhere. ex-
cept that given off in lightning
like flashes by the glistening bay
onets of the militia, who stood
unobtrusively in doorways and on
corners.
I had one of the mayors passes
and was able to move about freely
although frequently halted by a
bayonet pressed at my chest while
a Stentorian voice doomed out
request to view my credentials.
Fire companies from 20 sur
rounding towns have their equip
ment in various parts of the city
pumping water. One company
came from Myersdsle, almost go
miles away.
There has been one definitely
known death in the last few hours
and five unconfirmed ones.
Anthony Gallando, S, die d
shortly after a. m. today from
pneumonia. The five others who
died are tentatively listed as Mary
Englehart. 63, Mrs. Geysler, Mrs.
Quinn, Thomas Kastoff and Joe
Renke. These names were turned
over to the city authorities by
health officers, but details as to
how and where they met death
were not available.
Town Filled With Gas
The town is filled with escaping
gas and there is grave fear of ex-
plosions. Open manholes iot the
business and residential sections.
Robert E. Bondy, national relief
director of the Red Cross, terms
this one of the worst disasters in
American history. While the
fatalities of this flood in nowise
compare with the 1900 deaths in
the 1889 flood, the present
calamity, in Bondy's opinion, is
in some respects worse than the
original one.
For example, from 1000 to 5000
homes are estimated to have been
destroyed by the rampaging waters
and from $4,000 to 10000 made
homeless. In 1889 Johnstown was
a much smaller city than ID is to-
day.