The Washington times., 1936-03-19
% ODEAD; SNOW,
MUD DOUBLE
DES0LAT|0N
Fatality Gain Feared;
Refugees Attended
In Schools
BY KENNETH DOWNS

JOHNsTOWN, Pa, March 10
(IN.SO With the death toll es-
timated at 20, many suffering in
juries and hundreds homeless in
this region alone, relief agencies
under command of Robert E.
Bondy. national director of dis
aster relief of the Red Cross,
strove valiantly today to alleviate
the distress of the flood victims
Of Johnstown, scene of the dis
aStrous flood of 1889.
After quick survey, Bondy
appointed chairmen of food relief,
shelter relief and medical and
dressing relief committees. EN-
braced in the organization under
Bondy's command are the Ma
tional Guard, the Red Cross, State
troopers and volunteer workers.
Fear Death Rise
Shortly before noon today it was
impossible to obtain an accurate
figure on the dead and injured.
While best estimates were that
the death toll had reached 20,
H. G. Fritz, superintendent of
Memorial Hospital, feared the
number would reach 40.
Telephone communication was
being slowly restored this morn
ing, a factor that helped relief
workers considerably.
Snow was falling and it was
cold, accentuating the hardship of
the victims. There were layers
of mud three feet deep in the
business district.
Danger of a rise in the Cone
maugh River seemed to have
passed, however.
$4,000 Homeless
The Johnstown and the West
mont high schools were utilized
to take care Of refugees, a ma
jority of whom were without any
belongings.
Seven other schools, pavilions
and buildings located on high
ground were also taken over by
Bondy, who was placed in SUI
preme command of the relief
work by Mayor Daniel j. Shields.
Pitiful scenes we're enacted as
the victims sought to locate their
loved ones. It was a common
sight to see women and children
crying. Some of the refugees,
chilled by the cold and long ex-
poSure and lack of sleep, were
on the point Of hysteria.
Bondy estimated that from
$4,000 to $4,000 persons in Johns
town and vicinity had lost every
thing in the way of belongings.
He said there were about 5000
totally dispossessed families.
Volunteer relief workers included
school teachers, business and pro
fessional men, hospital attaches
and youths from the CCC camps
nearby.
A Major Disaster
Bondy paid high tribute to the
morale of the populace. They &C
cepted the situation for the most
part calmly and bravely. Bondy
said:
81 have 20 experienced disaster
relief workers coming to Johns
town from Washington today.
I find the needs here are even
beyond my expectations.
"ThiS is very big DISASTER
in fact, one of the major disaS-
ters in the history of the country.
"In one sense it is a worse
disaster than the previous Johns
town flood. That is, from the
standpoint of suffering and re-
lief needs. Because Of the less
velocity in the rise of the
waters there was a compare
lively small loss Of life in this
flood. But the suffering and
the amount of property damage
is much higher.
administration of relief is
going to be a much bigger job
this time. hope the American
public will not underestimate
the extent of this disaster. It
will require three or four months
for us to complete our job
here"
Many heart-rending scenes
were witnessed. I saw hundreds
of persons taken up into the
shelters on the hills last night.
many of them on the verge of
collapse.
Families Separated
Many of the victims were sep
arated from their loved ones and
their anxiety was written in their