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Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Jun 05, 1889
Page
1
A Dispatch report from Johnstown dated June 4 recounts survivors, rescuers, and embalmers at work amid ruined streets and schools. It notes 8,000 to 10,000 bodies believed beneath debris plus 3,200 recovered, with General Hastings guiding relief efforts and scenes of heartbreak, drinking, and stoic resolve shaping the tragedy.
Johnstown remains under martial order as Sheriff J. P. Steineman issues a proclamation urging citizens to aid survivors and keep off streets after nightfall. Troops may be deployed if peace cannot be preserved, with guards preventing passage through city lines and arresting looters. Local volunteers assist in protecting valuables amid debris sites.
Frank Flick, superintendent of the Calumet Iron Company in Chicago, and Silas McCloud, a prominent Chicago merchant, survived the Johnstown disaster. Flick asserts about 10 000 lives were lost, recounting the flood's sudden onrush, mass evacuations, and heroic river man rescuing and guiding survivors to safety. He describes the aftermath and efforts to aid the afflicted.
A mob gathers in Johnstown as six men accused of robbing a dead husband’s grave near Morrellville are guarded by police. A gunman among the crowd fires as officers move the prisoners toward safety in a temporary jail. Police push back the crowd at the gate and bridge, then escort the suspects to General Hastings’ tent before handing them to local authorities.
The Americas Club press note states forty members were present at Johns Town with staff correspondence detailing local involvement.
Sheridan station five miles below Johnstown reports a Hungarian man accused of maltreating a corpse was strung up by a furious crowd and riddled with bullets. The account, provided by a Bedford Street Hospital attendant, warns of rising lawlessness and calls for firm punishment to deter predators in the town.
Johns town reports Mrs Lew Wallace wife of Ben Hur author is killed in a flood that washed away the limited. General Wallace is in Washington and alarmed for his wife. Royison of Indianapolis confirms the tragedy amid searches for Mollie Richards and Carrie Richards, daughters of Mr Richards of the Heola Copper Company.
Jonxstown June 4. The death toll at area morgues exceeds 3200 by 6 o clock today and is expected to rise to about 4000 by tomorrow. Morgue scenes mirror prior days with many identifications listed and families seeking missing loved ones from Europe and local towns. Names of identified include B Harris Sophia Blough John Cortaln Roale J C Weakland W Spitz and others. Additional missing or unidentified remain, with morgues at Fourth Street Pennsylvania Railroad and St Columbas reporting dozens more unrecognized bodies.
In the Hurlburt House the torrent carried them away and left their uncle Mr Borgiann nearly distracted by the loss and concern for the family.
Staff correspondent reports June 4 that dynamite cleared a gorge where flood victims burned to death and a stench rising from the debris prompts burning six acres of charred wreckage as the only viable disposal method.
The Pittsburg Colonel assumes full authority as chief with the State Board of Health supervising the sanitary situation and overall oversight of health measures.
Colonel James B. Scott, of the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, is elected leader of Johnstown amid local rivalries. Governor Beaver holds funds for relief. Moxham is thanked for his service as Scott moves to establish the new dictatorship and restore order under martial law. The State Board of Health warns residents to boil water due to river contamination and outlines a sanitary depot plan and guard assignments.
The report describes widespread debris and potential pestilence, urging rapid interment of bodies as conditions worsen. It notes reactions from relatives and mentions medical authorities offering aid, with Dr. Carrington arriving from Pittsburgh to assist as needed.
In Bolivar a gang broke into a freight car loaded with whisky. They rolled a barrel toward the Bolivar bridge and tapped it, then drank. A clash with searchers followed as shots were fired, a man wounded in the shoulder, and several local families displaced by floodwater losses.
Bodies continue to be recovered between New Florence and Johnstown amid heavy mud. Coroner Ambrose conducts inquests as bodies are found, with totals growing at Lacolle New Florence and nearby locations. Relatives and officials in Indianapolis report large fund-raising efforts, while lists of the dead remain incomplete.
A damaged report from Jonnstowyx describes a bridge incident where debris and crowds hindered work. Lieutenant Dezzett led Fifth Regiment militia to restore order at about one o clock, ordering all bystanders away to avoid instant death. Scenes of chaos and scattering followed the intervention.
Refugees from the Johnstown flood arrive as Pittsburg men and women rush to aid. The Second Presbyterian Church becomes a harbor of refuge with 400 seats and a makeshift kitchen. Local committees organize dining, supplies, and housing, naming leaders and assisting institutions across the city.
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