Appalling Scenes, DROWNED or BURNT by THOUSANDS LOSS EXCEEDS £5,000,000. TWO THOUSAND COFFINS IN A DAY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 375, 8 June 1889, Page 4

Appalling Scenes, DROWNED or BURNT by THOUSANDS LOSS EXCEEDS £5,000,000. TWO THOUSAND COFFINS IN A DAY.

New Yokk, June 3, It appeals that the residents o* Johnstown were warned to lake refuge in the Highlands, but took no heed of it. While they were still laughing at the warning, the danger became apparent, and immediately they were overwhelmed by the floods. One hundied houses t >ppled over from their foundations, and floated away with the flood. The scene v\as a dieadful one. The floating houses weio dashing together, through the force of the waters, until they were destroyed, while meantime the imprisoned minutes were shiieking for help. Fears were feit that the letervoir would overflow. The damage is something enoimous, and cannot be easil) calculated. It is, however, estimated that it will amount to twenty-five million dollars. The towns of South waik, Mineral Point, Covenmaugh, Woodvilie, Cambria City, Morelville and Sheridan have been destio}ed. Scarcely a KuiK ing stands in any of these plucks, and die former residents are nearly all drowned. For a distance of twelve mil<-s around Johnstown every to'.\n and village has been wi-o'ly destroyed, while the railway and telegraphs for many miles have been s\\ept away, and the houses destroyed. The scenes in the neighbourhood aie of a perfectly appalling character. To-day, two thousand coffins were sent to Johnstown for tlv.- pui poses of interring the bodies dccc >V.y. The floods at Covenmaugh are no \ icceding, and the weather is clearing, and every river is draw inn the waters off. At Alleghanies, the storms are raging, ?nd it is still raining lr; toirenls. Many collieries are flooded. The railway bridges ovei the Potoma and H?ips Ferry have been saved by loading them with engines. The floods overflowed the rivers at Washington and Richmond, and the bridges at Peteisburg and Oppomatox were destro) cd. Energetic measures for relief are being organised. Two trains on the Pennsylvania railway were swept away and the passengers drowned. At Johnstown pile-; cf dcbr.s crowded with refugees were fired almost every minute, while floating houses crowded with victims were dashing constantly into the flames, and carrying their victims to a frightful death. The scenes were truly dreadful, and baffle description. The railway officials compute that fully fifteen hundied people were roasted to death in the carnages on the various lines of railway.

New York, June 3. Bands of foreigners are stripping and robbing all valuables from those who lost their lives in the Johnstown floods, and are also committing who'esale murder of the injured. Several Hungarians who wee found committing outrages, and cutting ihe fingers off a corpse in order to gain possession of jewellery, have been lynched. Two thousand bodies are being slowly cremated on the lailway bridge at Johnstown, which caught fire from the burning debris piled against it. It is now estimated that from 10,000 to 15,000 lives were lost in Johnstown alone. In many instances people committed . suicide. The estimated Joss is forty million dollars.