The story of Johnstown : its early settlement, rise ... - JohnstownCafe

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for that purpose.' uas the response
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names, so we can tind out how many of our men arc left
And the best thing you can do, boys, is to give us your
"All this time members of the stricken army of workmen v\ere filini; into the muddyfloored
ofiice. locking more and more like the remnant of a routed army. In twos, threes and
dozens they came, some wearing faces grav with grief, while fithevs displayed grievous wounds
wrought by the angry floods. One mun had a deep cut in the back of his head, another limped
along upon a heavy stick, and one had lost a linger and ha(i an Ui;ly bruise upon his cheek
" Seated in tlie office was J. N. SiK^rt. the foreman of the cold-steel-shafting department,
and many of the men who filed past had been under him in the works. There were handshakes
all the more hearts' and congratulations all the more sincere because of what ail had passed
through.
'I tell you Mr. Short.' said W.irkman J. T. Miller,
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" 'And how did ii'.v fare, old man '
glad to see you're safe !'
'All right, thank God !'
" At this moment a joyous meeting between two men occurred at the door. One was a
gray-haired hero uho wore a Grand Army badge, and the other a young man of tuenty-three or
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thereabouts. They had been fast friends in the same department, and each thought the other
dead. They knew no better till they met upon the threshold of the office door I he.ird
your bod) had been found at Nineveh,' said the old man. 'And I was told that you had been
burned to death at the bridge.' was the rejoinder
" A pale-faced little woman, with a ragged shaul thrown about her shoulders entered and
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stood by the rail husband cannot report.' she said, in an awe-stricken whisper. He
worked in the Gautier mill ' she was asked. A nod and a whisper answered the question.
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Make a note that Mr. is lost. ' said Mr Smith to one of his clerks, and that his wat:es
are to be paid to his uiife
"And so it was through the livelong day. At last, when e\ening came ;ind the office «as
about to close. Mr. Smith said : of ne.irly fourteen hundred men but four hundred and
eighty-seven have reported.
It is possi'ole that there are two humlred more who either did not
see the notice or who did not care to return to work .\t least I hooe so .
God, I hope so I"
The workers starteti (.m Frida\" ip.oriiiii.i; with lieart\" .u'ood-will to clear the
site of the mills, which had been buried under an a\'alanche of sand. During
the week, rows of tents were jiitched in the vicinity of the Bahimme cV Ohio
depot for the men brought from Pittsburgh, and fr.inie staliles acc(.iuiinodated
tlie horses tiiat hauled the refuse to the dumping-ground. Bonlire^ liL.;hted up
the horizon at night, stacks of rubbish keepiuL: them constantly replt-nished.
The State Board of Health distributed tons of disinfectants free of charge,
thus doing much to avert disease. At Kernville. which su-itained incalculable
damage, dismantled liouses were tire-d as the easiest wav of getting them out
of the way. Merchants whose places of business were not demolished commenced
repairs.
For the first da_\' or two people were dazed by what had happened. The\'
went about hebplessly. making v^atriie inquiries for their trieuds. and hardh'
feeling a desire to li\'e. They had to sleep without an\' covering, in their wet
clothes, and it took the. livelie-t skirniishni>; to '.jct ari\ thing to eat. The
women and children were housed as far as it coidd be done. r)\\t;!linL;s on the
hills, designed for five or si.\ people, crowded twent} ,
thirty or forty into three