|
be regretted that some pains were not taken to keep a record of the bodies recovered, but the undertakers cannot be blamed for that. They should have been furnished with clerks, and that whole matter made the subject of the work of a bureau by itself. We have had just all we could do cleaning and embalming the bodies.”
The unsightliest place in Johnstown is the morgue in the Presbyterian Church. The edifice is a large brick structure in the center of the city, and was about the first church building in the city. About one hundred and seventy-five people took refuge there during the flood. After the first crash, when the people were expecting another every instant, and of course that they would perish, the pastor of the church, the Rev. Mr. Beale, began to pray fervently that the lives of those in the church might be spared. He fairly wrestled in prayer, and those who heard him say that it seemed to be a very death struggle with the demon of the flood itself. No second crash came, the waters receded, and the lives of those in the church were spared. The people said that it was all do to the Rev. Mr. Beale's prayer. The pews in the church were all demolished, and the Sunday school room under it was flooded with the angry waters, and filled up to the ceiling with debris. The Rev. Mr. Beale is now general morgue director in Johnstown, and has the au-
|
