that
an entire town of this size could be so completely swept away.

A.J. Haws, one of the prominent men of the town, was standing on the
hillside this morning, taking a view of the wreck. He said:

"I never saw anything like this, nor do I believe any one else ever did.
No idea can be had of the tremendous loss of property here. It amounts
up into the millions. I am going to leave the place. I never will build
here."

I heard the superintendents and managers of the Cambria Iron Works
saying they doubted if the works will be rebuilt. This would mean the
death blow to the place. Mr. Stackhouse, first vice-president of the
iron works, is expected here to-day. Nothing can be done until a meeting
of the company is held.

Preparations for Burial.

Adjutant General Hastings, who is in charge of the relief corps at the
railroad station, has a force of carpenters at work making rough boxes
in which to bury the dead. They will be buried on the hill, just above
the town, on ground belonging to the Cambria Iron Company. The graves
will be numbered. No one will be buried that has not been identified
without a careful description being taken. General Hastings drove
fifty-eight miles across the country in order to get here, and as soon
as he came took charge. He has the whole town organized, and in
connection with L.S. Smith has commenced the building of bridges and
clearing away the wrecks to get out the dead bodies.

[Illustration: PREPARATIONS FOR BURIAL.]

General Hastings has a large force of men clearing private tracks of the
Cambria Iron Company in order that the small engines can be put to work
bringing up the dead that have been dragged out of the river at points
below.

The bodies are being brought up and laid out in freight cars. Mr.
Kittle, of Ebensburg, has been deputized to take charge of the valuables
taken from the bodies and keep a registry of them, and also to note any
marks of identification that may be found. A number of the bodies have
been stripped of rings or bracelets and other valuables.

Over six hundred corpses have now been taken out on the south side of
Stony Creek, the greater portion of which have been identified.

Send Us Coffins.

Preparations for their burial are being carried on as rapidly as
possible, and "coffins, coffins," is the cry. No word has been received
anywhere of any being shipped. Even rough boxes will be gladly received.
Those that are being made, and in which many o