The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-08-22

and was saved. He then told the man in
the skiff that his family were back in the
house, consisting of wife and three or
four children. He had got on the roof and
| had jumped from that on to another roof,
and when he reached Center street the
house was destroyed, and with it were lost
a mother with three or four children, and
the children of another family, making in
all one woman and nine children. Strange
as it may appear, no one knew who they
were.
NARROW ESCAPES.
James Flanagan, a brother of Mrs For
den, when he saw the coming torrent,
made an attempt to save his sister, but he
received blow on the head, which sent
him headlong into the flood, and in this
mad cOursing stream he fioated for dis
tance of five hundred feet, finally grasping
a friendly tree and climbing out si
Among the houses struck by the water
| was small frame, occupied by the billions
and their little family and some neighbor's
children, to the number of nine souls.
Away sped this little ark, buffeted severely
| by the masses of timber and rumbling
stones. One entire side is battered out
and the water stands deep in the ruins.
Most wonderful to relate, none of the in
mates of the diminutiye house were drown
ed. A providentially placed stump an
chored the floating domicile and all escaped.
In the path of the raging current stood
the handsome Presbyterian. Church, and
but for house Intervening, it would have
been totally destroyed. The building,
which is 50x80 feet, was moved from its
foundation some six feet, but outside of
cracked walls and a floor covered with
some six inches Of mud, the edifice escaped
intact. The clock upon the spire told the
hour when the flood occurred, for it was
stopped at $40. an. st
/ About mile further up the Little Saw
Mill Run branch, just below Harkey's Coal
Works, a ~ M has
FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE
is reported. 1t is quite thiekly settled bv
miners. One large block of houses on the
hill, a short distance from the run, known
as the 6 Long Row" was struck by light
ming with terrible effect. The buildings,
literally split in two by the stroke, fell
over into the raging torrent below
Twenty-seven persons are reported miss
ing from this runalone. and are doubtless
lost. Up the other branch of the Saw Mill
Run, known as the Big Run, the loss is
also severe. Here were drowned Thomas
Smith, his wife and three Children
whole family swept away in a amoment.
. f ANOTHER FAMILY GONE. rfs-f a.
) Mr.. Mattern's family consisted of him
self, his wife, and two children. Mr.. Mat 4
tern was a youngmano of "a years of age, his
wife was about the same age, his boy
Charley was years old, and his babe
Clara was 6menths old. A few minutes af-
ter the food commenced cow stable loca-
ted Immediately above the house was
thrown againstit with such force as to tear
the house from its foundation. AS the house
was being swept down the street, the
father of the family was seen with child
in his arms at window, calling for help
and crying: "If you can't save me, save
my Children About hundred feet
down the street. the floating house struck
against the corner Of a brick building,
which stood fast against the flood. The
floating frame,stTncture already weakened,
was dashed into pieces, and the entire fam
ly was swept away down the run. The
body Of Mr.. Mattern was recovered aquaF-
ter of mile below, while those of the
mother and one of the children were
swept down to the. oil works nearly a.
mile below.