Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-06-04
OTHER INCIDENTS.

Among the many thrilling incidents
given in the newspaper accounts OF this
fearful occasion are the following:
All along the course of the flood there
were narrow escapes and thrilling Incl
dents. Mr.. II. II. Tilton, of Williams
burg, was carrying his aged mother, Wild
ow Sarah III. Snow, to place of safety,
when the unrelenting waters seized them |;
she was carried away, while he grasped a
tree, about fifteen feet high, standing on a
bank, and was saved, though the waters
reached and swayed him. Messrs. Han
mum and Rhodes, living in the same
house, got across the street into another
dwelling, the lower story of which was
flooded, but some apple trees broke the
force of the wave and the house stood.
Jeremiah Ward thought to save his Sis
ter-in.law, Mrs. Knight, and died with
her. A daughter of Spencer Bartlett
started to flee with her parents to the hill,
but the incoming waters tossed them
away, and she was compelled to remain
in the house, and SO escaped.
Two large boilers were in use at Hay
den d Ceres brass mandatory, one of
hem carrying seventy pounds of steam
on the morning of the flood, while the
other was cold. The heated boiler ex-
ploded with terrific report, while the
other was carried over 600 feet and landed
in the yard in front of Joel Hayden's res
idence.
One of the saddest cases connected
with the disaster was the death of Mrs.
Jane Cogan, of Leeds, and her two
daughters, Grace and Carrie. Grace
Cogan was pupil in the Westfield
Normal School, while her sister Ankle
was teacher in school at West Farms.
They arrived at home Friday night, in
tending to spend Sunday, and the wave
came without warning as the three were
seated at the breakfast table. The only
surviving member of the family is an
absent daughter.
II was remarkable freak of the food
that Ross store at Leeds went scotfree,
while the railroad track for several rods,
on higher land, and within few steps of
the store, was badly torn up. The ex-
PLANTATION of it probably is that the wave,
coming very suddenly, had just time to
break over the bank and tear up the rails,
when the dam across the river gave way,
relieving the food before 1t could fall
upon the store with sufficient force TO do
any damage.
A young French child was found safe
asleep in bed In wrecked house, in at
tempting To escape from which the re-
mainder Of the family persisted.
Miss Carrie Bonney and Mrs. Sarah ].
Ryan and child, who were among those
swept away and lost, had ample time to
save themselves, bat were completely
stupefied with terror, and, with fixed
stare, stood motionless.
Mr.. Raymond, employed in Mr.. James
mill, saw his house sail by, and, of
course, expected that his family were
with IL, but they, not second too soon,
hearing the roar of the impending food,
had escaped to knoll some four rods in
the rear Of their home.
Mr.. s. Gage, the head machinist at
James mill, interestingly tells his ex.
periences. He was in the basement of
the mill when the cry came, Run for
your lives; the reservoir has broker,
Then some twepty-fiv of the operatives
passed over the bridge to the hill. about
eight rods distant, only just quick enough,
for the structure crumbled almost under
their feet; one second more, he saws.
would have swamped them.
Three men-J. NJ. Stephenson and two
new hands whose names are not known
fearing the boarding house in which they
were with number of others would Give
way, despite the entreaties of their asso.
ciates, left il and climbed an apple tree
near by. The latter fell under them and
they were drowned, while those at the
boarding house remained unframed. One
man ventursd upon the roof of the board.
ing-house, and, though II crumbled under
him, he chung 70 1t and saved his life
John Atkins, foreman of the weaving
room, died In saving the lives Of his wife
and two children.
A COW hoated down from WILLIAMSBURG