The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-08-07

the flood was the taking out of two chill
dren alive from the debris on Earl street
One of them was boy aged about tel
years. He was found at the bottom of {
pile of rubbish near Vista street. He was
hardly recognized as a human being. A
lady took possession of him, and after hav
ing him washed and dressed took him to &
physician. 1t is said that he had an arm
broken in two places. He was badly
bruised otherwise and much exhausted
but it is believed he will recover. The other
child was little girl. She was found il
the attic of a house that had been washed
from its foundations and was partly wreck
ed. She was much exhausted, but not
Qurt otherwise, and it is believed that she
will also survive. She was kindly cared
Tor by a charitable lady.
RAvING MANIAC.
a short distance up SawmiTl run. on the
left bank, was a small frame house Occu-
/ pied by a family named Ferguson. At the
time of the storm there was no one in the
/ house but the mother who was lying sick,
/ and her daughter, a young LADY. The
tremendous current swept the house from
its foundation. The neighbors could dis
! tinctly hear their cries for assistance, but
the angry torrent would not permit even
the most venturesome to attempt their
rescue. The mother was drowned, and the
daughter was found the following morn
ing clinging to a small tree in the vicinity,
raving maniac, having become complete
ly distracted at the heartrending cries of
her poor mother for help.
At Sodom, five miles above Castle Shan
non, there resided family Of five persons
by the name of McLees. Their dwelling
was carried away, and the whole family
perished. Tuesday evening the bodies of
the father and son were recovered, but no
traces had then been found of the remaining
members of the family. 4 man and wife
and five children, residing near the above
mentioned family, were also carried away
by the torrent, and the father with the
smallest child in his arms, f1oated over four
miles. Just when there was hope of safe
ty and rescue for both 4 log struck the in
fant on the head, killing it almost instant
ly. The remains of the little one were
then released, and the father, relieved of
his burden, succeeded in saving his own
life.
STORY OF PATTON'S ROW.
Up Little Saw Mill Run are the coal
mines of Bell Il Hartley. A coal railroad
leads to the mines and on the track a large
number of caIs were standing at the time
of the storm. a little below the track was
situated what is called Patton's Row. 1t
i g.. IL
cupied 10y four families. Those families
were Thomas Hunter, bis wife, two daugh-
ters and one son /; James Britton, his wife
and son; Isaiah Thorp, his wife, three sons
and a daughter Patrick McNey, his wife
and two daughters-eighteen souls in all.
The swelling water of the stream soon
swept the coal cars from the track, and
they came laundering down, one after
another, and struck the doomed houses of
Patton Row with a conclusion like hun
dred sledge hammers. At the same time
the water commenced to rise in the houses
at the rate of a foot every minute. The
swiftness of the current and the darkness
of the night cut of all hope of escape. The
fathers and mothers gathered their little
the piercing cries for help rang over the
roar of the flood, when a mighty crash
came, and the entire building was swept
away with the force of the remorseless tor !
rent. Not one soul out of the eighteen !
survived to tell the tale of the horrors of /,
that night. Even the foundations Of the |
building have disappeared. 1t would be |
ha rJ to conceive of a moro coDnlata oLlit- /
Grafton of four homes than the fate of the
floods brought upon those of Patton Row.
1t was perhaps a merciful Providence that
thus swept away the entire families with
the destruction of all their earthly posses
sions, leaving Nc members behind to mourn
over the desolation wrought by the march
of the flood.
EXAMPLES OF HEROISN.
Among the many heroic acts reported
are the exertions of Frederick Schultz, who
resides on Iten street, high above the reach
of the flood. Item street runs from the hill
to OHara street. Schultz heard the pierre
ing screams of the drowning victims at his
home, and rushing out attempted to make
his way through the water to O Hara street.
L
Centre street, and made his way down
nearly to Ohio street, where he found a
skiff. Notwithstanding the swift current
he made his way up to Centre street. and
Spring Garden avenue, and with the assist
,uce of two or three other men who got into
he skiff succeeded in recovering eleven
bodies. His description of the scenes which {
ha inlt thrillinor ! =
n the extreme. He it was who discovered |
he body of Officer Hess, who was drowned
IN Chestnut street. The victim was cling
np to the corner of the house, and it was a
oupd necessary to drag the body away by J
main force, so tight was the death grip. !
The boat in which they were riding was G
.auobt in a terrible maelstrom and was c
4 L 4. IL 4I.-.44