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


board piles, and household goods began to
sweep down, and victims clinging to them
or struggling in the surging waters could
be seen by flashes of lightning. On one
occasion the body of a woman was seen on
a pile of lumber. Mr.. Schultz made a
grasp as the pile swept by and secured the
body. Several similar incidents occurred; !;
but Notwithstanding the efforts of the he
rOic crew they were not able to rescue
single one alive. When the waters had
abated the crew were completely exhaust
ed, and for :ime it was feared that two
of them would not recover
But very little has been said as yet of
the heroism and bravery displayed by old
and young i'll their attempts to rescue help
less women and children in the darkness of
that awful night. In times of great dan
ger, when the lives of men, women, and
children alike in peril, it is natural for
the strong to forget their own position and
think only of safety for the weak. In the
present instance it has proven literally So
The first sacrifice was that of W. II.
Humbert, flmiliarly called Willie Hum
bert, young man of great promise, aged
% years. He resided in Ohio street, secure
and far from danger. Hearing of the food
he hurried to the scene, and the first that
caught his eye was the form of policeman
! Hess struggling in the water. The young
man plunged in, and with the aid of a plank
! rescued him, pulling him in through
window in the house of Peter Bolster. If
! thev had stayed there they would have es-
| capped. The windows giving way and the
water flowing in so fast they had scarcely
time to reach the upper story when they
missed little August, Squire Bolster's five
year-od son. HumbeTt ran below, and
catching a glimpse of the boys struggling
form without, he sprang through a window
and grasped the child. He began to sink,
and Hess, seeing his companions danger,
sprang ont to save him but the water
swept him off his feet and both, with the
child, disappeared beneath the walls of a
floating building.
Perhaps among all those who were en-
ployed in the noble work of saving lives
none were so successful as six young men
of the Duquesne Boat Club, whose names
are Geo. Shott, John Straub, Frank Bren-
IOtl, stLIh anu Ni4SAS. -tASt IL
their stanchly- built skiff, the Baby Anne,
they rowed around rescuing struggling vic
tins wherever they could see them.
One heroic act, which stands prominent
among the rest, was the rescuing of Mrs.
Hoerr and he- two children. The lady re-
sided in that Inflated portion of the town
near Centre street, where SO many lives
were lost. The children were twins, aged
five months Early in the evening one of
them had taken sick, and fearing it would
die. the husband started for minister to
have it baptized. While he was gone the
flood came, and the water rushing in the
two-story frame house containing his wife
and children, turned it over partly on its
side. Realizing her graf danger, the wife |
with her darlings ascended to the attic. /
While clinging under cornice of the roof, |
holding on fast to her children, the Baby |
Annie came along. The young men tried
to reach her, but the height was too great. !
A moment more and they would have !
perished. In an instant Straub and BTcn- /
nan had mounted the roof of an adjoining /
building, and moment afterward had the
mother and babes in their arms. They
were carefully lowered into the skiff, and
in few moments safely lodged in the
house of a neighbor. The joy of the poor
mother was doomed to be short-lived, for
one of her infants died the next day.
An incident of more than usual interest
took place near the top of the Hill, between
Butchers and Spring Garden Runs. a
family 10y the name of Offman, consisting
of husband, wife and six children occupied
a small frame house in this vicinity. Wien
the fury of the storm burst upon them,
awaking them from their peaceful slum-
bers, no time for escape was left them
Terror stricken, the drowning of all was
imminent. Louis Steuernagel, the German
warehouseman of J. NJ. Carson s. Co. of ]
this city, who lives at a distance of twenty ;
yards from the Offmans bethought him {
self of their danger. The waters were ;
rushing in a torrent, but undismayed he !
went to the work of rescue, accompanied
by young German, Julius Mint, a rela-
i've, recently arrived Spite of the danger, c
often thrown from their feet by the force :
IF the waters, they succeeded in making /
our trips, each time returning with a hu t
nan life The darkness was intense, and c
hey were often compelled to arrest their b
footsteps to await the vivid flashes of light q
ling to discern their destination. il
There were many other acts of heroism, Il
,ut the heroes do not all survive to tell of Il
heir perilous deeds. The grave has claim o
d the greater part of them, and the joys N
# those rescued are embittered with the Il
that their saviors were lost. cl
ANOTHER MARVELLOUS ESCAPE. b
This from the Commercial: If there are u
ny miracles in these days the rescue of et
dr. Baum, an elderly man living at Woods o,
Run, may be safely classed under that cat te
CORY. He is totally blind, and so, of
curse, would be supposed to have but
e r y. q