Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-06-23
Drowning Of Mother and Five Chill
dren in q FloOd.

WHEELING, W. Va, Juno D.
Early this morning this section OF the State
was visited by most terrific and destruc-
tive storm of rain and hail, accompanied
with thunder and lightning. The water
came down in torrents. The narrow noun
tain streams in the vicinity of Wheeling rose
rapidly, and were soon transformed from
babbling brooks to raging torrents. Along
the National Road bridges were swept
away, farms inundated and crops destroyed.
At Glenn's Run, four miles above Wheel
ing, an appalling loss of life occurred, an
entire family Of seven being swept away by
the flood. The run Is q mountain stream
coming down narrow gully and winding
through the rich bottom-land ut the base Of
the hills. In . shady nook on the level
stood the home of Frederick Straub. the
family consisting Of himself, wife and five
children. Now the husband alone is left Of
the happy household, and not vestige Of
the dwelling remains.
Tuesday night Straub and his wife, with
their five children, Fritz, aged eight, Mary,
nine, Louisa, five, Ferena, three and Albert,
two. retired rs usual ut an early hour.
About ten o'clock he was awakened by the
rain, and looked out, but the stream did not
seem more noisy or swollen than usual, and
he went back to bed. An hour later he was
awakened by his wife, as the storm at that
time was at its full fury. Fearing they
would be inundated by the run, which was
now roaring loudly, the children were awak-
ened and preparations made to get into the
road. There was only one door to the cabin,
and that faced up stream. As he opened 1t,
1t seemed as though solid bank Of water,
carrying with it logs, trees and small stones,
rushed under the bridge and against the
house. He was thrown to the other end
of the room, and it was Immediately
seen that there was no escape, as no
one could walk against that stream.
The husband tried to find an AK to cut
through, but that had been left outside.
There was now nothing to do but to await
their fate and stare death in the face. The
husband and wife embraced for the last
time, and the children were kissed, and
then suddenly there was q crash, a rocking
to and fro of the house, followed by a sud-
den collapse. The wife had taken the two
youngest, her babies, the father the next
two, and when he found himself in the
stream little Fritz was manfully buffeting
the cruel waters, but soon sank from the
gaze of the agonized father. A moment or
so later one of the girls was torn from his
arms by an overhanging Dough, and the
other was struck from him by log. All of
this time he had been hearing the screams
of his wife, who was now below him, but
those were now stilled, and nothing but the
rush and roar of the waters and the loud
and heavy peals Of thunder filed his ears.
Wife, children, home and money were all
gone.
For two hours he was in the water, but
unable to get on the shore on account Of the
swift current. In the meantime he held on
to the willows. About four O'Clock he man
aged to get ashore, and soon after reached
the house of a neighbor. The bodies of
Mrs. Straub, Ferena and Albert have been
recovered.
The damage in the valleys surrounding
this city, caused by the sweeping away Of
houses and bridges and the destruction of
crops. is estimated at $50 600.