The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-07-20

Thirty Persons Drowned at
London, Ontario.
Property Of the Estimated Value OF
$4,000 Washed Away.
Telegram from London. Ontario.l


A tornado, accompanied by heavy rains,
broke over the western part of the city
shortly before daylight The river was soon
beyond its banks The food swept over the
whole of the lowlands In less than an hour
the entire western suburbs were under
water. Large buildings and mills were car
ried away as though they were straws The
population of the suburbs, some 2,0C0 in
number, were driven from their homes in
their night-clothes
The villagers were sleeping when the
storm burst upon them, and awoke only TO
lind their dwellings floating away in the
stream. Some houses were overturned and
their occupants drowned in their beds One
building caught fire while going down
stream, ana lit up the awful scene, showing
some persons running wildly about on the
roofs OF the floating houses and others at
the windows screaming. Parties went TO
the rescue of the occupants. but before
they reached the building it was overturned
and the inmates lost to sight
The scene was direful in the extreme,
Mothers were wailing for lost children, and
infants crying for mothers. Many OF those
in the floating houses would have been com
paratively secure had they remained in
doors Many of them in their terror rushed
wildly out into the water and We're swept
| away. One frame house fioated down with
~, z,
named Miss Wright, was rescued after mile
run on the crest of the wave, but with her
reason lost. The poor girl HAD torn her
hair and raved piteously all day. A young
married woman was rescued with new
born infant in her arms child OF Mr.. Orr
an elderly lady named Hopkins, and boy
fioated over the dam and were ingulfed in
the waters below. Some forty persons are
missing All the bridges across the river
were destroyed, and communication with
the west side is cut Off Railways were also
flooded and traffic stopped The loss of life
is between thirty and forty. The property
loss is estimated at So, 900 600
Early in the morning Mrs. Oliver, wife of
the caretaker at Springbank reservoir, was
horIified at seeing little boy being swept
down the current toward the dam, scream
ing at the top of his voice and waving his
arms as he disappeared over the brink. An
effort was made TO save him, but he was be-
yond human aid.
Among the rescued in London West was
an old colored man named Scott, who lived
alone on Thames street. Mr.. W. j. Mcintosh
endeavored to reach the house in boat,
and, failing to force in the door drove his
boat full till through the window, taking
the whole sash with him. When he
got inside at first he failed to see any
body till he heard the words: "Bress
de Lo'd 1 was jess prayin' 10 de Lo'd to
send His angel TO deliber me" Mr.. Mcln-
tosh found the old man standing on the
cook-stove, holding on to the stove-pipe,
and the water almost up to his chin. Scott
when he appeared on the street had nothing
but a shirt and a coat
An infant and an aged widow woman
named Garretty, now in her 10th year, lived
alone in a small frame shanty on Thames
street The neighbors from adjoining
houses had all fed in alarm to high ground
She had been warned, but, owing either TO
infirmity or the surrounding confusion, she
became paralyzed with fear. Rescuers tried
in vain to rouse the old lady by pounding on
the door, bnt to no purpose. At length they
burst in a window and ran in a couple of
planks They found Mrs. Garretty kneeling
on the bed, holding on to one of the posts,
with the water up to her neck.
Mrs Ann Reeves performed deed that
any stout man might have been proud of
When the water rose in her little home she
placed one child, girl, under one arm and
another girl under the other arm; third,
boy, she instructed to sit astraddle on her
neck and the fourth another boy, she got
to hang on to her dress behind In this
state she started for the shore the water
being, as she assured the reporter, up to her
shoulders
"How did you ever manage to get ashore
with such load?" was asked
"The Lord gave me strength, was the re-
ply Il was sure of the three youngest but
I was afraid of little Jackie, lest he should
let go his hold behind, but he hung on
bravely, although his head was half the time
under water"