The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-11-14
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Kate shelley's Journey i'm Snow storm
and sue Reward.shs ~ g Have.


h"to shehey's Journey in Snow storm
ana Fn1 Hewara-shs - tS Have
Next week. when the Committee of
the Iowa Legislature will formally pre-
sent to Miss Kate Shelley the medal VO
ted her by that body in recognition of
her bravery. Boone will indulge in a
celebration, which it is expected will
eclipse any public demonstration ever
held in the region. There will be pro-
cessiOn, music, speeches and a banquet,
and many distinguished people from a
distance will be present. So wOrthily
bestowed is the Legislatures medal for
herOism. that no one will fail to do ey-
erything in his power to make the dem
OnStratiOn a success. Kate Shelley is
now cOmely girl of Is, but she achieved
her present fame by an act of the great
est bravery when she was but Is. A
special dispatch says:
At about dark on the 9th of July, 81,
a storm Of wind and rain unparalleled in
severity broke over this region. In an
hours time every creek was out of its
banks, and the Des Moines river had
risen six feet. So sudden was the flood
and such was the velocity of the wind
that houses, barns, lumber and all port
able objects within reach Of the waters
were carried away. Looking from her
window, which in daylight commanded
view of the Honey Creek railroad
bridge, Kate Shelley saw through the
darkness and storm locomotive head
light. A second later il dropped, and
though the crash it must have made
was not perceptible above the roar of
the wind, she knew the bridge was gone,
and that train of cars had fallen into
the abyss. There was no one at home
nut her mother and her little brother
and sister, aud the girl understood that
1t help was to be given to the suffering,
aGd the express train, then nearly due,
warned, she would have to undertake
the task alone.
Hastily filling and lighting an old
lantern and wrapping herself in wa
tprprOOf, she sailed out in the storm.
She hrst made an effort to reach the wa
ter's edge, but hndlng that the flood was
already far above all the paths and road
ways, and realizing she could do moth
ing in or near the mad torrent, she
climbed painfully up the steep bluff
to the track, tearing her clothing to
rags on the thick underground and lac
Grating the flesh most painfully. A part
OF the bridge still remained, and crawl
ing out on this to the last tie, she swung
her lantern over the abyss and called
out at the top of her voice. 1t was pit
chy dark below, but she was answered
family by the engineer, who had crawl
tu up on some or the tlmOerS, and
though iujnred, was safe for the time
being. From him she learned it was
freight train that had gone into the
chasm below, and that he alone of the
train hands had escaped He urged her
however, to proceed at once to the near
est station to secure help for him, and
to warn the approaching express train
of the fall of the bridge.
The girl then retTaced her steps. gain
ed the track, and made her way with all
the speed the gale would permit, toward
NliOngOna, a small station about one
mile from Honey Greek. In making this
perilOu5 journey it was necessary for
her to cross the high trestle bridge over
the Dps MOines river, about 500 long.
just as she tremblingly put her foot on
this structure, the wind, rain, thunder
and lightning were so appalling she al
most lost her balance, and in the effort
to save herself, her sole companion, the
old lantern, went out. She had no mat
ches, and if she had had thousands of
them they would have been of no use in
such place and in such a storm. De-
priyed of her light, she could not see a
foot ahead save when the dazzling light
ming revealed the grim outlines of the
bridge snd the seething waters beneath.
Knowing she had no time to lose, the
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