Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-03-12
RIDING a Roof.

There is still quite number of peo
; pie residing ip Denver who were her
on the night in the spring of 1856
when Cherry Greek, the hitherto des
pised streamlet, rose to the dignity o
mighty torrent which carried deatl
and destruction with 1t, and left in ii
wake death and ruin, which caught un
suspecting sleepers in its embrace anC
hurled them to death amid the shat
tered fragment of their dwellings. Th,
terrors of such night are likely to I'M.
press themselves vividly upon tn;
minds of those who have been the suf
ferers.
Among these there was probably nc
one who had better reason to remember
the night in question than Captain
Thomas Archibald. In conversation
with reporter Captain Archibald
related his experience in the mem
orable rising of the creek.
81 had retired at late hour that
night" said the Captain, ''weary after
a Journey from the mountain. and was
sunk in deep sleep. From this was
aroused by my wife shaking me by the
shoulder. l would not have been able
to sleep much longer, however, 1 sup
pose, for L had scarcely awakened be-
fore water began to soak through the
bed FROM below. When L sat up in bed
found to my surprise that the bed was
floating and rocked uneasily with our
movements. This lasted but for a mo.
ment, however, when the bed went
down in the water. We sprung to our
feet as the bed went down, and we
found ourselves i'll water up to our
waists
"We lived in a story-and-a-haIf house
on Curtis street, near Major Oakes'
house, and but short distance from
the bed of the creek. My wife and T
slept down states and our children, three
in number, and a hired girl slept up
stairs. We were here oaly short
time, and knew but little about the
country, and 50 had little idea of what
had happened.
"On being fully awakened, which was
almost at once, l looked from the win
dow and saw that the moon was shining
brightly, but that the house was sur
rounded by water. which was rushing
furiously past. Taking my wife in my
arms, as quickly as possible I moved to
the stsirway leading to the upper story,
which certainly should not have been
able tc do if / were a shorter man than
L am. Us the water was up to my mouth.
We did not have a moment TO spare,
either, for before we could get the chill
dren aud hired girl aroused the water
had reached this floor. The house was
a brick one-one of the few bricks on
the east side of the creek-but it shook
aud swayed in the rushing stream to
such an extent that L had but little
hope that it would stand the strain upon
it
81 determined at once that our only
hope of safety lay in getting on the
roof. This we accomplished with but
little difficulty. but the ascent of rhe
steep incline of the roof was more diff
cult. L got up on the roof first, and
took up my children as they were hand
ed to m1 by my wife and the hired girl
L then assisted these two up.
1--WE settled ourseIver on the roof,
each of us bolding one of the children,
and had an opportunity OF looking
around us. The moon shone brightly, |
and everything was perfectly distin-
guishable for considerable radius. A |
The waters were filed with the debris !
of shattered buildings. Half of the
houses on the banks of the creek were |
gone, and nearly all of those built In |
the creek. Every moment another
would yield to the terrible force of the |
rushing water, and We could hear the |
cries OF the inmates who had failed to |
escape.
"We were given but short time for
swell of the waters proved too much
for the house, and it went from under
US.
Fortunately as it happened the roof
was made with wooden gebles instead !
of brick, and the roof, instead OF part
ing under US, maintained its true posi-
ton. At the first plunge taken we, of
course, thought that it was the end of
the world for us. The women and
children screamed wildly, but all held
on to the ridge OF the roof, upon which
we were seated horseback fashion.
From this out We had little opportunity
for observation. We were hurried along
at the speed of fast railroad train,
hurled about by eddying carrents. and
in constant danger of being crushed by
the floating masses of buildings. The
water was filled with debris, upon much
Of which fioated human beings Many
Of these were rescued by parties along
the shore, who were doing everything
IN their power to render assistance.
There were no boats, and If there had
been they would have been of no use.
"Just below Larimer street we came
IN contact with the wall of q building,
receiving terrible shock, which tore
away a corner Of the roof, but we man
lged to keep our places by holding on
TO each other. This weakened our roof ]
greatly, however, and brought us nearer
% the water, the roof settling down.
1t Holiday we ran under a projecting
'oof, which carried away my two young t
,st children. We saw them swept down !
oy the waters in an instant, and then {
We were far away. Passing the wall of
IN unfinished house on Wazee street, 1
he hired girl leaped with my Oldest boy I
or this place of safety, but she never {
cached it, both going down in the ,
water little beyond. Then my wife
md I were alone on the roof. &
"We we're thoroughly chilled through |
rom the exposure and quite hopeless of c
scaping destruction. We could see 1
and no where, and it appeared to us '
hat an ocean was rising to overwhelm I
he plains. We had but little time for G
however, for We were rushed s
long at race-horse speed. 1t was but a q
ew moments from the time We had L
tarted in the awful race until we were t
'ut of Denver and the creek and in the t
Platte River. Here. while we were car a
led along quite as helplessly, 1t was b
With a much less speed, and We began g
o see possibility of escaping. 1t was t
lot until this that the awful nature of e
'1r loss dawned upon US. As We swept Il
lolg my wife rent the air with her q
res of grief. 1 tried to console her, b
'ut it was an unayailing task and my o
Fords stuck in my throat as l tried to p
ay them.
.sWhen morning came we were several | u