Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-24

menced, and few days later the gorge
above the dam was full, not of water
alone, but of earth and stones, which,
pressing against that hastily built
structure, swept it away and went
pouring over the valley and farm lands
below.
The bed of the creek was at once
filled with sand and gravel Brush and
timbers from the broken dam, together
with whole trees washed down by the
operations at the mines, were swept
along with the current and, finding
lodgment, formed barrier which in
turn banked up the water and earth
behind it, until over whole farms the
worthless soil from the mountains rose
to depth of ten or twelve feet, bury
ing orchards and vineyards, and even
some small buildings beneath the ac-
cumulated mass
Powerless to stay its course, John
and Martha Parsons saw the flood OF
death rise about them. Saw first their
lower fields flooded and made valueless.
Then saw the flood rise about the
grape-vines until they were buried
from sight, and the mass of earth and
water, rising more slowly now, reached
the orchard and the higher grounds
upon which stood the cottage with its
outlying farm buildings.
Day by day they watched the horri-
BILE mass close in about them.
Now the top1nost limbs of the peach
trees alone appeared in sight, and then
disappeared entirely.
At night the garden fence had been
reached: in the morning it was a foot
deep within the Enclosure, and was rap
idly approaching the door yard from
three sides.
Now it reaches the front gate, creeps
through the latticed fence and up the
gravel walk. One by one the flower
beds disappear, swallowed up by the
horrible anaconda that is winding its
folds about the doomed cottage, whose
inmates watch its approach in helpless
agony, knowing that no human power
can prevent the total destruction of all
that years of toll and economy. had en-
abIed them to accumulate.
What is to be done?
Already dozen of the neighbors
have been driven from their houses and
are domiciled in those more remote
from the scene of the overflow, or are
camping out among the hills overlook
ing their desolate homes.
A few more days and the ocean of
mud and water will enter their own
cottage; where shall they seek for ref
uge?
There is no one in the cottage now
but John and Martha Parsons and the
crippled boy: the young girl who was
with them for time having returned
to her own home, and Jennie and Lucy
being still in San Francisco.
Evidently the girls could not long re-
main at school now, for their parents
had no longer any means of paying
their expenses. Every dollar of the in
come of the past year had been ex-
pended in paying for work upon the
dam and in the effort to obtain the
injunction, and but fifty dollars re-
manned in bank of that once laid aside
to aid Erastus, now upon his own
claim at the Slough.
1.-The girls must come home" Mrs.
Parsons had said when word came
that the dam had broken and all was
lost.
1--WE must send for them, father. il
we are to lose everything we can not
pay their expenses in The city any long
er, and if you will take it to the office 1
will write letter at once, telling them
to come by the first boat"
But her husband pointed to the lake
of mud and water, already six or eight
feet deep, over the road across tho
creek bottom.
1--WE can't git to the landing" he
said. IA horse would mire in that
stuff fore he got half way to the bridge"
"Then we must 60 to the landing
above. Can't you get some of the
neighbors to 60 for you? Mr.. Ritchie's
Henry will go, think. You know
they are not in as much danger yet as
we are"
81 kin git some one to go, s'pect.
Marty" replied her husband; 81 kin
git some one to 60, reckon, but there
amt no home fer the girls to come to;
er Their won't be by the time they I'D
git the letter and git here"
.'Oh, John! John! is it possible that
we have lost everything" sobbed Mrs.
Parsons, dropping into a chair and
burying her face in her apron
John Parsons made no reply. and
after few moments his wife checked
her sobs and raising her head asked:
be rebuilt and made strong enough and
high enough to stop this awful de-
struction of the homes of honest peo-
ple?'
II reckon we've did everything that
kin be DONE" he returned, except it
is to push for the Injunction on the
companies, and that amt any use now
that the damage is done; and as fer the
dam, why the hull gulch is chock-full
o slickens and stuff, and there amt no
II, %, Il
'.No, wife, he added in hopeless
tone of voice, there can't nothin' be
done. We're driv out agin by them as
cares nothin' for others, or who think
that nothin' is wrong that the law can't
punish 'em for, and we have got to
work hard in our old age and may be
die in a poor-house at the end. If it
wasn't for you and johnny / should
see as there is any use in my livin' any
longer anyway, for 1 can't seem to per
tect them as is dependent on me, though
the Lord knows I've tried to do it.
Mrs. Parsons arose and came and put
her arms around his neck and laid her
head upon his shoulder.
''You have done all you could John.
and all anybody could have DONE" she
said, ''and you must not feel so, dear
1t is better for US q thousand times to
lose the place and everything on it than
to lose you" And then, seeing the
tears start in his eyes, she added: Don't
cry, dear. We have each other yet,
and the children, and will manage
some way. The girls will probably
marry soon, so that they will not suf-
fer greatly by the loss of the ranch, and
we Shall then have only ourselves and