Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-04-24

Two mics long. between Elm creek
and Spring:creek, directly east OF town,
Is level iat bottom, interspersed with
an occasional;low place, through. which
water must have run In ages past. This
fat was laid outsinto town lots, and
lastJMonday fifteen occupied residences
were standing there, neat and tasty.
surrounded by fences and gardens.
-Four OF those residences have disap-
peared and nearly all the outbuildings
and fences that surrounded them. Be
low this fat is one continuous grove Of
beautiful elm trees. with wide reaching
and overlapping branches, the most
beautiful spot in the county, a natural
picnic or camping-ground, and much
used for both purposes when the trees
bayeiassumed their summer attire.
Last Monday several families Of
movers were camped In this grove, and
the story as told further on will tell
their fate.
At O'Clock Tuesday morning all Of
the bottom above described was above
high water mark, the residents and
movers supposed. An hour later and .
swift current had engulfed IL, and the
marks on the trees show that the de-
structive element reached from three
TO ten feet higher than ever before
known.
The screams OF the persons floating
down the turbulent stream could be
plainly heard up in the city, and these
plaintive appeals for help from the
drowning, intermingled with the lowing
Of tho cattle. the neighing OF hors es
the:braying Of mules and the squealing
Il hogs, with the terrible rush and roar
Of the waters, the crashing Of timbers
were heart-rendinga and sickening. The
cries were taken up by those on shore
and soon the whole population was
alarmed. The church bells were rung,
and in the rain and darkness confusion
was everywhere. Everyone knew that
there was q food; but none could even
guess at what damage 10 life and prop
erty was occurring. The relatives Of
those who lived In the bottom were to
be seen running up and down the bank
Of Spring creek, appealing for the res
cue of their dear ones.
1t was not until daylight that the
crowd on shore realized about what the
damage was. The survivors soon made
known their good fortune and told who
was missing. As soon as parties could
venture into the timber, many who were
supposed to be dead were rescued
from trees.l
PERILoUs ADVENTURE.
Before daylight, Sheriff Rigg, Post
master VanSlyke and BOardman Smith
launched n hastily boat into
Spring creek, near Mrs. Payne's fence,
ard attempted to make their way to the
houses OH the east bottom. 1t was soon
a wreck and the occupants were 1oun-
dering In water ten feet deep, hunting
for something to hold to. Smith struck
high point of ground and remained
there; Rigg and VanSlyke were carried
quarter of a mile down below and
saved themselves by climbing into trees.
where they remained, thoroughly
chilled, for several hours. AS the water
receded they were able to wade around
and administer comfort to the dis
tressed.
HILLoRY wEIDNER.
IIillory Weidner and family were
living i'm frame house near Elm creek,
northeast of town, and Green Harris
was stopping with him. The water
came rushing down as if in a solid body
against the structure, and in a moment
the house was floating. 1t was carried
about a hundred yards and lodged
against two elm trees. Weidner and
Harris made their way to the stables to
cut their fine horses loose, but saw that,
though their heads only were out of
water, that they would not drown and 50
let them remain. A horse on the out
side of the stable nOated down the river
mile and then got out, only slightly
injured. For several hours the report
was that Weidner's family were all
drowned; but fortunately the rumor
! was erroneous.
FRANK RICO.
From town could he seen the ruiRs of
the gypsum house, near Elm creek, in
which Frank Rigg and family lived.
Every one supposed they were surely
drowned; but a search revealed that
though the building had melted down as
IL made OF sand, Frank, his wife and
child were safe on thereof of the house.
They had climbed up there when the
water commenced to pour in on them,
and kept their positions with great difi-
Guilty. His team was saved, and his de-
livery wagon was carried half mile
down the river.
BUNK WARD.
Bunk Ward, his wife and child, were
living in new house on Kansas avenue,
two blocks from Spring creek. They
heard the rush Of waters, and on get
ting out OF bed, he stepped into water
six inches deep. A door was then
blown open and lot of furniture and
drift hoated in. He put his wife and
child in the attic, climbed there him.
self and awaited results. Suddenly he
felt his building moving, and punching
a hole In the shingles, he could see from
the lights in surrounding houses that
he was moving rapidly. At the same
time he could hear the piercing shrieks
of those near by, and as he passed into
the timber, the deafening noise of hu.
man cries, the low of drowning cattle.
the crash Of timbers and'rushing Of the
maddening waters, were appalling. His
house would crash through tree tops
dip from side to side, and at last ap-
peared to strike some solid obstruction
spin around on the water, and suddenly
Il