The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1886-05-22


would reach his parents.
Harry Arnold made a narrow escape from
drowning. He had been working at the
scene OF destruction this side of the depot,
and knowing that his fathers family would
be uneasy started to cross the bridge on the
Springfield track to go and tell them he was
safe. As he ste ped on the bank it caved in
with him, and he fell into the raging tor
rent beneath. His long rubber coat was
SO wrapped around him that it was
almost impossible to help himself. He
crowded against the side wall, and with al
most superhuman effort managed to get off
MS coat. He called for help and some one to
bring him rope. But before he got a rope
some one came to his rescue, and he threw up
his coat, which just reached to the top of the
bank BY that means he was drawn out of
MS unpleasant quarters. Harry says he
thought his last hour had come, sure.
The list of the dead is as follows: Mrs. Nellie
Anderson and sister, Lydia Casey (colored),
both widows past sixty years of age; lived In
Bars Bottoms. Mrs. Samuel Corchoran and
two sons, aged about twelve and twenty-five
years, widow and sons of the late Samuel
Corchoran, better known as Sam Patch"
lived just across the creek, on King street, in
the, bottoms near the depot. Mat Evans
eSd lived on aa e oreeS @ vest w ff w and
man street. The child is missing. Orrn Nor
ris white, laborer, wife and five children,
three girls and two boys, the Oldest girl
fifteen nj years of age, and the youngest babe
near the creek. Stephen Denton, colored, la
borer lived in Barr's Bottoms. William
Powell, cart driver for Sam Clark, wife and
six or eight children, lived on De-
forks of Shawnee. One child escaped from
the house, as did Henry Brazelton, son-in-
law. Powell and two children were found
this morning, the rest missing. Lewis Ander-
toms; Mr.. Anderson is missing. Mrs. Ed
Lindsay, lived on the foot of the creek, near
the depot; Mr. Powell and two children.
The incidents of an exciting nature are
almost beyond description. A lineman was
standing on an embankment and before
he could realize his danger he was in the flood
and swept mile by the raging waters. A
telegraph operator got into the water, and
after floating some distance he caught onto
tree. A house came down in the food and
sank the tree he was perched on. He cmed
on the house and started down with the cur
rent untll he came across another tree. He
cl1nched 1t, and remained there until he was
rescued several hours later.
N. p. J Smith, of Pittsburgh, worked no
bly all night assisting the suffering. A lady
went into house to help another, and soon
and the lady who was there to help rvshed
out and was caught in the deluge. Mr.. Smith
caught her, and, after she was uulled ashore,
she was nearly dead from exhaustion. He
drew flask from his pocket and poured a
good stiff slug of whisky down her throat,
thereby bringing her to and saving her life.
A mans wife called to her husband that she
thought water was running into the cellar of
their hou g. The husband lighted lamp
and started to go down to the cellar, but in
an instant the water was up to his chin in
the room where he and his wife had been
sleeping.
When it was learned that the gas works had
been disabled and rendered useless and the
elect ic wires were down, the citizens gath
cred wood and started bonf1res to enable
them TO see how to carry on the work of res
cuing the sufferers.
| Three bridges between here and Spring
Valley, on the Little Miami, are out, and as
much as five miles of track gone. The first
! section of the late train from Cincinnati
reached this place. The next section got
| caught between bridges and there 1t lies
large amount of track below the valley is
| out, and the loss will be $4,000 or more. The
ID. d l; railroad between here and Trebein's
is washed out badly, and the Little Miami
track is in the same condition all the way to
Dayton. 1t is impossible to gather the full
| extent of the damage, but it will take days
and probably weeks to repair.
| The excitement in the second section of the
train from Cincinnati was terrific. The
women hudded together and the men
paced the cars with blanched faces, as the
water rose higher and higher on the track.
| Inc conductor soon reported that the fires
were out, and it looked as though the train
would surely be swept away, as there was
nothing to be seen but vast sea. Health Of
| ficer Rowland of Cincinnati, who was on the
train asked the engineer why he had stopped
the train with such sudden jerk The en-
| gineer replied: 81 saw ahead of me a raging,
rushing body of water, that roared as loudly
as a heavy peal of thunder. If had gone a
| hundred feet further we would all have
been killed" 1t was big break in the track
he saw.
Mr.. Rowland was perfectly satisfied with
the explanation. The water, it can now be
seen. twisted the railroad tracks into all sorts
of shap S, just rs man could twist small
| wire.
Joe Walton is one of the unheralded heroes
| VIII o risk ed his life more than once by taking
a boat and r. scuing people He took the Fer
guson family of nine people out of the
waters, and landed them safely on the shore,
Immediately after which their house tumbled
to pieces as though it were shell.
HAMILTON. O., May 13-The wind and thun.
der storm which passed over Butler County
Wednesday night cut off Hamilton from all
telegraph, telephone, railroad and mail
except Cincinnati Reports from the
surrounding country come in slowly
and are very meager. Four barns
were struck by lightning, and the buildings
this vicinity were carried away. Two rail
road bridges on the G., X. G. and two
bridges on the c., H. & d. were carried away
No trains are running on the c.. X. Z. or G..
II. & d. The loss to grain, trees houses, etc.
in Butler County is very heavy.
In this city the Schwab brewery and Kahn
stove foundry were submerged. The Meth
odist church and public school at Seven
} Mile were badly wrecked. Throughout the
J country there are reports of houses un
rooted The barn of Isaac Dick al
Mlville was destroyed by fire, to
J gether with all the implements and con
} tents. 1t was the finest barn in the county
insured for 81 100. The barn and contents OF
! Samuel Dalzell, in the western part of the
county, were also struck by lightning and de
stroyed; loss unknown. A number of fine
groves have been laid waste and small losses
, innumerabe go to make up an aggregate
, that will fall not far short of 100000.
DAYTON o., May l3-At $40 last night
sharp thunderstorm came up and rain al
most Immediately fell in torrents, alternatet
with hail, the hailstones ranging in size from
a hazel-nut to an almond, and were gath
, cred in as great curiOsities. Reports cam,
, in gradually of disasters near the center O.
, town and matters grew serious, but abou
, IL o'clock the message cam to the center o.
; news that Wolf creek levee, which protects
Miami City Tor West Dayton) had broken
and Kemptown as it is called, being the lowel
part of Miami City, was swept away. People
hurried to the scene only to find that the dis
aster was more than was told Some 81!
hundred feet of the evee had been broker
! by the sudden torrent which came rushn
} down Wolf creek and $50 acres of that par
of the city were covered with water.
r In Kemptown terrible distress occurred. /
q score or more houses with their sleeping oC
e cupants were swept away from their fOunds
J., tons and overturned, or lodged against walls
or carried into the Miami and borne away, n
h one knows where. That portion of the cit
e was aroused, and the entire male population
y that dare engage in the business
a were cropping their way through tn
f flooded district carrying out the distresse
/ and shrieking women and children t
i places of safety. 1t was in vain to telephon
3 for aid to the east side of the Miami, for
q was apparently impossible. and at least higf
i, ly dangerous to attempt to reach the seen
q with horses and carriages. There was nc
much to do but wait for dawn. To add t
n the distress the electric light works wer
+ flooded, and all portions of the city, lighte