New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-06-12

/ rising at the rate of q foot an hour. It kept
on rising until at 4 O'clock it first began
pouring over the dam and undermining 1t,
and men were sent three or four times dur
ing the day to warn people below Of their
danger When the final break came at 8
| o'clock there was a sound like tremendous
and continued peas of thunder, big rocks
and earth were shot up into mid air in great
| columns and then the wave started down
the ravine. A farmer who escaped said that
1 the water did not come down like q wave.
] ntjumped on his house and beat it away in
an instant. He was safe upon the hillside.
| but his wife and two children were killed
AT the present time the lake looks like a
cross between the crater of volcano and a
| huge mud paddle with stumps of trees and
] rocks scattered over it There is a small
stream OF muddy water running through the
center OF the lake site Frank Mcdonald. a
conductor ON the Somerset branch of the
Baltimore Ohio, was at the Pennsylvania
railroad depot when the storm came. He
said when he first saw the flood it was
THIRTY FEET HIGH
and gradually rose to at least forty feet He
said: 1There is no doubt that the South
Fork dam broke. Fifteen minutes before the
food came Decker, the Pennsylvania rail-
| road agent. read me telegram he had lust
| received, saying the South Fork dam had
broken. AS soon as he heard this the people
| in the STATEN, numbering 200, made rush
for 8 HILL I certainly think I saw 1000
| bodies go over the bridge. The first house
that came down struck the bridge AND at
once took fire, and as fast as the Others came
down they were consumed. I believe am
safe in saying saw a Thousand bodies burn.
1t reminded me of a lot Of flies on fly paper
struggling to get away, with no hope and 40
chance to save them. I have no idea that
had the bridge been blown up the loss of life
would have been any less. They would have
hoated a little further with the same
certain death. Then again, it was irupossi-
bic for any one to have reached the bridge
in order to blow it up, for the water came So
fast that no one could have done it. saw
fifteen to eighteen bodies go over the bridge
at the same time. I offered man $40 TO
row me across the river, but could get no
one to go, and finally had to buy boat
and get across that way" From under the
large brick school house, 124 bodies were
taken last night and to-day, and in every
corner and place the bodies are being found
and buried as fast as possible. The necessity
for speedy burial is becoming manifest, and
the stencil arising from the bodies is sicken-
ing. number of bodies have been found
with bullet holes in them. showing conclu-
sively that in their maddening fright, sui
eide was resorted to by many.
AHERos RIDE.
A nameless Paul Revere lies somewhere.
among the nameless dead. Who he is may
never be known, but his ride will be famous
in local history Mounted on a grand, big.
bay horse, he came riding down the pike
which passes through Conemaugh to Johns
town like some angel of wrath of old, shout
ing his portentious warning to "Run for your
lives to the hills!" Run to the hills!" The
people crowded out of their houses along the
thickly settled streets awe struck and won
dering. Nobody knew the man, and some
thought he was maniac and laughed. On
at deadly pace he rode, and
shrily rang out his awful cry. In a
few moments, however, there came cloud
of ruin down the broad streets, down the
narrow alleys, grinding, twisting, hurting,
overturning, crashing, annihiating the weak
and the strong On and on raced the rider,
and on and on rushed the wave. Dozens of
people took heed OF the warning and ran up
= the hills. To the faithful rider it was an
unequal contest. just as he turned across
the railroad bridge the mighty wave fell
chaos together. A few feet further on
several cars of the Pennsylvania railroad
train from Pittsburg were caught up and
hurried into the cauldron, and the fate of the
town reached the hero who turned neither
to right or left for safety for himself, but
rode on to death for his townsmen.
ONE BY ONE TO THEIR DEATH
JoHNsTowN, June "a pretty, pale, little
an fol mr. Of horc cfp 70 do
she nervously clasped or nnclasped her
hands and cried in quiet, Manufacturing
way. Her name was Mrs Fem. On the
afternoon of the flood Fem went to the
butchers and passed out of this short history
in the waters. When the food came into the
Fem house, the mother gathered her chicks
in the parlor and told them not to be afraid,
as God was there and would guard them. Up
came the torrent and they went to the sec
ond floor, and again the little mother talked
of hope, and bade them be of good cheer
for papa-heaven rest him-would come soon
in boat and take them away. Up. up and
up rose the water, and now the family
were forced to the top story. The
rooms were very low, and soon the
heads of the mother and children were beat
ing against the ceiling, sMamma," said the
eldest child, a girl, awouldn'tit he better to
go outside and die in the open ARP" sYes,
dear" said the mother. swell make raft
and all go down together" She fought her
own and her childrens way to the window
and opened it. She caught piece of plank
and on it put the eldest child, with hasty
kiss and a God bless you" Then she let it
float away into the darkness and the roar of
the waves. Six times were these frail banks
freighsed with precious cargoes and argo-
sizes of pious trust The children were
frightened. but obedience was part of their
| creed, and they made but little protest. Now
came the turn of the last Guild, Bessie, the
four ear-old. One can fancy what il meant
The last and dearest There was scarce
breathing space in the room now, and il
| haste was not used death would come there
| at once. On broad plank, Bessie was
fastened securely and was kissed, as had been
| the others. Il loved them all; oh, loved
them all SAID the mother; 9but had two
| kisses for Bessie, for she was Toms favorite
L a LII. NJ.