The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1889-06-08
INCIDENTS OF THE DISASTER.
Rr AM AssooIated Pres Reporter.

By an Associated ffess Reporter.
These are some little odds ard ends
of the happenings that they told me of:
A beautiful girl came down on the roof
OF building, which swung i'll near the
tower. She screamed to the operators
to save her, and one brave fellow walked
as far out into the river as he could, and
shouted to her to guide herself in to the
shore with the butt OF plank. She was
a plucky girl, and stood upon her frall
snnport in evident obedience to the COM
mand Of the operator. She made two or /
three bold strokes, and actually stopped
the course OF the raft for an instant, and |
then it swerved and went out from under
her. She tried to swim ashore, but IN
few seconds she was lost in the swlrling
water. Something must hit her, for she
lay quietly on her back with her face
pallid and expressonless.
Men and women in dozens, in pairs,
and singly, children. boys big and little,
and wee babies were there in the awful
current, gasping, struggling and lighting
desperately for life.
Two men on tiny raft shot into the
swiftest part of the current. They were
while between them, dressed in w1ite
and knceling with her face heavenward,
was girl or years old. When she
came opposite the tower, she turned her
! face TO the operators She was so close
that they could see the big tears on her
cheeks and her death-lke pallor. The
helpless men on shore shouted to her to
keep up her courage, and she resumed
her devout attitude, and disappeared
under the trees of a projecting point a
short distance below. "We could not
see her again, +" said the operator, "and
that was all of it."
''Do YOU see that fringe of trees?" said
the operator, pointing to the place where
the little girl had gone out of sight. 'We
saw scores of children swept in there. |
believe that when the time comes they
will find hundred bodies of children in
there among those bushes"
James NJ. Walters, an attorney, spent
the night in Alma hall, and relates a
thrilling story. One OF the most curious
occurrences OF the whole disaster was
how Walters got to the hall. He has
his office on.the second floor. His home
is at 1856 Walnut street. He says he was
in the house with his family when the
waters struck it. All was carried away.
Walters family drifted on the roof in
another direction. He drifted down
| several streets and alleys until he came
to the hall His raft struck that build
; ing and he was thrown into his own
office.
About 200 persons had taken refuge in
the hall, and were in the second, third
and fourth stories. The men held q
meeting and decided upon some rules
which all were bound to respect. Wal.
! ters was chosen president and Rev. Mr.
Beale put in charge 0f the first floor, A
NJ. Hart Of the second floor, and Dr.
! Matthews OF the tEfd floor. No lights
were allowed and The whole night was
spent in darkness. The scenes were
most agonizirg. Heartrending shrieks
sobs and means pierced the gloomy
darkness. The cries OF children were
a mingled with the halfsuppressed sob
of women No one slept during all 0
t the dark night. Many knelt for hours
in prayer Their supplications were
Il mingled with the roar of waters and tn,
!. shreks of the dying. In all this miser,
two women gave premature birth tt
children.
= An utterly wretched woman nameC
{ Mrs. Fem, stood by q muddy pool 0
water trying to find some trace of ono
y happy home. She was half-crazed witt
s grief and her eyes were red and swollen
AS the writer stepped to her side sh
IS raised her pale and haggard face an
" remarked, s'They are all gone. Oh Go
be merciful to them. NV husband an
i my seven dear little children have bee
q swept down with the flood, and | al
n left alone. We were driven by the rag
ing flood into the garret, but the wate
followed us there. Inch by inch it ket
d rising until our heads were crushe
9r against the roof. 1t was death to r,
t, main, so raised the window and place
my darlings on some driftwood, trustin
q. to the great Creator. AS liberated N
"a last one, my sweet little boy, he locke
at me and said Mamma, you alway
~ told me that the Lord would care f
: me; will he look after me now?" | sa
him DRIFT away, with his loving fax
al turned toward me, and with prayer {
IS my lips for his deliverance, he passt
at from my sight forever. The next m
es ment the roof crashed in and floatt
outside, to be rescued fifteen hours lat
at near the roof of a house in Mornvill
in Ii could only find one of my darlings
ng could bow to the will OF God, but tn,
he are all gone. have lost everything
ed earth now but ny life.
4 handsome woman walked throu,
-, the depot where dozen or more bodi
~ were awaiting burial. Passing from O
~ to another, she finally lifted pap
H., covering from the face OF woma
Wy young and with traces Of beauty sho
iof ing through the stains OF muddy watc
a. IL, With cry of anguish she recled bac
ny ward, to be caught by man who ha
NJ NJ pened to be passing In moment
ho SO she had calmed herself sufficiently
~ take one more look at the features Of /