River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-06-13

when suddenly the little girl cried: 20
mamma, here's something Both womer
hurried over as the child held up
water-stained photograph album.
Yes that's ours" cried the younger
of the women as she feverishly
seized it and began to turn the dirty and
water-swollen leaves All three sat down
on an uprooted tree near by, and they
went through tho album. utterly re-
CARELESS of the crowd that gathered
The younger one turned to the first
picture IN the album and carefully
wiped the dirt away with her handker-
chief. She looked at il long and earnest y
while the other two looked over her shout
der. ~ thought VIC had lost it, she said,
as the tears trickled down her face.
In the gray dusk OF that fatal Friday
evening a crowd of people stood upon the
bridge at Boil var trying to rescue the UNI
fortunates as they were carried down by
the flood. Ropes were dangling from the
bridge for those in the water to grasp. One
poor womans plight was even so piteous
that even strong men wept She WIS sit
ting high and dry on a substantial pile of
timber that was bearing her down
stream rapidly On each side OF her
lay little child They were still and
made no cutlery ae the woman clasped
them close As the craft neared the bridge
the spectators saw that the children were
dead They had been drowned. The rope
was thrown to the rigid woman, but she
would pay no attention to it Grab the
rope" a hundred voices shouted The
unfortunate creature looked at the two
children and tried TO rouse them,
but they had dropped into aS eternal
slumber Grab the rope.' the crowd
again yelled excitedly, for the wIeckage
with its dead and living freight was very
nearly under the bridge The woman
needed not the advice or the voices She
looked indifferently at the strained eyes OF
the men above, and as she passed under the
bridge with unconcern it was seen she was
insane, crazed by grief
man, woman and child were seen float
ing down on a lot Of drift The mass of
debris commenced to part, and by desper-
ate effort the husband succe dedin getting
his wife and little one on a floating tree.
Just then the tree washed under bridge
and a rope was thrown out. II fell over the
mans shoulders He saw at a glance that
he could not save his dear ones so he threw
the means OF safety TO one side and grasped
closer in his arms those who were with him
A moment later and the tree struck float
all were swept TO their fate
Watchers in railway signal tower near
Sang Hollow tellmany piteous tales OF what
they saw Men and women in dozens, in
pairs and singly, children, boys big and lit
tie, and wee babies passed there in among
the awful confusion of water-drowning,
gasping. struggling and fighting desperate
~ for life. Two men on tiny raft shot
into the swiftest part of the current They
crouched stolidly, looking at the shores,
while between them, dressed in
white and kneeling with her face turned
heavenward, was girl or years old.
She seemed stricken with paralysis until
she came opposite the tower, and then she
turned her face to the operator. She was
so close they could see big tears ON her
cheeks, and her pallor was as death The
helpless men ON shore shouted to her &C
keep up her courage, and she resumed her