Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-14
,prrR xxx.-sAvED AND SAVING.

10 ,I.o,s he ha cOntrIved to seize, ne
"le' abIe 10 perceive that the flood had
s,,Tbt much greater havoc above the
,'ridpe than below it.
Iittle below the railway bridge
7,bDstoyn ended, and below the town
~ houses were widely scattered be-
.u1 that point and Sheridan, the next
Element. Many of these habitationi
S... I'm standing, half buried in the
va and upon the roofs and at the
~ windows Mark noted many wild
hsgggrd faces.
~ the great stone bridge had given wav
~ the first attack OF the torrent all those
s,-eTIinps would have been swept away ,
on5 their tenants overwhelmed. But the
SaIidiv buIlt structure had resisted the
,o-~ibIe crash of the downrushing sea !;
into its tall arches the wreckage had
Ian flung, damned tight like great
Wedges, and the flood had been damned
80 mon the towns above. Thus the
I.rfdgs had stood as an immovable bar
Tisr between the flood and the settle
,nents further down the valley. and when
Il reached them half its fearful force was
spent.
A Mrrk was borne along many of the
sights he had already seen, and which
have been set forth, were repeated. All
sorts Of wreckage, human and other,
Foated alongside him.
Past the thinly populated village of
Sheridan he was hurried at great speed,
mast also the tall signal tower of the
telegraph station at Long Hollow, and
then on and on, through the flooded vale
until the roofs and chimneys of the sub
merged streets of NineYeh hove in sight.
Nearer and nearer drew the town, and
rresently Mark could clearly discern
great building Of stone right before him
about half mile away. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY public building of some kind,
for it had long rows of windows, and
above the flood four stories still reared
themselves.
In another minute or two he was near
enough TO the house to see that all the
windows facing him were open, and that
each story was thronged with excited
peRple. many of whom were making
gestures and shouting to him, while sew
eral others stood beside the open CASE
ments with ropes, ready to cast them as
he passed.
on he was swirled, and the log upon
] NAlNu ITO AbA0 NeANhb NAO SOAASA - 49,
building, flingiug him into the water.
But in falling he caught one of the lines
dangling about his head, and in another
minute he was hauled up and dragged
into the crowded room.
MARK Eliot, by George!" hearty
voice cried, as our hero was set upon his
feet with the water running from his
drenChed garments.
Turning round hurrledly Mark con-
trOnted his old friend, Charlie Hesketh,
aud a cry Of pleasure burst from his lips.
Charlie! Is it you? l thought you
were done for, old fellow.
81 thought the same of you, Mark!'
the other replied as they gripped each
others hand. Then they fell back from
the window, and those about Mark put
score Of questions TO him as to what he
had seen further up the valley.
The building in which Eliot now found
himself was the Washington hotel-the
principal hotel in the town-and il was
denselY crowded from the third story TO
the roof With over 200 souls, men, wo-
men and children, all in a state of the
highest excitement.
At the first approach of the flood,
many Of those who lived near
The hotel had sought shelter and
safety inside it for it stood on
some high ground a little dis
lance from the river, and was also the
highest building in the whole of the
neighbOrhood.
Ihther many of the startled men and
women had flown, carrying their shrisk-
Ing little ones in their arms, and as the
Hood rose higher and higher they had
been driven first from the ground floor |
and then from the second story, which |
Tas now submerged by the still rising |
flood
Far and wide, on each side the hotel, |
The flood stretched like a great lake, its |
surface dotted with the bodies of dead |
snlmals and living human beings, ruined |
na0iauous, wreCksge of every size and |
kjld.
Within the hotel the scene presented |
vas OF the most painful sort. Scores OF |
auughted women were shouting and
praying; scores Of terrified children filled
'pe ar with their shrieks; and the looks
va The faces Of the Dulk of the men
standing by betokened en- utter hope
'essneSs, grim despair.
Beside the open windows several of the
more calm and resolute of the men still
''oou, not only resigned to their perIlous
position, but eager TO help any poor
creature who WIS in more desperate
"s!ts than themselves.
among these men Mark and Hcsketh |
.o'A their stand, and while they watched
'17 rushing stream below them they |
s1ssuoned each other as to what had
NalspIFed since the flood had suddenly
y S'sF"heImed them, now more than an
hour ago.
Aad while they talked OF their almost
--.I4CuIous escape, someone beside them
mere 5 a man coming down on
al, IL, There he is, don I you see him?'
n" eyes we're directed TO the place
.-'.'ated by the speaker, and there, sure
.-Oush, on the wide, broad side of an
SS,s''lrued wooden dwelling was seen the
, sure OF d man, lying face downward on
Conscious
-Ae craft and its PROSTATE occupant
49, e On st q rush, heading right towards
s,r -o'ei and the men at the windows.
81 SENS 10 be dead, poor devill'' one
~, ,.,, lu commiserative way.
He.s beyond all help!'' quoth
'- ,'II i rope s no use TO him.
L,- de alivs.' Mark cried. az saw
move. How shan We save him?'
y score Of heads and bodies were I
l,sleo forward from the easements st
- '.O' words, and a score of strong
- e.s rose above the roar OF the flood to
re- 'he silent figure, if alive, that help
'a' st hand.