The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-30
WILMINGTON. n. C. FRIDAY, APRIL So 1897.

amid the cheerS OF the spectators. Ihe
cable holding the craft finally broke
and it was carried down the stream
but ultimately landed safely.
Adjutant General Jameson. of the
territorial militia, narrowly escaped
with his family. He was forced to
wade and lead his horse with his fam
lily in the buggy.
John Metz, aged 50 years, was cap
sized while trying to save a woman
who sank before he reached her. Metz
himself was barely rescued.
George Owens, Attorney league Ray,
and Dick Pearson. were precipitated
into the water while trying to save
some people, and Owens was drowned.
The wife and five children of Wesley
McGill. colored, were drowned in their
home.
Tonight forty or fifty people could be
seen clinging to trees and roofs of
buildings, but could not be reached and
will have to spend the night where they
are. The strength Of many may fail
before morning. The fate of many
others who are known to have been
carried down stream will not be known
till daybreak and perhaps not then.
1t is impossible to get any definite
news from the hundreds Of rescued
people on the bluffs west of the CITY,
Those who escaped are rushing franti-
cally about in search of missing ones
The river is going down rapidly to-
night.
When the sun went down this even
ing but two bodies had been recovered.
those Of Anna Kaiser, a school teacher
and Frank Mayors. Others known to
have been drowned are: George
Owens, J. II. Calhoun, wife and child;
! Charles Rufner and wife; Rastus Nc
Gill, Lena Burk, Mrs. Watt, Mrs. Wes-
| ley McGill and five children: John
Metz, Mrs. II. James Montgomery, Mrs.
Dummlls, Jim, Lilly Mrs. Dumas, H.
II. Beckfinger. Mrs. Francis Moore,
! John Beard. Mrs. Sue Wilson. Jennie
Taylor, Sam Jackson, George Smathers.
| 1t is believed that loss Of life has also
occurred south of Guthrie along the
| Cotton river.
Many farm houses in that district
| are reported to have been swept away.
Seven miles south Of here at Seward,
| Hunts store and the postoffice were
| destroyed.
| Four thousand dollars was raised in
| Guthrie this afternoon for the relief Of
| the sufferers.
| Ell Reno, Okla, April 2S-For the first
| time since the white man settled in
| the Canadian valley twenty-nine years
| ago, this mornings sun set it's rays
| over an Oklahoma sea. The final
| storm and flood came as fitting climax
| to a week of unusually heavy rains
| and damaging floods. A fierce storm
SATURDAY. tore out sewers and moved
| small buildings. Saturday at midnight
| a hurricane blowing forty-six miles an
| hour, drove blinding sheets of water
| through the roofs of the poorly built
or already damaged houses. People
| were driven in terror to their storm
cellars and caves and spent the night
| in momentary expectation Of being
| borne away by storm or flood.
Sunday dawned bright and clear, but
| yesterday noon another deluge de-
| scended. BY 6 o'clock the rain fall
| amounted to over five inches. A huge
| black cloud was observed moving to-
| ward the city from the west. The cry
get under ground arose on all sides
| and the streets We're soon filled with
| running, shouting people seeking cave
or cellar. Stores and homes were de-
serted and the people huddled together
| waiting the blow. The centre of the
| storm passed over the southeastern
corner of the town, striking the hills
across the valley, wrecking all it
touched.
With the tornado came the heaviest
fall of water ever recorded here in a
like period, over two inches falling in
| thirty minutes. All day the river had
been rising at a frightful rate, reach
ing the railroad bridge and moving it
| out Of line. The wagon bridge went
out when the water reached it's floor
| and the bridge and drift, serving as an
obstruction. forced the water out over
| the bottoms, washing out crops mOv-
ing houses and drowning stock. A
dam on the Ellison ranch gave way
and carried out a bridge on the Fort
Reno road, swept the fair grounds
clean and flooded the yards of the
| ChOctaw railroad. Rising into the
houses of the bottom farmers it COM
PEELED them to desert their homes
A party composed of A. e. Woodliff
Pete Carr, Henry Sshaefer, Charles
Justin, James Tompkins, Rev. Father
Hall and others Immediately set to
work saving the unfortunates. In the
| home Of Thomas Palmer, the latter's
wife, and several children were rescued
from the tops of bureaus just as the
water was creeping up to their feet
1t was with difficulty they were re-
moved to the improvised RATS of the
rescuers and taken to dry land. The
| families Of Mrs. Hall, Tom Potter, Col
onel Severy and Mrs. Black We're res
cued from their homes in a similar
manner In each instance the water
had swept through the windows and
was gradually rising. During the triI
a raft of railfoad ties went to pieces
on a submerged wire fence and the en-.
| tire party was precipitated into the
! water. They were all saved.
| lightning struck the spire of the
| Presbyterian church and totally
wrecked it, The school house for col.
ored children was struck at O'Clock
| in the afternoon, the structure shat
tered and about fifty pupils more OIL
less seriously hurt. Several othe,
| houses were struck by lightning. bu
no one was killed. Further west the
lightning killed much stock The elec'
| trio light wires went down and the
| town was in darkness last night Re
| ports from surrounding towns are mea
| gre. as telegraph wires are down and
trains have all been stopped Oh account
OF washouts. 1t is known, however
| that many homes have been washed
out in towns adjacent to FL Reno and
it is feared many lives have been lost
West of here Frank Thompson and the
16-year-old son of Hiram Mcshffen
| Were drowned.