The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-29
A MEMORIAL DAY STORY--BY A SURVIVOR.

breath. he merely replied. "Woodvale.
> He had been carried on a roof a mile ana
| a. quarter. and was dashed through the
Window into my second story as the foOi
on which he had been borne Win d Bi'"l
shock. struck the parsonage.
During all this time and for several
minutes after. scores. aye, hundreds OF
houses and parts Of houses, wrecked and
| ruined structures, were dashing. rocking
grinding. tipping and tumbling past our
shattered. broken and twisted parsonage
on the right of us aud on the left OF us;
for, superadded 10 the water already on
our streets. from sixteen 10 forty feet
J more. dependent on the width Of the val
/ ley, rushed down upon us, bearing on IT'S
bosom houses. barns, freight ears, city
passenger cars. locomotives, tenders, iron
bridges. the Gautier plant. trees, lumber
animals and human beings, dead and
| alive. and all kinds Of wreckage, pitching,
tossing, banging and smashing TO pieces
in one indiscriminate mass. We were IN
the midst of an angry. raging sea.
Il observed tina for several squares
west and north and south Of Us nearly
every house had been torn from its foun-
dations, and we were in momentary eX-
pectation Of a similar disaster. But 1t now
appeared that the waters flowed less rap
IDLY and in a different direction, for the
immense stone bridge on the Pennsylva-
MIA railroad had become the breast OF a
turbulent sea, which submerged our fair
city. and hurled tho waters back again.
soon the wreckage on the west OF us
began TO move off, and our house. which
is a large, new frame building. began TO
shake and rock and sag IN the middle.
Finally, after some hurried conference
and an unsuccessful attempt 20 get upon
our own roof, we gained egress from the
highest window. when I followed them
Just as L was about 10 pass David ans
Wilson. our youngest boys. out OF the
window they expressed the desire that
their dog. which stood by, mutely plead
ing for his life. should be saved. and ac-
cordingly Guess was let down upon the
roof. No sooner had he reached it than.
true to his doggish nature. he and a neigh
boris cur engaged in an earnest and free
fight for the supremacy.
1T is doubtful II any one in that en-
tire building on hat awful night, the last
Of May, 1889. refused 10 pray to his
Maker. One can scarcely conceive OF an
assembly convened under circumstances
more affecting that those which massed
us together on the floors Of Alma Hall.
The suppressed means OF the bruised.
the ~asonized cries of little children for
food which could not be supplied. the
howlings Of terrOr-stricken brutes. the
darkness and confusion throughout the
building. the sickening and sitting doors,
the dying scenes on the wreckage about
us. and in the conhagration at the rail-
road bridge. and tie expressed opinions
OF contractors present. that the great
building would yield to the fearful strain,
combined 10 make that night one of in
describable horror.
"At break Of day the waters had some
what subsidized. having forced a way
through the wreckage under the arches
Of the great bridge. and formed a partial
outlet by washing away the roadbed be-
tween the station and the stone railroad
bridge; and yet the wreckage on many
Of the streets was almost as high as
the few remaining buildings.
There were here gathered at least
three thousand people Of all ages. and OF
every condition, many Of them stripped of
nearly all their clothing, and all chilled.
and haggard and quite distracted with
the dreadful experience Of the night.
1T was wholly impossible to give any