Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-04-06

escaping before the building top
pied over. Mr.. Flake was hyster-
ical from grief and could not give
the names of the thirteen who were
lost.
Marsh Callicott, the son of Wash
Callicott and wife, who persisted,
made an heroic effort to save his
parents. He secured a row boat and
got within forty feet of the home
where his mother and father were
imprisoned. The swift current pre-
vented him from coming nearer.
The parents stood in the yard in
water to their arm pits awaiting the
arrival of the boat. Suddenly a
wave swept them into the current,
and they were diowIed before the
sons eyes.
George HARRISON, merchant,
seized his little granddaughter when
the water struck his store, and hold
ing her above his head, waded, arm
pit deep, toward higher ground. A
boat picked them both out of the
water. David Rookendortfer and
wife were in their home directly in
the path of the huge wave that
swept through the broken dixie.
Their little son i'll the yard saw the
wave coming and hurriedly climbed
a tree. The father and mother had
time to rush up stairs, when the
house was S ept from its founda
tons. They climbed on the roof
as the house foated off, and heard
their little son in the tree crying:
Goodbye, papa and mamma. The
agonized parents were powerless to
20 to his assistance and in few
minutes the house had been car
ried beyond the reach of the boys
voice. They foated from the north
levee to the south levee, the dis
lance of a mile, and were taken OFT
in safety. The little son was sub
sequently rescued in the tree top,
by boat, and the family reunited
Mr.. Rookendorffe1 said that as he
hoated down the curreut on the
house top he saw people drowning
on all sides.
coLoRED PEOPLE SUFFERED MOST.
The colored section of the city,
known as Negro Flats" was COM
pletely inundated by the rush OF
water. 1t is believed that a large
number of colored people persisted,
as the ground was flooded in
twinkling and tonight the water
stands twenty-five feet deep in that
locality. No effort has been made
to recover the bodies. Every means
of assistance is used to provide food
and shelter to the hundreds of
homeless refugees. Last night the
Catholic Academy, the school house
city hall and the Riverside hotel, all
on high ground, above the water,
were crowded with homeless people.
Hundreds are tonight sleeping on
the river banks under such rude
shelter as they can construct from
the floating debris. Absolutely
nothing has been saved in the city.
Stores and other business houses
are flooded to the second floors, all
the streets are under water from ten
to thirty feet. Provisions are con-
stantly arriving from all the neigh
boring towns. A relief train arrived
here tonight, but owing to the high
wind and roughness of the water at
the ferry crossing, all attempts to
transfer the provisions across have
been abandoned. They have been
taken to the waters edge and at
break of day will be ferried across.
At II o'clock tonig hit telephone
message was received from Shaw
neetown, saying that the south levee
was cracking and threatening to go
at any minute. 1t is about sure to
break before morning. This will
not add to the depth of the water in
the town but will create a current
through the streets that will prove
dangerous to rescuers in skifs.