Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-02-14
uitched schoolhouse to a Tree.


A special from Harrison, Neb., says
an extraordinary incident of the White
River floods developed there when Miss
Lizzie Cottman saved thirteen children
from drowning. Incidentally it may
be mentioned that the daring woman
also saved Schoolhouse 10 for the
Sioux County taxpayers.
The building, a small wooden affair,
occupied q small glade 100 yards from
the banks of the White River. The
stream had reached the proportions of
q torrent because Of the melting snow
and rain. Gradually the water backed
into the ravine and when Miss Cott-
man arrived the school children were
making merry in the building, which
was nearly surrounded by a thin sheet
Of water.
An hour later Miss Cottman was
frightened by hearing the water pass
ing under the house with a roaring
sound, which gradually increased. The
land was twenty feet away, and the
water there was deep. The girl at
first concluded to wait for some pass
ing farmer. None came, and in an
hour she felt the building shaking. The
supports were giving away.
Then she sprang into the water after
making the children promise to wait
inside. The little ones pressed their
faces against the window and
screamed as they saw their teacher
battling with the flood.
Miss Cottman found the water near
ly over her head but she got through
to dry land. Then she grabbed
horse which one of the children had
ridden to school, From u stable she
took rope and leading the horse
back plunged again into the torrent.
The rope she fastened around the
horses neck and the other end she
made fast to the doorjamb of the
building.
By this time the building was float
ing and ready to drift off into the
flood. 1t required desperate work to
swim the horse back to the shore and
Miss Cottman was forced to holds its
head above water to keep it from
drowning. The animal dragged the
building close to shore and it was tied
to tree and the children sent home.
Adrift Two Days on u Capsized Boat.
w. j. Harper, a pioneer resident Of
Cockburn Island, now residing at Thes-
salon, had a terrible experience last
week.
He was crossing from Thessalon to
Little Coburn in his sailboat, when
q squall capsized the boat. He sue
ceeded in getting upon the bottom of
the boat, and for two days and two
nights drifted helplessly, the water ut
times washing over him, and once he
fell asleep and fell overheard, losing
his hat. After more than fifty hours
the boat touched Grants Island, and
Mr.. Harper crawled ashore. He lived
on wintergreen berries, strawberry
leaves, birch buds, ETC., for several
days, when party Of Indians coming
from Johns Island camped on Grants
Island, and found Mr.. Harper almost
exhausted. They carefully nursed him,
poulticed his feet, which were blue
and numb. and after twenty-four
hours brought him to Thessalon on
the 7th, just one week from the day
of his departure Meantime the peo-
pie Of Thessalon, fearing some disas-
ter, had sent out two tugs and bands
of men to scour the islands in the VI
cinity.
Mr.. Harper carried the mail between
Cockburn and Thessalon for some
years, a most perilous undertaking,
and on two former occasions nearly
lost his life. He has come through
this terrible experience very well, ana
will soon be around as usual.-Toronto
Globe.