The sun., 1903-10-18
FLOOD TALES FROM THE ERIE.
BREW Err RINGLERS NARROW ES-
CAPE FROM THE RIVER.
A Banker Meets q Piucky Lad in the Ram.
apo Mountains-M Mary Harriman's
Ride-A Cry Of Distress From the
Horse YOUNG Hamilton Fish Rode in
Cuba Led to Rescue OF Six Others.

Interesting episodes OF the recent foods
came out last week along the line of the
Erie. For one thing, il was learned that
but for the mutiny Of his coachman. w. G.
Ringler, the brewer of this city, would
probably have been drowned when the Port
Jervis bridge was swept away.
Mr.. Rngler thought they could cross the
bridge in safety, though 1t was already
submerged in part. Tho ooachman refused
to make the venture. Mr.. Ringler was
trying to take tho reins and drive himself
when an 1prooted tree carried by the food
struck the bridge and the structure dis
appeared.
Cornelius Macardle president Of the First
National Bank Of Middletown, N. Y, was
flood bound in train half mile west of
Tuxedo. He and two other Passengers
tried to return to Middletown on foot.
They foundered about in the RanApo
Mountains until dark, being compelled to
wade streams sometimes waist deep, every
bridge being gone, only to find themselves,
as darkness began' to fall. back at their
starting point at Tuxedo
The next morning the banker and his
friends started anew on their journey 10
Middletown, this time striking out over the
mountains for Monroe, eleven miles away,
over a food-swept region. When half the
trip was made, some Of the party were so
exhausted that it seemed doubtful If they
could go many steps further
At that time they were overtaken by lad
of perhaps sixteen, who was covered with
mud and drenched to the skin. and was a
most pitiful and abject looking creature.
He stopped where the nearly exhausted
group were struggling along, and learning
the situation, and whe re the men had come
from and whittier they were bound, aston
ished them by saying;
why, I've come from Hillburns
haven't he d thing to eat since Thursday
night, and slept in the woods all night In
the pouring rain. I'm going to Monroe,
too. Come along"
This happened on Saturday. Hllburn was
ten miles further than the Middletowners
had come. The lad was taking the long
and dangerous journey through that
flooded region to get to some place where
there might be chance for him to get
job.
His story and his pluck braced the other
travellers UP at once, and they succeeded
In reaching Monroe along toward night.
where they bearded a construction train on
the Erie just starting westward to begin
repairs, and it took them to Middletown.
Banker Macardle's party met on the
way from Tuxedo to Monroe Miss Mary
Hartman, daughter Of E. H. Hartman,
who was riding from Arden to Tuxedo
to be present at the horse show at the latter
place. She had ridden from Arden to Gem
frn1 thnnna n
around Turner's, where she got upon the
State road
1t had been necessary for her to cross
many swollen streams and gullies, and
surmount other obstacles that would ha We
turned many man back. and to com
plete her Journey she had still greater ones
to overcome. She insisted on proceeding,
and as she got to Tuxedo, she must have
defied and conquered all the difficulties and
dangers that lay in her path. Her father
and others Of the family, who were following
in carriages, were forced to return to
Arden.
At the height OF the food at Tuxedo,
where people were struggling to escape
from almost submerged houses, Pierre
Lorllard Joined party who went in boats
to the rescue Of a family who were in immi-
nent peril, and who had to be removed from
Mr. Loriard. while helping in this res
cuing work, was found by an excited en-
ployee, who announced TO him that the
electric power works were in momentary
danger of destruction, and that something
must be done at once to save them:
Damn the power house!' excl aimed
Mr.. Lorilard. Save the people! Life
is Of more consequence than property"
While aiding in the rescue of Hungarian
family from shanty on the lowlands, MIR.
Lorillard lost his balance, and fell from his
boat into the deep and rapid food, and but
for his being strong swimmer, he would
have been carried away by the torrent.
As it was, he was swept a long distance
down before he succeeded in effecting a
landing against the swift current
Between Chester and Greycourt the Erie
Railroad crosses the stretch Of fiat land
famous as the Chester onion meadows
from the fact that for more than fifty years
large proportion of the onions for the New
York market have been grown there. The
meadows cover | 900 acres. and the rains
transformed them into lake mile or more
long, a mile wide, and from five to ten feet
deep.
At the lower extremity of it, opposite
Greycourt, Is large field belonging to the
Guy Miller Stock Farm, used for pasture
for horses. Pasturing in that field when
the waters began to threaten were seven
valuable horses, some of them belonging to
the Plant stables. and one of them being
the horse which young Hamilton Fish was
rldlng III tne llPnI near odiiiidSo III WHICH
he was killed.
Guy Miller sent his son Richard on horse
back to the pasture to remove the horses
to a safer place and when young Miller
arrived at the field he found il covered with
water, with the exception of little knoll
in the centre Of the field. Upon that knoll
the seven horses were huddled, apparently
in great terror
He resolved to ride in and take one horse
out at time. but before he had ridden far
he found that the water was so deep that
his horse was compelled to swim The
horse bolted and turned to swim back to
shallow water.
In spite of all he could do Miller could not
induce his horse to go on to the rescue OF
the horses on the knoll and the water was
rising rapidly He would have had to
abandon the horses on the knoll 10 their
fate If the Fish horse ON the knoll had not
given a long and pitiful whinny.
The horse young Miller was riding in
stantly prcked up its ears, half turned In
the course il was taking toward the outer
edge of the field, and looked back in the
direction of the sound. II seemed then
as If il understood the true situation for
the first time, for after gazing at the knoll
and its terrified occupants moment, IL
answered the cry that had come from there
with a loud and reassur ng neigh. and headed
about and swan FOR the knoll
Miller quickly fastened a halter TO the
Fish horse. intending to lead II ashore and
return for the others, one by one That
horse readily followed the lead Of the one
thai had come to the rescue, and that in
stantly gave its companions confidence,