Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-06-04

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to lend what aid they could. There
were no boats, darkness was rapidly
closing down, and unless the author
of the cries saved himself, an I'M
known man went down 10 death with
hundreds of people close at hand and
utterly unable to lend a hand to aid
him.
Fifty Deaths Reported.
There were rumors that the total
number of deaths in the wholesale
district of the city during the latter
part of the day will reach as high as
fifty, but there is no direct evidence of
this and no possible way of determin-
ing the matter until the waters sub
side. Directly south of the viaduct
stood the warehouse of the Missouri
Lime and Cement Co., a building 4.J
feet long and so feet wide. Close to it
stood a number of cars loaded with
lime, and at five O'Clock they were all
dDldLe anu WIFI luCM NChb bhC "aiS
house and all it contained.
About a dozen freight cars not load.
ed with lime were consumed also. The
damage in this fire could not be less
than 100000.
The other fires were scattered over
a district five miles long by three
miles wide, and in every instance are
supposed to be lime ears. 1t was i'm
possible to approach within a mile of
them, but none of them was large.
Wife sees Husband Swept Away.
William Heisler, rs years of age, is
known to have been drowned near his
home in the east bottom. In company
with his wife he started to leave his
home and both Of them were borne
down. Mrs. Heisler managed to grasp
a bit of floating sidewalk and chung to
it until help arrived. Her husband
was unable to fight against the cur
rent and was drowned.
Edward Blanchard, city plumbing
inspector, is authority for the state
ment that three women are caught in
the freight house of the Union Pa
cific railway. He declared, Sunday
evening, that he saw them late in the
afternoon waving their hands and
reckoning for help. 1t was impossible
for anybody to reach them, however,
and they are still imprisoned.
1t is estimated that $50 people were
rescued from buildings in the west
bottoms during the day. Four dray
wagons used by the foremen and po-
lice in removing people from buildings
were partially under water. This was
continued until the water rose to such
a height that the horses could scarce
ly struggle through it. Then a la.'ge
number of boats were pressed into
service, and refugees were removed to
the approaches of the L road sta
lions, from which point they could
climb to places of safety.
At Ii o'clock E. e. Matchette, gem
eral manager of the Schwartzschild &
Sulzberger packing plant, t%elephoned
that 100 men were imprisoned by the
water in the packing house, and asked
the police to try to rescue them.
Three boats were hauled to Twenty
| fourth street near the Turkey Greek
pumping station, and were launched
with two men in each. The boats
left the Missouri side at IL o'clock,
and three hours later all the men had
been taken off.
Woman aud Children Disappear.
Among those who are said to have
seen people drowned was Sergeant
Coughlin, who is stationed on the
Twelfth street viaduct. From his sta
ton he saw, some distance away, a
woman and three children a1oat on
the roof of a small cottage. Suddenly
the wreckage gave a lurch, and he saw
the occupants of the roof no more. A
boat containing five men was capsized
later near the same place, but whether
the occupants persisted or not the ser
geant could not discern.