Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-07-09
DEATH IN The FLOOD
It Took Alex M. Gum and Wife
In Heppner Disaster.
THEIR FOUR CHILDREN WERE SAVED
Mary Dunn Relates story of Awful
Scene-Orphans Now with Grand
father DIR. f. II. Ellis I'm
Detroit.

In the terrible disaster by food
which swept away large portion of
Heppner, Oregon. and in which so
many lives were lost, Alexander NJ.
Gum and wife were among the num-
ber, Mrs. Gum formerly Elizabeth
Ellis, was a daughter of DR.. E. Il.
Ellis of Detroit, and before her mar
riage was frequent visitor with
relatives here where she had many
friends. From the Detroit Free Press
of July End we take the following:
THE four Gum children, son and
daughters of Mr.. and Mrs. Alexander
Nj. Gum, and survivors of the Hep
pner. Ore, flood disaster, arrived in
Detroit last evening with their grand
father, DIR. Z. r. Ellis, of 20 Wilcox
street, and will make their home with
him here. DR.. Ellis went on to Chi
cago last Friday to the home of his
daughter, Mrs. j. S. Andrews, former
ly of Detroit, to meet them The
children arrived in Chicago Saturday
morning and a few days were spent at
Mrs. Andrews home. The children
will be under the care of Or. Ellis and
his daughter, Miss Jessie Ellis, who
keeps house for her father, and the
doctor said last night that he intends
to do everything in his power to make
them happy.
Pretty little Mary Gum last night
told of the flood and the suddenness
with which it came upon them. She
said: sit was all so terrible and so
sudden that we could scarcely realize
what was happening. Father and
mother and we children, except Belle
were in the house when the flood
came. A heavy storm of rain and
hail with peals of thunder had just
passed over Suddenly the noise in
creased and father looked out of the
window. Our house was on the cor
ner of Main and Church streets, and
diagonally across Main street was the
house of Mr.. Redfeld As father
looked out of the window he saw Mr.
Redfeld's house moving directly to-
ward him, and it was then half across
the street. He saw the water surging
about the street, he realized at once
what had happened and quickly called
for us to run for the hills.
1--WE got out of the house through
the back way and started on run
back from the street. Behind us was
father and mother and young woman
and her baby sister year old who
were making call when the food
came. Father had the baby in his
arms, and behind him and almost up
on him we could see the waves and
the derbis of torn-up houses Back of
our house was the church and right at
the church door mother fell appar-
emily exhausted from running. With
the baby in his arms father stopped
to assist her, when the heavy body OF
water rolled over them and buried
them beneath it. We were but a
block and half ahead on higher
land, and could they have reached
where we were they would have been
safe. We had barely kept in advance
of the food, it being knee deep in
some places.
"Belle was at the home of a neigh
Dor farther up on higher ground anc
was at no time in danger Our house
was swept away and totally demolish
ed, and for two blocks in Width
through the entire town houses were
torn away, including all the best resi-
dences
The day after the flood the body o.
Mr.. Gum was found four miles dowr
the stream in an open field, and tha
of his wife was recovered four day
later, one mile away, heavily coveret
with wreckage and ice. Banks o
hail stones three feet In thickness
. were found. Both Mr.. and Mrs Cum
were found with their clothing intac
but many bodies were recoveIed witt
their clothing torn off, so great wa
the fury of the hood.n
AS soon afte the disaster as il wa
: known that the four children wer
/. saved Messrs w. ID. Ellis of New Yorl
D city and Geo. w. Ellis of Philadel
phia both we'll known in this city sen
checks of $500 each for their benefit