Willmar tribune., 1903-06-03
fortunate ones. It IS impossible te
force boats through the current.
=. Need Steam Launches.

fortunate ones. It IS impossible to
force boats through the current.
s@. Need Steam launches.
It is now recognized that rowboats
will be of no use in battling with the
| currents. Steam launches must be Sc
cured at once. To this end rush mes
sage has just been sent to NJ. o. Gay,
agent of the Rock Island at St. Joseph,
by G. w. Jones, division superintend-
ent, as follows: Topeka wants three
to six steam launches and IL or 18 clink-
er-built rowboats, with men to handle,
sent here by special train at once, to
rescue people in North Topeka" The
! agent is ordered to load the train at
once, secure a clear track and proceed
to Topeka. The train will feel it's way
as far as possible on the submerged
tracks, and then the boats will be
launched. The men are given instruc-
tions to row to the people in the houses,
and then take them to land or to steam
launches.
Heroic Rescuers.
E. L. Bailey and E. M. Alexander per-
formed some of the most heroic work
Of the night. In the darkness about
three o'clock Sunday morning, at the
greatest risk of their own lives, they
succeeded in reaching one of the burn
ing lumber yards and rescued dozen
women and children. One man whim-
peringly tried to force himself into
the already overloaded boat to the
danger line, but was sternly pushed
back by the rescuers. On the way to
the south shore one of the women
tainted from fatigue and fright, and
this all but swamped the boat. The
men made superhuman efforts, and
finally reached the pontoon bridge
with their precious cargo. Here will
ing hands seized them and carried them
over the Nolan bridge to safety.
This is onl y one of hundred of
thrilling tales of rescues attempted
and made. The most prominent men
of the town donned oilskins and,
emerged in water up to their breasts,
worked for hours in the cold water
rescuing Russians, negroes, rich mill
.ers and their employees, men of high
and low state. In some isolated in
stances men showed the white feather.
In nearly every case, however, by their
actions they showed the material of
which true American manhood is
made. Men, women and children were
given tho precedence in the work of
rescue.
Preachers Experience.
Rev. A. N. Pearson. pastor of the
North Topeka English church. Mr..
Pearson said: 1--WE spent three days
on the top of our house. We were
fairly warmly dressed. but had only
two loaves of bread for our family
of four during that time. All day
Saturday and to-day we had nothing
to eat. Our situation was desperate
and extremely uncomfortab BILE, but we
at no time lost faith in the ultimate
liability of our friends to rescue us.
Yesterday my wife and children were
rescued; to-day my turn came and I
cannot begin to tell how thankful
ann
w. H. Keppard and wife. two aged
people, were rescued. They were so
numb that they could not feel and
had to be knocked down into the
water before the men could reach
them. They were standing close to,
gcther in the attic of house and 50
revere had been their experience that
their minds gave way under the
strain. They cannot recover.
Her Fight Was i'm Vain.
Mrs. Anderson and her year old
baby has been for three days in
tree in plain sight of the people who
were powerless to rescue them. The
mother clasped her child close in her
arms and managed to brace herself
against tree in a reasonably secure
position. For three days she kept up
the battle for life. At four o'clock
her rescue was very near. but she
lost consciousness. Both mother and
child fell into ~ feet of water and
were drowned.
Harvey Parsons, local newspaper
man, had thrilling experience. He
took boat Friday night and made
his way to a house in the hope of
making some rescues. A woman and
her baby, names unknown, were in
the house and Parsons took them
into his boat. They had proceeded
only short distance when the boat
|capsized. Parsons contrived to get
himself and the others up into tree
and there they remained until three
O'Clock Sunday afternoon. When
rescued their hold on the tree had
been very uncertain, but both hands
they used in holding to the tree,
while with their feet in the baby's
ldress to keep the little one from fall
ing. They we're rescued and brought
to place of safety. but will prob
ably not survive.
; IN THE KAW VALLEY.