Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1904-11-10
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT All
WINSTON-SALEM.
of a Reservoir Over
WheIms Houses With Their
Sleeping Occupants. The
Scenes of Terror Wit
messed i'm the Early
Part of the
Morning.

lHSLON-Sal0m occurred at nV0
O'Clock this morning when the north
side OF the old city reservoir in North
Trade street collapsed, transforming
the street into a veritable river of
death, which bore nine persons to a
watery grave, caused the serious in
jury of eight others, and washed
away a number of small houses in it's
path.
Six tenement houses were more or
less damaged.
It was 5 o'clock this morning
when persons residing lei the old
reservoir heard a mighty crash, as of
falling walls. Rushing to the scene,
they found almost the whole of the
north side Of the reservoir collapsed,
utterly demolishing the barn and
doing some damage to the house of
Martin Peoples, both of which are
neal it, and emptying the contents
of the reservoir, about 800, 600 gal
Ions of water, into the street. It
was soon found that several persons
were engulfed in the flood, which
was carrying them on the way to
the railroad junction, a distance of
five hundred yards or more. The
alarm was given and by 6 o'clock a
large force was at work in the effort
to rescue the bodies. Several of the
bodies were carried to the edge Of
Belo's pond and a force of men was
at work all day in the effort to find
some vino were thought to have
been drowned therein.
The ringing Of fire bells awakened
the entire town and hundreds hur-
ried to the reservoir as quickly as
possible. Here they yer greeted
with a cen of agony and desolation.
Anxious relatives hurting to and fro
in the search for loved ones, the
heart rending cries of the desolate,
the utter rum of several houses in
the path of the flood, these are some
of the details Of the scene which
| greeted the eyes Of the on lockers.
! AS soon as the extent of the catas-
trophe was fully known undertakers
and others were summoned and the
work Of recovering the bodies of the
dead and preparing them for burial
was begun anu continued during the
| greater part of the morning.
Measures have been taken by the
city for the relief of the homeless and
suffering.
Although most of those who came
within the path of the river of death
were carried o watery grave, there
were some miraculous escapes. A
notable case was that of William
Adams and wife, colored, who wei
asleep at the time the reservoir
burst. Their house, which Is situated
northeast OF the reservoir, was
flooded and they were carried in
their bed to the railroad junction, a
distance of five hundred yards. Both
of them escaped without a bruise. A
white man who was III the street at
the time the collapse occurred es-
capped unhurt by climbing a fence,
after being carried a few feet by the
flood. A colored boy, who rushed
to the street upon hearing the crash
of falling walls had a hard race for
life, barely missing the flood in time
to escape unhult.
John Poe, janitor at the court
house, left his home and went to the
court house about 4 O'Clock this
morning, Hearing Of the disaster,
he fastened home, arriving on the
scene in time to see his wife and
daughter in the embrace Of death.
There were some scenes in con
nection with the affair horrible
enough 10 reld the heart of the mos
unimpressionable. Mrs. Martin
Peoples, whose house next to tht
, reservoir, was damaged, was pinned
+, under q Of brick and mortar
crying pltifully for release from ne
: fate, but death relieved her agonies
''Save ne, saw mel" cried a DO,
who was being carried onward b,
the flood; but he cried for relief tina
t could come only too late.
i People who live near the reservoi
: saw that thew thOuoht at fret tho
5 the shock felt in that n%eighborhoo
was due to an earthquake. One ma
49, 49, L. -L,--!- -. - -