Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-01-25
GREAT FLOOD OVER

came along 4 O'Clock Sunday
morning The Sam Brown was
run out into the river and brought
the barge and men safely to shore
Thankful men they were. One OF
the men was Joe Cutler, a cousin
of Water Superintendent G. ..
Cutler and who lived here and
worked as an engineer on the ferry
boat Orion for sometime. he left
here sometime ago and at the time
of the accident was working as an
engineer on the steamer Lizzie
Townsend, at Wheeling, the boat
that Is run as transfer boat al
Wheeling for the Pennsylvania
railroad to transfer freight from the
Ohio to the West Virginia shore
This boat caught fire Sunday
night with no one on her but Mr..
Cutler and a helper. They first
did their best to put out the fire
and after they found out they could
not extinguish the fire they were
cut off by the fines from getting
ashore. A barge was tied along
the Townsend and the two men
jumped into 1t, cut the lines that
held her fast to the steamboat and
started down the river. The bu a
Ing steamboat burnt the lines In two
that held her too the shore and she
came along down the river about
200 yard behind the two men who
were on the barges 1t was great
sight to witness the burning OF the
steamboat In the middle Of the
river but the men got a little tired
| of viewing the sight before they
cot down here. The men had a
fire on the barge and did not suffer
very much but they were truly
thankful when they were saved.
The burning hull of the Townsend
went on down the river and the
boat Is a total wreck. She was a
Gne transfer boat and cost good
deal of money.
Castaways interviewed.
The two men who are mentioned
above and who were taken of OF
the barge, were In the city this
morning and tell US the story OF
the accident.
Their names are Joseph Cutler
and Charles Reynolds, the latter Is
mere boy, being only 19 years old.
Their boat, the Lizzie Townsend,
with FIVE barges, was lying at the
foot of Wheeling Island just below
the State Fair grand stand The
Captain of the boat had gone on
! shore, taking with him the yawl
that belonged to the boat and the
only vessel on the boat. After the
Captain had been gone some
little time Cutler rem rked he
"smelt something burning" He and
Reynolds were In the engine room
at the time. They got up, opened
the engine room door and found
the boat a mass of flames. Tney
gathered up torch and a lantern
and jumped into barge, cut her
loose and started to floating down
the river. Two of the other barses
took fire and followed them down
the river about q of a mile behind
them. They were nine hours float
iug down here aud suffered intense
ly from the bitter cold. The barge
never hit the bank or ANYTHING else
on Its trip down. They say 1t was
an old barge, very trail and had 1t
struck anything very hard would
have gone to pIeces. They were
not discovered on the Sam Brown
until they had passed her. Cap
tain Lou Blair, of the Brown,
as soon as he saw the men, united
his boat and started after them but
did moi get to them until the barge
was down opposite New Matamoras.
They were taken of the barge, and
the barge went on down the river.
Coming up six shots were fired at
the Brown by parties living In
Cochrausville.
Captain Blair gave the men every
attention, took good care of them
and the rescued men cannot say
enough good things about the Cap
toin for his kindness. The men
say they yelled as loud as they
could at every town they passed
but no one seemed to pay any at
tention to them anywhere until
II oI1k-w~11la