Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1907-04-04

EXTRACTS from Letter Of ReU.
UpfoE b. Thomas.
NEW MARr1xsvrrLR. W. Va,
March 19. 1907.

NEW MARTINsvIELR. w. Va.
March 19. 1907.
DEAR MoTHER -
hope that you will not have been
anxious for our safety during the
last few days when the food was at
its worst. I wroteyou a short note
this morning and IL can keep
awake long enough. I shall write q
fuller account this afternoon.
Time has almost been eliminated
from my mind. for no one in food
hAs nng regard for time except %
msasnre tie rise and I'll d tie wa-
ter.
ID started to rain Wednesday and
rained in torrents all that day and
night. and all Thursday and Thurs
day night. Think that everyone was
expectinga Q fiood OF some magnitude,
but no one had expected anything
like the stage of water that we had.
The river rose steadily at the rate
of three or four inches an hour. On
Thursday morning I concluded that
it might be better for me to move my
furniture mp stairs.
Very fortunately for me a Mr..
Lewis. Of Smithfield, was over and
could not get back, so he came TO
therectory and stayed with US until
this morning. don't know what
on earth I would have done with
out him. We moved oil the tighter
things upstairs. The heavier pieces
like the piano and sideboard we
propped up on boxes and other
things. The piano / raised three
feet from the floor so as to make GER
tain ID would be safe. Friday morn
ing. Lewis and / got up and cooked
breakfast snd by the time we start
ed TO eat, the water started TO run
in the house. It was but q very
short time before there was toe
much on the floor to do much work
in. All day Friday, the water rose
steadily about three or two and q
half inches an hour. OF course, /
knew that there was practically nc
danger as far as we were concerned.
But with water foot deep all. over
the down stairs and steadily rising,
it was by no means the most pleas.
ant experience | have had. Il was
most fortunate that Lewis was here,
for / could not have done everything
by myself. Friday night about
O'Clock, the water was within ten
inches OF my piano, which was living
on it's back, supported on boxes,
and water was still rising some two
inches an hour.
went to bed about 10 O'Clock,
with the water within 2 inches oI
the piano. So, | resigned myself to
the inevitable and made up my mind
that we had piano ruined. l got
up two or three times during the
night and went down to take sound.
ings and at IL or 2, l saw the piano
was partly submerged. wen,
down again at 6 and found that the
water was at stand, registered 3 f.
u inches in the hall. 1t then began
TO recede slowly-about 2 inches an
hour-and later about 3.
In the afternoon we brought q
boat in at the hall window and went
TO look at the piano, and found to
my delight that it was practically
unhurt, with the exception of the
case, which had been about inches
under water, but the working parts
of the instrument escaped.
We were extremely fortunate with
the church. for our members went
in and took the psws. organ and
carpet aud piled them high in the
chancel and they were not damaged
at all though every other church
lost heavily.
The water fell steadily all day and
at 2 or 3 o'clock at night, Lewis and
one Of the members of the choir wen,
down stairs, with the water about G
inches deep. and stirred up the mud
so that It wonld flow out with the
current.
You cannot conceive of the terri.
ble appearance Of the house when
they started on it. The mud had
settled on the floors about an inch
deep. We worked for two hours un.
til the water had fallen below the
level of the porch and we had things
in pretty good shape. But, we had
to work all day long Sunday to gel
the house clean Of mud, and we did
not finish until yesterday at noon.
Now. except for the damage to the
paper YOU would never know thai
the water mad been In the house.
As the church il on q higher leveI
than the reciory, the people cleaned
it first. and lit all the lights and
spread it open % dry out. ! fell
very justly proud of them when
saw what beautiful condition the
church had been left in particularly