The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-04-17
REMARKABLE FLOOD NEWS
River Beats Telegraph, and a New
Invention Asserts Wreckage.


When the waters of the old Ohio
began to rise yesterday, James Brad
ley, owner of the steamboat Sal Eras-
tus, found his craft caught in great
ice foe. He made a desperate effort
to reach a wharf but could make no
Roadway against the rush of water
The huge cakes of ice battered
the boat and there was grave danger
that the Sal Erastus would be car
ried to the bottom and the crew lost.
Capt. Bradley was carrying a car
go of salt to Wheeling, and when the
situation was most critical, his engi-
neer suggested a bold means of es-
cape. The name of the engineer was
Fred Warren and he is a graduate
of a scientific school, which account
ed for the originality of his suggest
ion
Aided by the captain and the
crew, Engineer Warren hauled sew
eral bushels of salt to the deck. The
salt was then thrown on the ice,
which was. tightly packed around the
bow. In a few minutes the ice began
to melt and jets of steam hurried
the process of disintegration.
AS fast as the way was cleared the
steamboat pushed ahead, and after
several hours work the Sal Erastus
had reached sheltered cove.
For the first time in history a
practical demonstration has been had
of Brought's Patent Flood Sitter,
unique invention devise to collect
mass of material that passes down
river with high water.
1t is a very complicated device
and very costly, but it has been
shown to be both practical and pro-
fitable
Without going into technical ex-
PLANTATION it may be said that the
flood sitter consists of an immense
boX-like arrangement, which is sus
pended over stream. There are
numerous compartments into which
the debris floats, and after sorting
is carefully packed away.
For instance, there is one COM
partment which assemblies all the
| calves and chickens, another picks
up the logs and chains them togeth-
| er, another which takes floating
houses and stables and breaks them
| up into kindling wood.
The inventor hopes to make a few
alterations and have his machine col
| lect the floating slabs of ice and
store them away in an icehouse He
| does not believe it will be possible
! to collect the soil that is washed
down and assemble it into real esT
| tate tracts.
| When an ice jam formed yesterday
at Mooredale and the water backed
up, the prosperous village of Brush
town was threatened with inunda-
! ton. Many families had begun the
work of carrying out mattresses and
| family bibles, and CONSERVATION
reigned.
In the midst of the excitement one
man remained cool. He, was William
Mattison.. the telegraph operator in
the signal tower From his lofty posi-
ton he saw the flood growing higher
and higher.
ooh, dear me, he exclaimed "the
| helpless women and innocent child
rem will perish Who win loosen the
! jam?"
Picking up an ak, the coura geous
telegraph operator rushed down to
the mass of ice piled almost mount
ain high. While the crowd on the
banks stood breathless, or as nearly
bltdlH4tSS Dis was COu Ftlltnlp vi
Mattison attacked the ice.
He made slow progress. but ulti-
mately the jam began loosening TIC
those on the bank it looked like Ger
tain death, for the brave man ap.
parently stood no change of getting
away when the ice broke.
Finally the cakes of ice gave way
with a roar and the mass went dowI
stream with rush. At the right mo-
ment heroic Madison dived to tht
bottom of the stream and calmly
waited two hours until the food hat
passed over him.
Speaking of the force of tn,
flood" remarked Joe Steiner today
II want to remark that never befor'
in the history of the Lackawann;
river did the waters run so fast. 1t i
an actual fact that every fish ha
been swept out of the head waters
and they'll never get back unles
some person takes pity on them ant
carries them back to their desolate'
homes.
Whole families of catfish have beel