The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-03-11
.HAMBLENS WERr
HEROES
THREE BROTHERS SAVE ,,
OF TH'RTY-E'eHr PERSONS
At coLFAx.
IN a small Boat Trio Navigate, =.
rent Rescuins lmperiIed Re.;d....
Worst Flood in History Of E,.....
Washington.

Colfax, March 5.-All Colfax 49,.
dents are working hard to clear ~
city and rebuilding will commono
once. The channel of the south -,
OF the Palouse river through tho -.
will be widened. The river overeou,
it's banks Monday and this wac g,
lowed Tuesday by the greatest eoo,
on record in Eastern Washington Tho
water is receding rapidly, though r.;1
is falling tonight. All the bomo,al
are fed and housed tonight. the nun,
Der totalling 400. ''
Hamblen brothers, by aid of a hoo.
saved thirty-eight lives. Three hrotS 49,
ers, Tip, Ernest and George, altar
mated in rescue work, two WORKING :.
the boat and one resting. Whom tha
water first swept over the Russi.n
settlement, cries for help arose Tho
Hamblens, with the only boat in th,s
district, were first to the rescue
Five box cars were on the O. g.
N. siding near the river bank. These
were made home for refugees Tues.
day and Wednesday nights.
The Hamblens first rescued tboir
mother from their own home which
was being flooded. All the contents
were later destroyed. The next rescuo
was of a brother Lewis, his wife five
children and their father, Thomas
Hamblen.
The boat was then taken into North
Colfax, near the o. R. & N. depot res.
cuing Mrs. Ed Davis and her two chill.
dren. One child was suffering from
scarlet fever, the home being quaran.
tined. They saved John Cannutt and
his mother. Mrs. Sallie Cannutt, aged
"a; Mrs. Angelina Tetherow and Hi.
ram Conn and wife.
The Hamblens received a message
that the Inland section men were
drowning near the fair grounds, hav.
ing been penned in by floods since
Monday. They found George Schmick,
Philip Wilhelm and Dennis Cochran
clinging to the electric line track.
John Gerlitz was found half a mile
farther down the track, clinging to
the rails, the track having foated
away from the roadbed. The men were
nearly chilled and starved to death,
having emptied their dinner pals Mon.
day night.
Early Wednesday the life-saving
boat did good rescue work around its
own home. John Ropp and wife and
three children, the eldest being 4
years, were taken to the box cars with
the Hamblen family, also Mrs. Pete
Green and two children.
Rescue from Floating Home.
During Tuesday night A. D. Arnold
and wife and three children, the Oldest
being years old, were heard scream
ing for help from their home. The
river being so swift near the home the
Hamblens were unable to reach the
spot until Wednesday. The home had
floated several hundred feet during
the night, lodging against the Hunting
house. The family entered the Hunt
ing home through the second story
window.
The Hamblens are given great cred
it for their heroic efforts, several cl'l'
zens having given them sums OF mon'
ey as token of appreciation.
Mrs. Mary F. White, the Oldest Wnl'e
woman pioneer of Whitman county,
mother of Mrs. A. Paulsen, wife OF tne
Spokane millionaire, and her dausn'
ter, Mrs. John Richardson, were reS.
cued from the second-story wlndo" VI
their home on West street.
John Fitzpatrick and Bob BURNER
used life-saving boat near the y. Nv
& N. depot and rescued Miss Milo
Brown and her aged mother. "nen
their home was reached they "ei0
found on top of a table in water ~
their waists. The mother was nfs'
rescued, being taken into the seconu
story window of Mrs. Tom Sullivan
house, the Water being seven feet oesp
in their home on the first floor lns
rescuers returned for Miss Brown ana
after rescuing her she fell from lno
boat near Sullivan's barn. she wa
again rescued by Fitzpatrick an'
dragged to the hay loft OF the paw .ar
where the three were forced 10 s'ad
until morning. Miss Brown sua0, 80
from nervous prostration. The Doa so
were loaned to several families WIN IN
were moved to places of safety y
North Calfox and along the o. H. .., :,
tracks near the Russian town se'',, ,
ment. Homes that were sweep a" .ae
in Russiantown were those OF 49, Ia
Apple. John Gerlitz, Philip Gerlitz an .a
Mrs. Rose Burke. Many homes s .:ao
shifted around from their founoa'''
and undermined by the foc"a.
Great Canadian Theater Co"D" :,
e. Tohna NJ r March San dn' !.