Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-10-05
HUNDREDS DROWN
WHEN DAM BURSTS
TOWN LOCATED IN VALLEY BE-
TWEEN TWO HIGH HILLS AT
MERCY OF FLOOD.
Great Wall of Water Which Swept
Everything In Front of II Fol-
lowed by Fire Which Roasted
Victims Pinned Underneath
Wreckage.

Auollus L ds-4Ntalig wv hObS W.
men and children. more than a fourth
of the total population. were drowned
and countless numbers were injured
when the mammoth dam OF the
Bayless Pulp and Paper company
burst with roar surprising that OF
Niagara and poured its more than
half a million gallons of water down
upon this town late Saturday after.
noon.
Located in valley between two
high hills that extend east and west
for miles, Austin was at the mercy OF
the flood, which swept nearly all OF
the buildings away. piling them up
at the mouth OF a narrow gully east
of town.
There, as elsewhere in Austin, fire
quickly added its terror, roasting
alive the victims who remained in the
debris.
In the valley below Austin are the
villages OF Costello and Wharton
After laying the larger towns in
ruins the food swept on to them
Caught in the NAV of the rushing
waters they. too. succumbed. but,
warned by a modern Paul Revere,
who dashed ahead OF the flood over
rocky roads in a motor car. the in.
habitants had time to escape.
Blame for the disaster is being
placed upon the Bayless Pulp and
Paper company, which owned the
dam. The dam, stretching from mill
TO hill and imprisoning Freeman
run just before 1t reaches Sinnima
honing creek, was $50 feet long and
90 feet high. IL was completed on
Thanksgiving day, 1909. In exactly
two months it began to leak and the
Inhabitants of Austin. fearing such
flood as swept away the town Sat
urday, fed to the hills. Repairs
were made to the dam at that time,
but defects in tn construction which
made. possible the disaster were not
remedied.
The first alarm Of the dam break.
ing was given by a Bell telephone
lineman who saw the advance OF the
water from the top of a pole. He
tore open long distance wire and
notified Galeton with his test set
and then fed to the hills, barely es.
Gaping with his life.
Nearly all the men were at work
at work and the women and chill
dren were at home alone. They had
heard the warning sent out by the
telephone girl, at least some of the
people say the fire bell rang, and
they thought 1t was a fire.
Some of them dashed to the bust
ness section and were caught in the
water. Those not drowned were
crushed in the crumbling buildings
and others were caught in the flames.
Little children playing In yards at
home were caught up by the water
and tossed about on the food like
playthings. Cattle and horses were
swept off and even the sidewalks
were torn up. And over and above
1t all were the shrieks of the hun
dreds of people who could not es-
cape.
1t Is estimated that of the 675
houses in the village 500 have been
swept away. Nearly all were dwell
ings.
Property loss will exceed $4,000, 900.
and 1t is the general opinion that
the town never will be rebuilt. Two
OF the large plants will no. be room
structed and majority of the bust
ness men of the place nave been
ruined financially.
The cause of the break in the
mill dam is a matter which the dis
trict attorney Of the county will in
vestigate. The Bayless dam was ex-
amined by experts more than a year
ago, and recommendations were made
looking to its safety. The district al.
torney has secured the names of OK
perts who submitted thu report. and
Will summon them to testify at an
inquest to begin this week.
The town Of Austin was built in
the Ennimahonnin1 valley. In the
last census the enumeratsrs gave its
population as 2,s1e. More than SO
per cent Of these wero native born
A fair percentage had been drawn to
the settlement by the work in the
Bayless Pulp and Paper mill
Curry and Baca Nominated.