The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1911-10-06

the dam, and his house, being ON the
hillside, he was in safety, but all the
members of his family were not at
home when the dam broke He was
first To give details of the catastrophe
to the Associated Press
An Engineers Story.
1T was wonderful sight" said
Harry Davis, Buffalo and Susuue-
hanna locomotive engineer who was
in the little knot of persons near the
dam. There was nothing to Indicate
that the dam was about To give away
and someone had just remarked about
its strength, when, with II sharp re-
port Il hole appeared in the west end.
In moment water poured through
and it was Immediately seen that the
hole was getting larger. In minute
it was twenty feet wide and extended
almost the entire height or the dam
Then there was another report and
| 1t seemed as If the whole structure
was giving away
"With a cry of alarm | fed to the
| tered in every direction It was ap-
parent that all the great body of wa
ter behind the dam was going out
| Some were caught, and before | could
tell what was happening the water
was tearing down Freeman run,
wall fifty feet high, and sweeping ev-
erything before It,
THE sound was deafening. But |
had little time for that There was "A
house close by and | rushed to the
| telephone and called the operator in
Austin. She did not have much time
| to telephone the alarm, but | think
| she did her best. | guess she Is dead
| haven't heard anything about her
since.
Fire then broke out Timbers and
sides of houses We're piled up against
| the sides of the railroad roundhouse
and they We're soon in flames. !
know there were men in the shops,
| how many | cannot say, but there
was no way to help them. They were
probably burned. | have not seen any
of them since.
Women's Cries PitifuI.
II do not know how the fire started,
! but it seemed as though it began in
| score of places at once. The postof-
flee escaped, but nearby was a store
and there the flames appeared first.
Then | looked for the Bank of Austin,
but it was gone, swept away, | guess,
| because | did not see it burning.
The worst of all We're the cries of
| the women and children. You see,
most all the men We're at work and
| they were at home alone They had
heard the warning sent out by the
telephone girl, but they also heard
the fire bell ring, and many thought
it was a fire.
| Some of them rushed to the bust
ness section and were caught in the
water, for that flood travelled like
race horse Those not drowned We're
crushed in the Crumbling buildings
and others were caught in the flames.
1t was frightful | cannot begin to
tell it at all
Little children playing in yards at
home We're caught up by the water
and tossed about on the flood like
playthings. Cattle and horses were
swept Off, and even sidewalks were
torn up. ! never imagined there could
be so much force. And over and a
bove all We're the shrieks of the hun
dredS of poor people who could not
escape. | don't know how many of
us got away"
Big Floods in History.
! nort 100 OOO ADri1 II 1901
Holland Cdike breaks), 100000, 1880.
Catalonia, 10000, 1917.
iceland and Hamburg, 1900, 1717.
Navarro, 1000, September, 1887.
Lorca, Spain (reservoir), 1000,
April IA, 1902.
Dantzig, 1,2OO, April Q, 1929.
New Orleans, 1000 (sWept away,
May -, 1S49.
Sheffield, $50 March II, 1864.
Mill River valley northampton,
Mass), 144, May 16, 1874
| SZegedin, Hungary, ILL., March II,
1879.
Marcia, Spain, 1000, October IS,
1879
Near Worms, 60, January, 1888.
Ontario, 50, June 81, 1883.
Ohio and Pennsylvania, Is lost, 5000
homeless, February I, 1884.
Galicia, 20 lost, June %, 1884.
| Montreal, no record of life lost;
loss in money, $2,500,OOO, April II,
1856
Canton river, 1900, May s, 1888
Johnstown Inundation, 2,22S identi-
fled dead; probable loss, $500, various
estimates up to 5000, May 81, 1889.
LimouX, France, 20, October %,
| 1891
Mississippi river, St. Louis, $50, May
%, 1892.
Galveston, Tex, 5000, in 1900.