The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-10-02
wreckage Of a Town.

collapse.
Wreckage of Town.
In the valley where few hours before
the town of Austin had nestled flames
and smoke were ascending from hundreds
of piles of wreckage projecting above the
water
The first glance showed the leaders of
the party that the reports of the disaster
had been minimized. 1t was impossible
to get coherent story from any OF
the survivors When asked question,
they would look up hopelessly and NUT
ter unintelligible words or shrek wildly
the names OF those they have lost.
"My God, il is awful" one woman
shrieked. Down there my three little
girls are drowned or may be burning.
Down there-there," she pointed to the
flames, shrieIed and tainted
Come down here" shouted man to
the Associated Press representative, who
had reached the scene after an arduous
ride by special train and automobile and
climb across the hills, down by the
fence. DO you see that pile over there Z
Well, counted $50 dead bodies within
80 feet Of that foundation before the
darkness came
After the avalanche of water had
passed down the valley it left the ground
visible nj many spots. The fire lit up
the scene an dwas reflected in hundreds
OF pools of black water along the main
streets.
But no one was then able to get down
into the ruins OF the town On the
outskirts were great heaps of wreckage,
the whole covered by dense clouds of
smoke pouring from the scores Of fires
about the site OF the city, The heat
from the fire was 50 intense that none Of
the rescuers, or even the frantic sur.
vivors on the hillside, dared venture even
TO the outskirts.
A little girl, three years old, who said
her name was Elsie Lamley, peered down
into the pyre "My papa is down there, y
she lisped. Gle was down town for
medicine for mamma when the water
coined"
yes, and her mamma is down there,
too" a bystander said. Elsie had been
on the hill looking for ehestnuts and
had escaped
81 can't find my way home now" Elsie
sighed A big man took Elsie in his
arms. "Wel find a new home for you,
little girl" he said, as he carried her
back from the moaning and weeping vic
Tins OF the food.
Separating the hill and the rear of the
residence section of the town was high
fence several hundred feet long, on the
top of which were three strands OF
barbed wire, One survivor, A. NJ Walk
er, said that more than a hundred peo-
Pile had lost their lives at this place
"The people rushed for the hill here
when they saw the water coming he
said, 'but the fence was too high and
the barbed wire netting made getting
over it almost impossible They were
simply caught in death trap"
Behind the fence, piled in a pocket
formed by the swelling waters, more
than thirty bodies could be seen.
One Man Saved Eight Children.
One man said he stood ON the fence
and pulled eight little children over it
into safety while maddened men and
women were .clawing at the children try
ing to thrust them aside and Chamber
over the barricade to safety
DIR. Ashcroft of Coudersport, one of the
rescue party, found the body of girl
baby about year old half buried in
the mud Thinking it dead, he lifted it
and carried it to the hillside to await
| Identification As he turned away. a fee
bic cry from the little one startled him,
and after hurried restorative measures
had been applied the baby was handed to
woman, apparently as well as before
it had been swept away from its home
by the food.
1t viii be several days before railroad
communication can be restored. The
track has been washed out for six miles,
the roadbed destroyed, and several
bridges over the creeks carried away.
Farmhouses Temporary Hospitals.
The Galeton hospital is located on the
west side of the hill. The school build.
ing also is near by These buildings.
with parts of three stores, are the only
ones standing. The hospital and school
were filled with injured victims. while
farmhouses for miles around were con
verified into temporary hospitals.
The paper mills employed great
number of girls. In the momentary
warning given the mill hands, scores
of girls leaped from windows and es-
capped
When the first on-rush of the flood
came, it lifted the roof off the great
mill and swept it high upon the hillside.
Almost at the same moment fire seemed
to burst out in dozen places in the
great structure.
Rescuers, who forced their way into
the still burning wreckage, carried out
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