The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-10-02

Austin, Pa, Oct. Dawn yesterday
revealed a gastly scene of death and de-
yastation as the result of Saturdays
terrific flood following the breaking of
the concrete dam of the Bayless Paper
company.
Torn to pieces by water and eaten
BY fire, the charred remnants OF Aus
tins buildings. are believed to hold the
remains of 300 or more persons. These
are strewn for miles down the valley.
The latest estimate of the loss of
life places the number between 300 and
400 The property loss will be upwards
of $6,O00,000.
The food did not spend its force UNI
til it raced for more than ten miles
from the reservoir. The little town Of
Wharton, down the valley from Aus
tin suffered somewhat, but is practical
ly intact.
The loss of life at Costello, where
residents had fair warning Of the APP
preaching mountain Of water, is be-
lieved to be but three. The property
loss at Costello however, is extensive,
at least fifty buildings being wrecked.
Hundreds of Visitors from the sur
rounding country yesterday climbed the
steep hills surrounding Austin and saw
the wreckage of some 400 houses, score
of business blocks, three churches and
several large lumber mills.
At the hospital yesterday there were
but six injured to be cared for by a
small army of physicians and nurses
who poured into the devastated town all
Saturday night and yesterday.
The state constabulary with four car
loads of food supplies reached Austin
about noon and Immediately assumed
charge Orders were issued to the rail
roads to bring no more sightseers, and
hundreds Of automobiles and carriages
carrying visitors were turned back.
During the night searching parties
with engine headlights, pine torches and
improyised lamps of every sort, poked
into piles of wreckage seeking any who
might be alive. Scarcely a body was
found in which life was not extinct.
The greatest loss of life was by fire
which occurred at sharp turn in VI
lery Just below Main street, where the
debris was caught and compressed with
terrific power The great pile of wreck
age caught fire from upset lamps and
stoves. 1t is believed scores of per-
sons were burned here under from ten
to twenty feet of debris and the task
of recovering them will be difficult.
Fires We're still burning briskly in
some portions of the wreekage late yes
terday afternoon, although the flames
had been under control for several hours.
The dam which gave way had 45 feet
Of impounded water at the breast. 1t
was built across from hill to hill, catch
ing the entire drainage of large creek,
called freeman river, the water Of the
dam backing for mile and half over
hundreds of acres. 1t was the power
source for the Bayess Pulp and Paper
company's big mill just at the edge Of
Austin.
A year ago last spring this dam gave
way in part and part OF the town was
inundated This so frightened the peo-
pie that agitation for the dams remov-
al was begun. The company finally got
permission to rebuild and the breast of
the dam was rebuilt of reinforced CON
crete. This gave way Saturday under
the tremendous pressure of water back
of it and is said to have toppled into
the ravine like a dislodged wall. The
anchorage at the end Of the concrete
gave way.
The coming of the water was accom-
panied by a roar like a dozen railway
trains, but its advance was ten times
quicker, so that before the people could
appreciate what caused the noise, the
seething flood was upon them
Many of the houses in the town were
frame buildings, built on piles and Of