River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-10-05
300 DEAD In PENNSYLVANIA FLOODS

race horse. Those not drowned were
crushed by the crumbling buildings
and others We're caught in the flames.
Little children playing in the yaHf
at home were caught up by the watel
and tossed about on the flood like
playthings. Cattle and horses were
swept off, and even the sidewalks
were torn up. And over and above
it all were the shrieks of the hundreds
of poor people who could not escape
Only Four Buildings Left.
One thousand buildings were torH
| from their foundations and crushed In
the food or destroyed by fire. This
water made it's way through the bust
ness section of the town, and left only
four buildings standing.
Food Supply Soon Exhausted.
Until help comes from the outside.
little can be done to ascertain the loss
or succor the injured. Those so for.
tunate as to live above the line of the
flood were called to help the surviv-
ers from the valley and the food sup
ply was soon exhausted, as every gro.
: Gerry store with the exception of one
small establishment, was swept away.
| Many went without their evening
meal, and unless help comes they will
have no breakfast today.
| Among the principal places de-
stroyed was the plant of the Emporium
Lumber Company, not vestige of it
being left. A part of the plant of the
Bayless Pulp and Paper Company,
whose dam gave way, also disappear
ed under the raging waters, and the
Commercial hotel and Davis house
went down before the rush. The
| White house, another hotel, was burn
ed, and it is believed that a number
of persons persisted with the building.
| One of the spots where the force
of the flood was felt most severely
was at the junction of Freeman Run
| with another small stream in the mid
die of the business section. The pri!
mary election was n progress in the
building not far away and many men
were in the vicinity. They did not
| heed the warning shout and all OF
| them are believed to have been car
| ried away. Not trace OF the build
| ing in which the election was being
held could be seen.
Man in Auto Gives Warning.
At Costello, which was practically
destroyed by the raging water, the
| people were warned by a young man
who sped through the valley in an au-
! tomobile shouting to the people to
! take to the hills. His course was over
a rock road through the narrow val
| ley, but he maintained a lead over the
rushing water and arrived at the little
hamlet in time to spread the news be-
| fore the flood arrived.
The first alarm of the dam breaking
was given by a Bell telephone line
man, who saw the advance of the Wa
ter 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 escaping with his
life.
The dam that broke wa3 about half
a mile above the town. T. was 500
feet long and so feet high q backed
the water for more than mile. The
dam was constructed of concrete ma
sorry. Only year ago it threatened
to give way, but the damage was re-
paired in time to prevent a catastao~
phe.
Heavy Rains Swell Stream.
Heavy rains in the hills that sur.
rounded the town, had been falling
for the "a hours. Violent freshets in
small brooks that feed the Sinnama-
honing caused sudden, swift rise of
that stream. The new masonry gave
way with a terrible roar as great
volume of water rushed into the main
stream from it's little tributaries. The
thunder of the crash came so swiftly
| that the people in the peaceful vii
| lage below, walled in by high hills, had
no warning of their impending doom.
The deluge hit with full force every
building Immediately in it's track and
either carried them down or wrecked
them before their occupants were
aware of what had happened. In
scores of instances people were drown
ed in their homes without knowing
what had caused the flood.
A sudden stop has been put to all
traffic within wide area of the strick-
en- section. Railroads have discontin-
ued their trains and help is being rush
ed over water swollen roads in au-
tomobiles, wagons and other hurriedly
contrived conveniences. Coudersport,
the nearest town of any size, has
started every ab1e-bodied man to the
assistance of the village. Scores of
bodies have been rescued and are now
being hurried to Coudersport.
The dam was completed in Novem-
Der, 1909, by the paper company at a
cost of 100000. The company's plant,
of which the dam was part is esti-
mated to be worth $1,000,000.
The Johnstown flood, which is re-
! called by the Austin, Pa, disaster, oc.
| Cured on the afternoon of May 81
1889, and 2,142 lives were lost and
property was damaged to the extent
of more than $9,500,000.
FALL KILLS A NEWSPAPER MAN.