Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-10-02
IN WAKE OF FLOOD;
INCIDENTS OF DISASTER AT AUSTIN

fore their startled senses could realize
the meaning Of it all.
The greatest loss Of life by flre oc-
CURED at sharp turn OF the valley
below Main street where the debris
was caught and compressed with ter
rthc power by the circlins sweep OF
the flood The wreckaEe OF the busiest
portion OF the town was carried to that
point and from upset stoves and lamps
caught fire. 1t is believed that scores
OF persons are buried under from ten
to twenty feet Of wreckage there and
the task Of recovering them will be
a difficult one.
Searched Thru Storm.
/ In a drizzling rain, which changed
to beating storm, hundreds of vol
unteers carried on the work Of res
cue. while many. hysterical from the
fate that had overcome friends and rel
atives, viewed the muddy corpses, anx-
ious and fearful to know If any among
them were loved ones. Fires still were
| burning briskly in some portions Of
the wreckage Sunday afternoon. altho
they had been under control several
| hours.
Five Hundred Men Working.
in the ruins late Sunday afternoon.
Heavy logging ropes were tied about
the bigger pieces Of wreckage, and
with 200 or 500 men Juggling, the ruins
| were forced apart, often to fall again
into the Iangle and make the work all
the more difficult.
The dam of debris which formed at
Austin saved the western part Of Cos
1ello. 1t stayed the onrush Of the cur
rent sufficiently for the alarm to
spread down the valley and the resi-
dents Of Costello had time to flee to
the hills. The eastern side of the vii
lase. however was destroyed entirely.
rendering about 450 people homeless.
1t is believed that only three lives We're
lost and of these only one body, that of
an unidentified woman. had been re-
covered at late hour yesterday after
noon.
The work of clearing up the debris
is under the direction OF Senator A. T.
Baldwin. who lost his father, mother,
wife and home in the flood. and him
self was painfully hurt in escaping
from the disaster. Prothonatory T. J.
Wandell also is leading in the work.
During the nigh, the food supplies
were scarce and the rescuers, many Of
whom were unused to such heavy
work, toiled without SO much as asking
for anything ITO eat. Several Of them
collapsed yesterday and had to be
given medical attention.
Governor Dix .telephoned from Al
5any Sunday morning that the state
OF Ne" York was prepared to send
anything the sufferers might need as
soon as Pennsylvania would signify
what would be acceptable.
Have Many Helpers.
There was no lack of willing hands.
Country women from miles around
drove to the scene, and between COM
fortlng the Austin, women who had lost
husbands and children and getting
luncheons for the survivors, were busy
all day and into the night Meanwhile
men fought their way thru woods and
brush for mile or more to get pure
water and coffee and farmers drove
in with large supplies of fresh milk
In order 20 be fed one had to be
vouched for as a resident of the flood
stricken town or q commissioned food
worker. Guards wera placed at the door
Of an old wooden building which stood
outside the path Of the flood where the
workers and survivors were fed, and
sax that the rule was enforced.
Later in the day, after the supply
trains had arrived. three leaves of
bread, TWO cans Of tomatoes and
two pound can Of roast eef were is
sued as 4 days ration TO the head of
each surviving household.
Two -norgues were established dur
ing the afternoon. One is in the high
school building and is for the recep-
ton of ali bodies taken from the east
side of the valley. The other is in the
odd Fellows building for the bodies
taken from the w-eckage on the west
side Of the town.
Night Workers Sleeping.
One OF the most pathetic in the long
list Of tragedies is the case Of James
Leeman, night worker who was
asleep a. his home and did not hear
the alarm. When the rush OF water
swallowed UP mis- home ne was tossed
out upon q pile OF floating debris and
eventually iioated TO 8 landing. mile
and G half below the village. Wound
ed and bruised he returned only 10
find that his wife and four children had
persisted. Leen!an went violently in
SINE.
w D. Robertson. night Waterman at
the Bayless mills was asleep in the
third story Of the Starkweather build
ing when aroused By the roar of the
food He stepped out on balcony
commanding 9 view OF the onrushing
waters
Houses were tossed about like
coTks.' he SAID Il was transfxed with
horror and unable to make a move to
save myself. The entire building lurch-
ed forward and then collapsed. I fell
two stories with the building and found
myself protected by a bridge which
had formed BY weGged timbers. made
good my escape and / am mighty glad
to be mere to tell about it. have three
little Riddles in Erie. Thank God they
were not here"
Robertson vas injured badly.
Frank Robinson a one armed steno-
grapher. also was on the third story Of
the Starkweather building. The first
he knew of the flood was when the
floor gave way beneath him and the
whole building fairly lurched across
the street He was hurled thru a win
cow and landed on top Of some debris
on which he loated to safety.
Thomas Lawler. a bartender at the
Commercial hotel, says he owes his life
to an attempt to save his baby daugh-
ter. He told his story today as he lay
on cot at the hospital with both legs
broken.
Il was upstairs in my home on Rail-
1910