Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-01
LIVES LOST IN TORRENT AND
FLAME IN NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA

the women and children. You see most
all the men were at work, and they
were at home alone. They had heard
! the warning sent out by the telephone
girl, at least some of the people say
the fire bell rang, and thought it was
a fire. Some of them rushed to the
| business section and We're caught i'll
the water, for that flood travelled like
race horse. Those not drowned were
crushed in the crumbling buildings. and
others were caught in the flames. 1t
was frightful / cannot begin to tell
| it all
Tossed About Like Playthings.
Little children playing in yards at
home were caught up by the water and
tossed about on the flood like play
things. Cattle and horses were swept
| Off and even the sidewalks We're torn
/ up. l never imagined there could be
such force. And over and above it all
We're the shrieks of the hundreds of
poor people who could not escape. l
don't know how any of us got away"
Thousand Buildings Destroyed.
1t is estimated tonight that a thousand
buildings have been torn from their foun-
dations and crushed in the flood or have
been destroyed by fire. The water made
it's way through the business section of
the town and left only four buildings
standing. The valley Of FreemanS run is
narrow, and the town was built along
it's banks. All the buildings in the lower
part of the valley were swept clear Of
their foundations by the torrent, and
many of those which remained quickly
fell a prey to the flames. There was no
one to attempt to stop the fire, and it
was allowed to burn itself out the sur
vivors of the flood standing idly on the
hillsides stunned beyond the power to act
A feeble effort was made in the lower
spent its force, to save property and
lives. but it was sporadic. The full force
of the catastrophe could be seen from
that point perhaps better than from any
other, and all efforts We're abandoned.
1t is reported that some lives were
the names Of the persons have not been
obtained.
Searching for the Missing.
The scene in the village tonight is
appalling. Here and there can be seen
the light of some, torch or lantern as
distracted father searches along the
banks Of the flood for some evidence
of his family and home Men who a
day ago were among the most level
headed in the community know not what
to do. There is no leader, and hundreds
are waiting for morning before they
will attempt to act. The few who are
trying to bring some order out of chaos
are Handicapped by the cries of the
/ bereaved and unfortunate. The extent
of the disaster will not be known for
hours.
Scenes Of Understandable sadness marked
| the village during the early hours of the
night. Many women who had lost their
children wandered in the darkness, crying
| their names in the vain hope they would
/ answer, while here and there worn and
| broken man stood at the ruins Of his
home da3ed, wondering when the bodies
of his family would be found But it
is the general belief some of them will
never be recovered. Many were burned
IN the fire, and others were ground to
! pieces by the masses of timbers and stone
swept down by the food
| The terrible force of the water is shown
bv the story OF man, who. standing
in the street tonight declared he mad