The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-02

paf01tA h@r ears were QUICK 10 de-
tect the cminaas roar which accom-
panied the first breaking of the water
over the top Of the dam and 10 realize
its significance. Accusing her invalid
parents the girl urged their faltertng
etepa from the house and started TO
lead them along tho lane that skirted
the hillside. The little party had ira
veraed ice yards in safety when the
avalanche swept over them and whirl-
ed their bodies into the seething abyss
many feet below.
The body of the elder Baldwin was
recovered this afternoon half a mile
below. mangied by the twisted wreck
RSe of the Goodyear sawmili, an
which IL was enmeshed, Where the
remains of the brave little heroine and
her mother will he found is con1ec-
ture.
Evidence that many lives were
saved by another woman. Cora
Brooks who conducted a boarding
house for employees OF the pulp mill.
on the side just opposite the dam. is
met everywhere. Miss Brooks was
standing at window. Listen to her
story:
Woman Sees Dam Break
AS ! looked ! thought had gone
crazy. for surely that crack widened
and grew hIacker. Suddenly it split
anu Sbpt ItN INV al u li4 titltc '4f h'Si'''-
Before could gasp ! saw the con
crete give way. Water leaped three
feet over the top Of the dam. An
awful roar filled nay ears. ! ran
screaming through the house TO the
rear. where the workman, Harry
Davis. was engaged.
For Gods sake. Harry, the dam
is going out. ! screamed.
Harry was quick To act. He
b. 10 7
my hands and fascinated like, ! looked
down upon the hundreds Of men at
work in the mill yard. right below
the breaking wall.
Harry Davis got the attention of
the operator Miss Catherine Lyons.
] heard him shouting to her 10 ring
the FIRE alarm for her life. that the
dam was gone. She thought he was
joking. for ] heard him say, NO. | am
not crazy, do as | tell YOU.
Never Heard Alarm.
''Afterward / learned that this girl
had instantly passed the word to the
engineer of the Standard kindling
Wood Company, where the big whistle
that blows for fire alarms, is located
and that the engineer did give the
alarm. But ! never heard it.
Just as Harry came out. the dam
went out with q noise that will ring
in my ears until ] die. l saw 1t go.
One great section Of concrete shot out
many. many feet from the top of the
wall. Torrents of water dashed
through like some gigantic tea kettle
spout Then the whole wall went with
another noise like a battle and that
awful food followed. In less than
five en1inutes after three great jagged
saw teeth holes remaining of that
great dam wall of the hour before.
Il looked down the valley after
II, saw the houses tumbiiug and
crashing on In the torrent which was
UP to the roadway of either hillside.
completely filing the valley. / sa W
a part OF the pulp mill sweeping along
in the fierceiy rushing water on the
far side of the valley. where il had
whirlpooled across. | saw girl and
two men clinging to the roof Then
i became sick and could not watch
II any longer"
George Lisch. another eyewitness
told story that thrilled his listen
ers He was walking on the high
way opposite the dam when the
break came. Lisch looked down and
saw his own wife and son run from
their homes, the mother stopping to
aid the feeble steps of her baby boy.
And as the father watched the tidal
wave caught both and swept them
down into the abyss and they disap-
peared beneath the wreckage of a
house. The father WAS one hundred
yards away on the opposite side OF
the valley and saw them die
The rescue Of Miss Madge Nelson, |
Is years Old who had been wasked
away with her parents home on
Turner street, afforded an unusual
experience This girl was located
early this morning. almost eighteen
hours after the deluge had passed, |
and brought To shore alive.
Frederick Evans and William Git |
roy. business men, heard a woman
scream about o'clock. They finally
located her in the mill pond under
the debris o. the Goodyear sawmil. |
The girl was in her room sewing
when the food struck the house Her
parents were drowned. but she man
aged 10 reach an upper window. |
There she chung White the house was
battered and tossed about in the
Mood. and finally she became uncon- /
sGAous. To-day when she awoke she
was suffering from many bruises. and
found that site was buried In litter |
She fought her way inch by inch to
the top of the litteAs
-Four girls were Killed In one trap
as they sought TO escape from the |
pulp mill. They were folding paper |
bags when the food came and tried !
To climb the steep tillsides bur were
washed back. The quartet were Anna
Jackson, Flossie Initial. Ollie Baute |
and Jennie Slayw. One of the men.
Robert McCahe, grabbed for Anna
Jackson's hand just as the water
swept her under
Another startling story related to !
the rescue ~ Clara Dinendorfer and |
William Harvey. The two were tran |
ped in an upper floor or the pulp mill |
Harvey called 10 the girl to follow
him and grabbed a steel spike. |
He led the way 20 the attack. where
ne began to chop a hole through the |
brick wall. But after working for
ffteen minutes he gave up and de-
clared they must die.
Keep IL UP, ] see light" screamed
the girl, just as her would-be rescuer
collapsed Then, grasping the pick.
this mill girl chopped away the bricks,
dragged Harvey after her. and, lead
the wreekage and were espied by
: IRON r6fte garnet the string pfece TO 1
the min roof, They foat6d along in
the werckage and were espied by
Henry Hammond and JOHN Anderson.
who effected their rescue His Wife
was drowned in their home.
- Mrs, George Renicks wife of a
mile from her home. Her body was
clothed only In an overcoat belonging
TO her husband. Later her maid was
found alive, and said Mrs Ren:cks
was taking bath when the crash
came and only had time To don an
overcoat before the house was swept