The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-02
OES0[AT|0N
MARKS SCENE
The Work of Burying the
Recovered Dead Was Be-
gun Today

gun Today
Austin, Pa. Oct. with the ar
rival Of carload of coffins here this
morning the grimness of the tragedy
which has practically obliterated this
town. was impressed upon the sur
vivors and the considerable number of
workers who today began anew their
efforts to mine deeply into the hard
hills of the debris. Twenty victims.
including two at Costello, had been
placed in the temporary morgue at
Odd Fellows hall, one Of the few
buildings standing on the ruined dis
trict Plans for the funerals were be.
ing made today.
The most essential matter now aside
], from the persistent work of clearing
away the more accessible ruins. is the
completion Of a census Of the living
Austinians. If the death list aggre-
gates anything like the enormous
number some have estimated, the
health officials realize that conditions
demanding prompt attention will arise
within a few days in the ruins. There
is possibility that $50 deaths will
be the total.
There is little hope that any of the
bodies remaining in the wreckage will
be found intact. The general aspect
Of the debris indicates that hundreds
Of thousands of javelin-like splinters
and shreds of buildings were shot
through and through the first accu-
mutations of the ruins by the debris
subsequently hurled onward by the
continuing flood.
The aspect Of Austin. Costello and
the valley beyond today is as dreary
as 1t is appalling. The towns are pic
lures of dissolution. The valley side
hills in which they lie are still lit
tered by the shattered homes of their
people and the remnants Of prosper
GUS places of. business and manufac-
turing plants.
Austin itself, Saturday busy mill
town of 5000 people, many of whom
were enjoying Saturday half holi-
day, is only ghost of town today.
Torn to pieces by water and eaten by
fre, the wet and charced remnants of
its buildings, believed to hold the re-
mains of 800 or more persons, were
strewn along the valley edge. piled in
rows where the main street business
masses far down the ravine.
Spectators, many of whom barely
escaped being victims of the disaster
and hundreds of persons from sur.
rounding towns. looked down from
the steep hillsides on Austin and Cos
tello through veil of fog to see the
wreckage here of some four hundred
houses. score Of business blocks, and
three miles farther down the river at
Costello the ruins of more than fifty
buildings. The flood did not spend its
force until 1t raced for more than ten
miles from the reservoir. 49,.
Wharton, still further on, suffered
somewhat, but practically Is intact.
The loss Of life at Costello. wnere the
lieved to be but three.
The property loss IN the valley is
estimated at $6,000.000.
Only Dozen Remain.
In Austin, out of the hundreds di-
rectly enveloped in the deluge. hardly
q dozen survived. The furious flood
let loose when the Bayless Paper and
Pulp company's dam crumbled, picked
up huge battery of heavy timbers in
the mill yards at the foot Of the dam
and with these thousands Of planks
and logs created its path with terri
+ BILE havoc.
At the hospital today there were but
six injured for the care of the small
army of physicians and nurses who
poured into the devasted town all
night and day. The medical supplies
remained unusued in the cars rushed
here by the railroads.
The state constabulary arrived Sun
day afternoon and took charge of the
situation which seemed too appalling
for the local committee which had
worked all night. Immediately or
ders were issued to the railroads to
bring no more sight-seers to Austin
and sentinels were placed on the chief
trains with instructions to pass
r. hut Do ~R
tomobiles and carriages were turned
back.
During the night searching parties
with engine headlights automobile
lamps. pine torches and improvised
lanterns of every sort poked their way
into everp pile of wreckage that was
accessible. seeking any who might be
in which life was not extinct. The
night had been one of hardship and
horror which severely tested the met
tie Of the men whom circumstances
impressed into first aid rescuers of
the food devastated village.
Men who at first shuddered at the
touch of a dead body. indifferently
of identification where they had work.
! ed long in the debris.
Scene of Disaster.
The immediate scene of the oblitera-
ton of Austin covers an area three
eighths of mile wide and one and
three-quarters miles long, This COM
prised the business section and the
valley residence portion and was
bounded by Main, Ruckaber and
Thorn streets and Costello avenue,
crossed by lesser thoroughfares. Near
ty mile above stood the mammoth
concrete dam Of the Bayless Paper
and Pulp company. six hundred feet
long, fifty-two feet high and thirty
Ieet thick at the bottom. tapering to q
thickness Of three feet at the top.
Back Of this dam yesterday lay
reservoir of water one mile and a half
long and an average of thirty-five feet
deep. Directly in front of the dam
stood the plant of the Bayless COM
pany with four main buildings.
Stacked high close by was 700, 900
cords of ,hfty-inch wood and slabs and
also portion of the company's Inn
mense timber stock totaling in the
Austin valley 100000 feet of hard
nwood and 35,00O.000 of hemlock
This was five-year supply. practical
ty the last large cut Of the region. It
was valued at 100000.
A small stream. Freeman Run, floW-