The Washington times., 1911-10-01
FIVE HUNDRED IS
DEATHS TOLL IN
FLOODED VILLAGE
Two Thousand Homeless;
Five Millions in Property
Swept Away.
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of the current raised their hands In
mute appeal for aid, only to have those
on the bank stand helpless and i'm
patient, and see the victims die before
their eyes.
Heroism was displayed on all sides.
Mothers in whose breasts the mater
nal spirit could not be stilled. saved
their children and yielded their own
lives in rescue of their offspring. ram
ilies were torn asunder bX the catas-
trophe. Mothers were drowned while
fathers escaped. Children persisted
while parents were saved and IN some
their fathers and mothers went to
death in the terrible flood. The story
of the disaster bears heavily on Com
monwealth and corporation alike.
Always Thought Dam Unsafe.
The towns people have always con-
sidered the dam unsafe, but the COM
,pany has always contended that dam
ger was absent. Today the survivors
are recalling how in January, 1910,
cracks appeared in the concrete wall.
The company repaired it.
The scene that daylight revealed in
the valley of death this morning was APP
palling. For miles below the stricken
town of Austin, debris of the flood, ruins
of buildings and the bodies of the per-
ished are to be found lying in the
deprcssiOns scattered over fields and
mats.
The sight has not been paralleled
since the JohnstOwn holocaust Of
1889
Today the rescuers, who We're rush
ed into the valley from all points m
northern Pennsylvania and New York
State are working at the Herculean
task of carrying out the bodies of the
dead and assisting the injured.
rushed from all over Pennsylvania
into the stricken place as fast as
steam will carry trains. In the alb
sence of Burgess Michael Mum, who
is thought to be among the dead. the
work is in charge OF w. *. Sweetland,
district attorney OF Potter county.
The only large buildings that are
standing in Austin this morning are the
hcspital, the Lutheran church, and the
Bank of Austin.
Flames Add To Horror.
After the terrible flood worked out its
path of devastation last night the gas
mains burst and the natural fluid began
burning, setting fire to many of the re-
manning buildings, making a complete
destruction of the town.
The heaviest losers will be Senator
Baldwin, the BaYless Company, whose
mill and dam were erected at a cost
of 81, 600, OOO: the Goodyear Lumber Com
7,0o0,O00 feet Of hard lumber, besides the
mill; the Emporium Lumber Company,
Buffalo and Susluehanna Railroad
Company, whose big shops We're de-
.Coopers, DeigIes, and the Austin Hard
ware Company. Over 800 buildings have
been wrecked or burned.
Appeals for aid have been sent out
by District Attorney Sweetland.
Costello. which was also destroyed by
the flood, was a town of 500 souls. A
few Of the people were warned of the
coming of the water in time to escape
Ill I,,,4 &c Il hnf fla
total death list will be considerably in
creased by the number drowned at that
place. Messengers who passed through
Costello early this morning report that
a few people are to be seen on the hills.
These are thought TO be only survivors.
At Wharton, ten miles below Austin, on
the Sinnamahoning creek, considerable
damage was done by the food, although
1t is believed TO lives were lost.
Rescuers Arrive.
The parties of rescuers that were or
ganized at Galeton, Coudersport,
Dubois and Olean, N. Y, consisting of
doctors, chosen men and women TO act
as nurses and fremen TO do police duty,
arrived in the valley during the night.
Their trains could carry them only
within six miles of Austin and they
were compelled to walk the rest Of the
distance.
BY the aid of lanterns and gas torches
the TeSCuCTS IdDOTeu All hight anu NY
morning they had recovered several
hundred bodies. Food and clothing
were also distributed to the survivors
who were left destitute.
Many spent the cold night wandering
about on the hillside overcome by the
horror and unable to care even for
themselves. Grave fear of the severity
of this shock is felt for many. 1t is
Irc bable that as soon The State
health authorities arrive on the scene
today the WORK of buTYing the bodies
OF victims will be started to give dis
ease ard infection no chance tc develop.
Horrible stories of how the people
persisted are heard on all sides. One in
stance of how little account human lives
were to the raging torrent was the>Sate
OF dozen people, who heard the adj
vance of the water, attempted to seek
shelter behind a brick building. When
the head of TIE flood had passed the
building had been torn from its counda-
ton as neatly as if by a trowel
The suffering Of the injured lying
without shelter in the darkness Of the
night was awful Although the res
cuers labOrcd as Trojans they could ac-
complish only a small part Of the task
before them.