The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-02
STORIES TOLD BIZ SURVIVORS.
Crest of Water ResembIed a Moving
Pile of Wood.

Pile OF wood.
Austin, Pa, Oct. Boyd Lockhard
young business man of Austin, mar
roWly escaped death Mr. Lockharo
said that when he heard the alarm
given he thought someone was playing
| a practical joke, and he went into the
street to watch the peoples actions
He looked in the direction Of the dam
and saw the oncoming flood was only
three blocks away.
1T resembled a pile of wood, "a
feet high he said. "At first 1 did
not see the water at all. because the
wood at the pulp mill was carried be-
fore and became a sort of batterine
ram that tore away the buildings OF
the town.
st ran towards the hill and by the
greatest effort got above the level OF
the water while it was surging within
ten feet of me. The ground began to
give way under me, but I managed to
Chamber a few feet further up and
clung."
J. c. Borchard, who lived within
half mile of Costello, said that when
the crest of the flood swept past his
home there were no signs of human
being or their houses in the debris.
THE surface of the flood was COW
cred with newly sawn timber and
pieces of lumber. It was not until a
lapse of i've or six minutes that pieces
CT hOusatops broken furniture and
other evidences of the destruction of
the town began to appear.
1.-THE people of Costello" he said,
received ample warning from Austin
that the dam had broken. and al
though forty or fifty houses were de-
molished, only three fatalities occur
red.''
James Leeman. a night worker, was
asleep at his home and did not hear
the alarm. When the rush of water
destroyed his house he was tossed out
upon pile of floating debris and
eventually foated to a landing, a mile
and a half below the village. Wound
find that his wife and four children
had persisted Leeman became vio-
lently insane.
w. D. Robertson, night Waterman
at the Bayless mills, was asleep in the
third story of the Starkwater building.
The noise of the water aroused him.
He stepped out on balcony COM
manding a view of the onrushing
waters.
Houses were tossing about he
said Il was so terrified I couldn't
move. The building lurched forward
and collapsed. I fell two stories with
the building and found myself protect
ed by a bridge which had formed of
wedged timbers. I escaped and I'm
mighty glad to be here to tell about
it.
Thank God they were not here
Robertson was injured badly.
Frank Robinson, a one-armed stenog-
rapher, 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 through
window and landed on top of some
debris, on which he foated to safety.
Commercial hotel, rays he owes his
life to his attersp1 to save his baby
daughter.@ae told his story today as
he lay on cot at the hospital with
both legs broken.
i was upstairs in my home on Rail-
read street" he said. playing with
my s-months-old daughter. My wife
and little boy were downstairs With
out warning the roof caved in, and
then with the rising water it f1oated
away. Instinctively I grabbed my baby
and when found myself floating along
with the wreck of the house I held her
above my head. I caught hold of the
side of my house and pushed the baby
on it and held on tight. All around
us was a sea of slabs. 1t was all over
in three or four minutes. but it seemed
years. The part of the house 1 was
clinging to was rammed with terrific
impact into the hills, where I scram-
bled ashore with both legs broken.
How I dragged myself to the hospital
with the baby I don't know, but did
LAWYERS wife and boy were drowned.
Robert Cransie tells Of a miraculous
escape.
when it gave way he said. 81 saw
the water rushing down upon me and
it poured over me at least
80 feet high, it threw me fiat on the
to the top of the twisting. gurgling
mass and grabbed the branches Of
tree as it shot past me. was rescued
while clinging to it last night"