Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-10-05
AUSTIN HORROR
Many Lives Are Lost When The
Bayess Dam Rursts at
Austin, Pa.
PROPERTY LOSS 5000, 600
Wall OF Water Rushes Half Mile
Without Warning, Completely
Destroying Town, And Lives
Are Snuffed Out.

Are snuffed Out.
Dam of the Bayless Pulp and Pa
per company burned, one mile and
half north of Austin, Pa.
Four hundred million five hundred
thousand gallons of water rushed
down upon the town.
Between 200 and 800 persons were
drowned. crushed or burned to death.
Many of the others believed to have
been swept away by the great tor
rent.
Fire follows bursting OF natural gas
mains.
Scores of persons caught beneath
debris and slowly cremated
More than 1000 buildings wrecked.
Heavy rains of past two weeks
caused reservoir to fill for first time
since erected two years ago.
Food supply has been swept away.
Physicians, nurses and supplies be-
iLs rushed from surrounding towns
over the mountains to Austin
National Red Cross society will aid
in relief work.
Governor Tener has ordered state
health and charity officials to the
scene, together with Adjutant General
Stewart and large force of state
police.
Austin has population of $500.
Costello, town Of $50 population. be-
low Austin, also swept away.
Practically every building destroyed
by water and fire burning at several
points.
Austin. Pa. Oct. 2.--Several hun
dred We're drowned and untold num-
bers were manned here when the
great dam OF the Bayl IS Pulp and
Paper company, holding back more
than 500.000,000 gallons of water,
went out Saturday. Many bodies have
been recovered, many OF them SO
MANNED that recognition is impossi-
BILE. The survivors are in frenzy.
There Is no organization. the town be-
ing dazed by the force of the calami-
ty which came without a moments
warning. Hundreds OF men, women
and children are searching through
the ruins OF the village for their fam
lilies and friends. The only light is
the glare of hundreds of houses which
caught fire from broken gas pipes al
most before the food had passed.
Chaos reigned from the moment the
mighty wall of water tore through
the town and there will be no relief
until help comes from the surround
ing towns. Meantime many bodies
lie in the wake of the food.
Dam Of Improved Construction.
The dam was built two years ago.
II was $50 feet long, spanning the lit
tie valley formed by Freeman run.
and rising to the height of 40 feet.
1t was of concrete, 80 feet wide at the
base, and said to be constructed after
the most approved plans of modern
engineering.
The basin behind 1t had never been
filed with water until this week and
Saturday 1t was noticed that water
was running over the top of the
structure. Many persons went out of
town mile and half away to see
the unusual sight, and 1t was while
they were watching the overlooking
water that the break occurred.
The course of the flood was through
the business center Of the little vii
lage. Many Of the buildings were OF
wood. and those which were not i'm
mediately wrecked by the torrent
were soon in flames.
So sudden was the onslaught of
water that many persons had no time
to flee to the hills, but others receiv-
ed the warning and believing 1t was
fire. FASTENED to the center Of the
town, only to be caught In the food
and swept away
The food passed quickly. leaving
desolation in its wake. Houses had
been crushed down and tossed about
like toys. while hundreds OF bodies
had been carried down ON the crest
OF the surging. torrent.
With the passing of the water, those
who had fed to the hills FASTENED to
return to their ruined homes in
search of relatives and friends. Here
and there bodies had been cast up
along the path of the torrent, and
about forty bodies were recovered in
short time. Some of them had been
battered SO badly by the tossing that
they were beyond recognition. while
others had been carried along with
no apparent injury. Many were
caught in the burning buildings, and
1t will be days before the real extent
of the calamity will be known.
1t is estimated that a thousand
buildings have been torn from their
foundations and crushed in the food
or have been destroyed by FIRE. The
water made its way through the bush
ness section of the town and left
only four buildings standing. The
valley of Freeman's run is narrow.
and the town was built along its
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
standing quickly fell prey TO the
flames.
Iowa Men Are Given OFFICES.
La Crosse, Wis.-The annual con-