Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-10-01
A Hot Time Ahead For the peoples Choice

gas pipes had burst ana were pour
Ing their deadly inflan nable fumes
into the air. Men who had rushed
forward in the hope oi doing some
good, were overcome and teN, while
others We're caught in The flames The
street became a glOWns furnace and
there was no salvation ior those who
Glanced to be near HOw many per
ished at this point is not known.
Austin has little fire protection and
with this swept away NV the flood and
no one left to man the httle apparatus,
the town was a helplos victim To the
flames Rapidly they swept from
house to house, leaping streets and
alleys and led by the continual supply
of gas from bursting mains there was
no staying their progress. They licked
up what the water had left.
Many persons. crushed and helpless
in the wrecks of the buildings only
parity destroyed BY water We're con-
sumcd In the flames. Their shriekS
could be heard hy the helpless ones
Who awakened rfom th helpless
NalauSsis bS the scenes ,.iou stNciu,
endeavored TO save life here and
there here it seemed possible.
Down at the shops OF the Buffalo
and Susquehanna railroad a story was
In the making. The buildings are To-
Gated below the business on the banks
of Freeman Run and were more
substantial than most of the houses
/ that had been swept away by the
flood, The frame work stood. and
formed barrier against which the
tlotsam and jetsam OF the flood found
lodgment, Here was where the natural
gas pipes burst, and as the shops were
IN operation fire was quickly COM
municatcd to the mass.
Mary of the men were caught be-
fore they could leave their machines.
Some OF them We're crushed to death
without warning but others less for
tunate We're pinned down and met
most terrible death in the flames
The wreck Of the Austin Hard
ware company, had been swept from
It's location ON Main street to the lum-
her mill Here We're buckets in ahund-
unCe and there was the little stream
sull swollen, although the flood had
passed. SeiZing a bucket, IN unknown
hero dashed into the stream, Glled it
with water and calling for help, ran
toward a point where it appeared one
man might be saved. Others followed
his example. But to no purpose. Gas
and heat combined to drive them back
ana they eventually gave up the task.
The place continued to burn
throughout the night. Gradually the
cries for help and the Eroans OF dy-
ing men grew fainter and when tho
great mass Of burning buildings had
become nothing more than huge pile
of glowing Goals, the asoni2ing cries
ifas. 4 4 "a.
bic tragedy was closed,
over at the paper mill, the big fac
tory where SO many OF the people Of
the town find employment, the situa-
tion was little better Although not
so many persons were killed some Of
Them were crushed or drowned when
parts Of the factory went down. It
toe. caught fire and the scenes to
watch the half paralyzed people were
rapidly becoming accustomed, were
,l,acted.
one little girl about Is years old
had been caught in the crush and
flames were creeping to her with ter
rifylng rapidly Pinned beneath a
heavy timber one leg crushed, II was
impossible Tor her to free herself Her
cries for help brought a man to her
rescue. Running into the part Of the
! factory left standing the stranger
seized an axe ana attacked the timber.
but she perishcd before me managed
/ to oXtricatc her
The Smithp0rt fire department ar
| rived at O'Clock on a special train
and the men are now fighting the
fire on the hillside with some sue
[ cess.