New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-01

The entire stretch half mile or more,
is barren waste.
A great trench four feet deep marks
| every hand. Scarcely semblance of
habitation is left in that part of the
town. The property loss here, while
well distributed, is tremendous.
| 1t was rumored tonight that num-
/ Der of bodies had been found in the
trench. but # this is true they have not
been identified.
What the Rescuers Saw.
/ Tonight rescue parties. which climbed
! over the mountains after hours of tortu-
Gus travel over rain-swollen mountain
roads looked down to see the wreckage
of the village in flames, with hundreds
of bodies buried beneath it.
The rescuers pushed on in the dark
ness, wading often in mud knee deep
and through forests deep with under
brush. The town was approachable over
this route on one side only. The scene
| bcheld by the rescUing party after its
six miles struggle over the hills WAS
one that made Dlany OF its members
weep
on the hillsides from five TO six hun
bred homeless and distracted persons
were wandering about. Women were
waiting and crying loudly FOR lost ones.
Scores of men, women and children were
lying about unconscious or in state of
utter collapse.
In the valley where a few hours be-
fore the town of Austin had nestled,
flames and smoke were ascending from
hundreds of piles Of wreckage protruding
above the water.
The first glance showed the leaders Of
the party that the reports of devasta-
ton had been minimized. 1t was impos-
sible to get a coherent story from any Of
the survivors When asked a question
/ they would look up hopelessly and NUT
ter unintelligible words or shrek wildly
the names Of those they had lost
MY God, it is awful" one woman
shrieked. Down there my three little
girls maybe, are drowned, or maybe
/ burning, Down there-there" she
pointed to the flames, shrieked and
| tainted
Counted 25o Dead.
Come down here" shouted a man to
reporter who had reached the scene
after an arduous ride by special train
| and automobile and a climb across the
/ Hills: down by the fence. Do you see
/ that pile over there? Well, ! counted
/ 80 dead bodies within fifty feet Of that
foundation before the darkness came
After the avalanche of water had
passed down the valley it left the ground
/ visible in many spots The fire lit up the
! scene. and was reflected in hundreds of
pools of black water along the main
streets.
/ But no one was then able 10 get down
/ into the ruins Of the town. On the out
skirts was muck knee deep and great
heaps Of wreckage, the whole covered by
/ dense clouds Of smoke pouring from the
scores Of fires burning fiercely about the
/ site OF the city. The heat from the fire
| was so intense that none Of the rescuers,
/ or even the frantic survivors on the
hillside dared venture even TO the out
/ skirts.
/ A little girl. three years old, who said
her name was Elsie Lamley, peered
down into the pyre. MY papa is down
there" she Msped He was downtown
after medicine for mamma when the
water coined"
yes, and her mamma Is down there
too" a bystander said. Elsie had been
on the hill looking for chestnuts and
had escaped.
Little Orphan Finds New Home.
Il can't find my way home now"
Elsie sighed a big man spat out a
chew of tobacco and took Elsie in his
arms.
Wen find a new home for you, little
girl" he said. as he carried her back
from the moaning and weeping victims
Of the food.
Separating the hill and the rear Of
the residence section of the town was
a high fence several hundred feet long
on the top of which were three strands
Of barbed wire. One survivor, a. NJ.
Walker. said that more than hundred
people had lost their lives at this place
"The people rushed for the hill here
when they saw the water coming he
said. but the fence was too high, and
the barbed wire netting made getting
over It almost impossible. They were
simply caught in a death trap"
Behind the fence piled in a pocket
formed by the swelling waters, more
than thirty bodies could be seen.
| one man said he stood on the fence