The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-10-05
TOXIN WIPED OUT
BY VAIL OF
OYER DDEAZ
'rotect the victims.
Dam Built Two lcars Ago.

The dan was built two years &
II was $50 it. long spanning the LITTLE
valley formed by Freeman run. ane
F, rising to Il height of f%orty-nine feet
1t was OF concrete, thirty-twc fee
wide al the base and said to be con
structed after the most approved
plans OF modern engineering. Th,
basin behind it had never been tilleo
day it was noticed that water wa
running over the top of the structure
Many persons went out of the town
Il mile and a half away, to See Tho
unusual sight. and it was while the,
were watching the Overlooking waite
that the first break occurred.
1t was estimated that one hundred
buildings have been torn from thei
foundations ana crushed in the foot
Or have been DESTROYED by fire. Til
flood a its way through the busi
ness section OF the town and left onl
four buildings standing. The vale.
of Freeman run is narrow and tn
town was built along its banks. Al
the buildings in the lower part of tn,
valley were swept clear of their foun
dations by the torrent and many O
those which remained quickly fel
Il prey to the flames. There was No
one to attempt to stop the fire ant
it was allowed to burn itself out.
Scene an Appalling One.
The scene in the village Saturda,
night was appalling. Here and Their,
can be seen the light of some torcl
Or lantern as a distracted fathe,
searched along the bank for some evil
dence OF his family and home.
The few who tried to bring som,
order out of chaos were handicapped
by the cries OF the bereaved and un.
fortunate. Many women who ha6
lost their children wandered in tho
darkness, crying their m in In.
vain hope that they would answer
While here and there a worn and bro
ken man stood at the ruins of his
home, dazed, wondering where tn,
bodies OF his family would be found
But Few Houses Intact.
The terrible force of The water is
shown by the story of one man who
declared he had seer a two-story
hrick huj1dino cr,n,,1. III, .
of cards.
The railroad shops. where the deb
ris piled high and which resisted. for
a time the force of the water, prob
ably will prove to have been the
death chamber of the majority of the
men who were employed there. A
rescuing party attempted to reach the
interior of the ruins, but We're driven
back by the smell of burning flesh.
Many Miraculous Escapes.
Many incidents are being told OF
of miraculous escapes from death.
Mrs. M%answay, the young wife of
DR.. Mansway, was bathing her infant
iSAtu NhSh tiC SiCdl wall VI wafer
swept into the town. The house was
torn from its foundation, crushed al
most instantly, and the entire family
drowned. DR.. Mansway was at the
Pennsylvania hospital on the hill,
safe from the flood, performing an
operation and escaped. He is almost
/ Wild u.if1 rJ.inS ,5 ~. l.-.-.
in an agonized search for his loved
ones.
Police Chief Dan Baker. a candi-
date for Sheriff of Potter county was
on Main street when the alarm was
given. His house "a only a short
distance away. He ran to it with all
his speed and arrived in time to give
his wife and family warning. They
lied to the hills and escaped.
William Nelson, one of the most
prominent merchants of the town,
and his wife were lost. 1t is said
they were walking OF Turner street
when the wall of water rolled down
1hol ouSHldIe luelT DOQlcS nave
not been recovered.
Election Booth Wiped Out.
One of the spots where the force
OF the flood was most severely felt
was at the junction of Freeman run
with another small stream in the
heart OF the business section. A pri-
mary election was in progress in a
building not far away and many
man were in the vicinity. They did
not heed the warning shout and all
OF theme are believed to have been
carried away. Not a trace of the
building in which the election was
being held can be seen tonight. With
the building vent the election rec
ords.
Start of the Fire.
A dangerous situation developed