The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-10-05
FOUR LOOTERS ARE
SHOT At AUSTIN
Discovered Searching Ruins Of
Flood Stricken Town.
DRINKING WATER POISONED
Copper SuIphate From Paper Mill
contamlnates Every Stream
Many People Seriously III Be-
fore Discovery Is Made.

Austin, Oct. Especial: No crimi-
nal prosecutions for the Austin trag.
edy are expected. State Water Com.
missioner Feitz says the state never
passed on the safety of the Bayless
dam. No complaint was ever official.
ly made.
Austin, Pa, Oct. 4.-Carrying out
their threat to kill hooters on the spot,
the state constabulary shot and severe
ly wounded four vandals who were
looking for valuables through the
wreckage of Saturdays flood.
Orders were Immediately issued by
the military officers that no one with
out badge would be permitted with
in the police lines. At night-fall those
whose houses are still standing were
ordered indoors and all others were
given immediate notice to leave the
ruins. The robbers were taken to the
temporary hospital, where DR.. ]. w.
Knight said they may die. They re-
fused to give their names.
Drinking Water Is Poisoned.
Rescuers were confronted with
sudden and serious danger when it
was discovered that every spring and
stream in the vicinity is poisoned with
copper sulphate used in the manufac-
turing of paper. Twenty-Five or more
people were seriously i'll before the
reason was discovered. 1t is now
n lrip
from wells several miles back in the
country.
1t Is estimated that if two thousand
laborers were to work for a month
the buried buildings could not be un.
covered nor all the bodies found. An
official census taken has disclosed the
fact that Sc of the one-time towns
inhabitants are missing. How many
Of these Sc may still be found to be
elsewhere alive is a question that is
still to be determined. One important
discovery was made by the workers
IN the majority of cases the deaths
were due to two high barbed wire
fences which enclosed each side of
the town at the foot of the enclosing
mountains. Men and women were
drowned while attempting to crawl
through the strands of wire. Hus-
bands attempted to pull their wives
through the obstruction and were
caught by the on-rushing waters.
Disposition of Dead Puzzles.
The problem of disposing of the I'M
identified dead is becoming serious.
Buried beneath tons of debris. it is
an almost impossible task to recover
the bodies.
Someone should apply a match to
the ruins, said Father Sheehan,
Catholic priest Of Eric, Pa, who looked
over the devastated valley. "Consid-
Grafton for the living should lead the
officials to apply a torch to the wreck
age and dispose of the dead in the
most logical and sanitary way" he
said; there ought to be no place for
sentiment in such emergencies"
Within six weeks the town of Aus
tin will no longer have a place on the
map. Its humiliation is complete.
Already the general exodus has begun
and each day sees quota of the pop
ulation departing for. other cities. The
financial ruin of everyone is complete.
Although the total loss is more than
$5,O00,OOO, James Reynolds, an insur-
ance adjuster, declared that not more
than $4,000 will ever be paid. Only
about 25 per cent. of the towns people
carried insurance.
An offer of 81 a day and food, which
is posted in every village in the
vicinity of the stricken district, has
failed to secure one-tenth enough
workers. The site of Austin is Stunned
as a pestilence.