River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-10-05
Breaking of Huge Paper Mill Dam
Sends Torrent OF Water
Down the Valley
COSTELL AND AUSTIN DESTROYED
Flames Caused by Bursting Gas Mains, Break Out In
Wrecka8e of Ruined Villages, Adding to Hor-
ror of the Catastrophe, as Soon as the
Floods Had subsidized.

AuSLlU, fd., OCL. 4. WhAAS AACA
were at their work, women busy in
their homes or shopping, and children
at play in their yards or in the streets,
without the least warning the great
dam of the Bayless Pulp and Paper
Company, located mile and a half
above here, swept down the valley OF
Freeman, and before the inhabitants
had time to realize what had happen
ed, between $50 and $50 lives had
been snuffed out.
Nearly half billion gallons OF wa
ter, freed from the reservoir formed
by the recently built dam, rushed with
great velocity down the narrow val
ley and crushed frame, brick and con-
crete structures alike into nothing
ness, and with them were whirled to
death those persons who were unfor-
tunate enough to be caught in the
rush of water.
The wall of water in few minutes
had swept through the town of Austin,
leaving devastation and death in its
wake, and struck Costello, few miles
below here, where practically every
building in that town was destroyed.
Only three or four persisted, as news
of the breaking of the dam reached
Costello in time to allow most of the
residents to escape to higher ground.
Survivors in a Frenzy.
Hundreds of men, women and chill
dren searched through the ruins of
the village for their families and
friends. The only light was the glare
of hundreds of houses which caught
on fire from broken gas pipes almost
before the flood had passed Chaos
reigned from the moment the mighty
wall of water tore through the town.
The Bayless Pulp and Paper Com
pany's dam, which was $50 feet long
and 40 feet high, was 80 feet thick
at the base and held back 400,500,000
gallons of water. For the first time
since it's construction two years ago
the water ran over the top, and many
people from Austin and the surround
ing country had gone out to the dam
to see the unusual sight, and it was
while they were watching the over
flowing water that the first break in
the dam occurred.
There was nothing to indicate that
the dam was about to give way, when,
with a sharp report, a hole appeared
in the west end. In a moment water
poured through, and it was immedi-
ately seen that the hole was getting
larger In a minute it was 20 feet
wide and extended almost the entire
height of the dam. Then there was
another report, and it seemed as if
the whole structure was giving way.
Flee to High Ground.
With a cry to alarm, the people fed
to the nearest high ground, and per-
sons scattered in every direction. 1t
was apparent that all the great body
of water behind the dam was going
out. Some were caught, and before it
was hardly realized the water was
tearing down Freeman Run, a wall
80 feet high and sweeping everything
before it.
The sound was deafening Harry
Davis, locomotive engineer, reached
a telephone and notified the operator
at the exchange. She called as many
persons as possible, but the time was
short. The raging flood tore down
the little valley carrying death on its
debris-covered crest. Hundreds of
women and children were caught in
their homes and drowned or were
crushed before they knew what had
happened. Houses went down before
the mighty onrush of water and gas
pipes, bent and broken, released their
dangerous fluid.
Before the water had passed on its
terrible course through the town a
dozen fires were burning in as many
places and the cries of injured and
imprisoned persons joined in the ter
rifice thunder of the food.
Much of the debris lodged against
the shops of the Buffalo and Susque-
hanna railroad and there the fire ragged
fiercest. Many men were caught here,
and few, if any, escaped with their
lives.
The course of the flood was through
the business center of the little viii
lage. A majority 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 fee to the hills, but others received