Norwich bulletin., 1911-10-03
Majority of the Victims Still Buried Under
the Debris in Stricken Austin
WRECKAGE WILL HAVE TO BE BURNED
Health Authorities May be Forced to Act to Prevent an
Epidemic-An Appeal Sent Out For Laborers to
Assist in Rescue Work-Twenty-fo Known Dead
and S6 Mssng-Sghtseers Consuming the Food.

Austin. Pa. Oct. Twenty -fou
known dead to' be buried beneath the
and believed to be buried beneath the
debris, is the official census tonight OF
SATURDAY. IL is conceded, however,
fhaT several il not many visitors and
strangers were in town that day and
they undoubtedly perished. Including
them and allowing for inevitable errors
In compilation. the total dead will
probably reach $50. twenty of
The twenty -four bodies recovered from
the ruins have been identified. and of
the missing hope is entertained that
some may yet be accounted for.
A Big Problem on Hand.
The problem OF the hour is how to
recover the dead from the tons of de-
hrIs choKing the narrow valley. To do
this before it becomes necessary to
burn the ruins and save the living
from an epidemic. an army of laborers
must reach the town within the next
Sh hours officials say. Otherwise the
tOrcn may transform the wreckage in
10 The pyre Of most OF those who have
pcrished.
Plea for Worknnen.
The single line Of wire between Aus
tin and the outside world carried an
urgent plea for workmen to the may
ors OF Buffalo. Pittsburg and Philadel-
phis- Samuel .. Dixon, state commits
of Austin. voiced the appeal. To each
Of the mayors he said:
We are in need of laborrers to as
sis in rescue work. Desire about 400
sent in a bunk train. Please advise us
What yau can do Work consists of
recovering dead bodies from ruins
d. Please telegraph what assistance you
can render"
5ereaved Ones Want Their Dead.
Encouraging responses are hoped for
early tomorrow.
Give rs our dead is Austin's cry.
voiced by State Senator i. E. Baldwin,
who lost father. mother, sister and
other relatives. Only the body of his
father. John E Baldwin. had been re-
covered tonight. The others are in the
ruins
= speak for the people of Austin
he said. The state OF Pennsylvania
o. es rs the bodies of our loved ones.
For 4s hours they have been in the
ruins: how much longer will the COM
monWealth leave them there? The
state should have 1.ong men working
here now.
Everybody Put to Work.
The nine miles of railroad leading
here from Keating Summit was given
over today t. the cause of rescue and
relief. Locked cars left the Summit
for The scene Of the disaster. When
the. reached the terminus here the
workers detrained; the drones. kept
aboard. were sent back. Every man on
Austin's streets. except the newspaper
men. were conscripted into the ser
Vice. hut Notwithstanding the vigil
sEce Of the authorities only $50 were
working at o'clock.
Dsbris in Flames.
Smouldering fire in The debris burst
forth N flames anew in the lower end
Of the wreckage this afternoon. but it
covered any dead
FcsIine Runs High.
Austin sta nds to n man against the
suggestion that it may be necessary
70 apply the torch 10 her ruins Feel
ing runs high. and should the health
authorities be forced to do choice
there is no foreeasting the result.
holds the town in its firm grasp to-
night however. and the troopers will
remain here until Commissioner Dixon
gives them word 10 go.
Shelter is Scarce.
The .lood swept valley offers no shell
ter for the regiment of laborers ex-
1'ected here tomorrow. and unless they
c.sne in bunk cars they cannot be car
81 for. Eight homeless men slept last
nizht 1n he small floor of house
spared by the waters: two women and
1vc children. all refugees. slept in the
room above them. while the household
of i've huddled into the two remaining
rpons This is but typical Of condi- i
tons everywhere in the flood zone
they are the me
Insurance Agents on Ground.
Food and clothing reached here in
carload hftS to-day and there was
enough Tor all to eat. But the dis
tributing agents lack storeroom.
Across the street from the morsue
Il
their shingles to a tree near a small
shack today, topping them with a i,
white sheet of foolscap on which was
ecra~led. Inquire within \ file of
eepinz women took turns AT record
ing theig claims.
Costello Cries for Aid.
4 cry for aid echoed today from
FVod-svept Costello. three miles below |
here Conditions there parallel the |
situation here. the distinction being |
that the town is much smaller and less |
damaged than Austin, while the death |
Est remains at two. II is believed, that
~ others escaped. for the two bodies.
- firsr to be sent from the flood 7
zone. were shipped out of here today !
One OF them was sent from Austin the |
other from Costello.
The Curious Shut Out.
Shortly before one o'clock today, |
State Commissioner Dixon issued an !
order that nobody but officials and |
employees OF the state health depart
ment. other state officials ard news |
paper correspondents should be al |
lowed in the flood zone. This order |
was issued because the news of the |
disaster nsd attracted thousands of /
persons who have been pouring into |
Austin by railroad from both north |
and south.
S.shtseers Eating Up Supplies.
1..p So.