The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-10-05
Mine DEBRIS FOR
BODIES Of FLOOD
TRAGEDY VICTIMS


Terrible Scenes Of Desolation
From Turbulent Waters at
Austin, Pa.
Austin, Pa, Oct. 3.--With the arrival
Of a carload Of cofflns mere this morn
ing the grimness of Saturdays flood
tragedy, which has practically oblit-
Grated this town. was impressed on the
survivors and a considerable number
of workers who today began anew their
effort to mine deeply into the hard hills
OF debris. Twenty victims including
two at Costello. had been placed In a
temporary morEue at Om Fellows
hall. sone Of the few buildings stand
ing In the ruined district.
The identified dead are II, as fol-
lows:
]. e. BALDWIN. father OF State Sen.
ator Baldwin.
MRS. MARTHA KINNICUT.
MISS IDA MILLER.
MRS. WILLIAM NELSON.
MRS. A. e. MANSUY.
MISS ANNIE JACKSON.
MRS. CHARLES SOFIELD.
MRS. GEORGE SCHwOLD.
MRS. GEORGE RENNICKS.
MISS FLOSSIE MELZER.
MRS. LENA RICHIE
MRS. RALPH DONIFERO.
Plans for the funerals were being
made today.
The most essential matter in hand
here. aside from the persistent work
OF clearing away the more accessible
ruins. Is the completion of a census OF
the living Austinians. II the death list
aggregates anything like the enormous
number some have estimated, the
Ia b RAo12 l.
demanding prompt attention will arise
within few days In the ruins. The
most careful and well informed inves-
tfgators, however. are unprepared to
learn that more than 200 have per-
ished
There u.s. indeed. possibility that
100 will be the total There is little
In the wreckage will be found intact
The general aspect OF the debris indi-
Gates that hundreds OF thousands Of
javelin-like splinters and shreds Of
buildings We're shot through and
through the first accumulations of
ruins by the rushing water.
The policing conditions today are
practically perfect A IL hours down
pour Of rain served to materially re-
duce the number OF incoming sight
seers and to this extent the police were
relieved. The state constabulary. state
sanitary engineers and chief officials OF
the state health department are CO.
operating In the measures for protec-
ton and relief
Scenes Of DesoIation.
The aspect Of Austin, Costello and
the valley beyond is as dreary as it is
appalling. The town are pictures of
desolation. The valley side hills I'm
which they lie are still Uttered by the
shattered homes of their people and
the remnants Of prosperous places Of
business and manufacturing plants.
NO reliable estimate OF the property
loss can be soon made. but it IL safe
to say 1t will not be less than So, OO0. 900
The paper and lumber industries are
utterly destroyed. The lumber supply
indeed was rapidly reaching exhaustion
and at the best IL was thought five
years from now the supply would be
practically at an end In fact 200 fami-
lies had moved from Austin this fall.
Five hundred more would have gone
within the next year or two unless
some industrial development came In
to hold them.
Delay Was Fatal.
Questioned as to the cause of the
sudden failure Of the Bayliss Pulp e.
PAPER company's dam, citizens and
business men accustomed to visit AUS
TN snake their heads ominously. They
III n
uary when a considerable leak was dis
covered in the immense cement struc-
ture. Although the two feet alongs ithe
rim or the dam were removed tossre-
neVe the pressure and 14-foot4 patch
was placed where needed 1t hesalign-
ment of the upper edge 81 th4 diam
gradually became slight arcTf(lstead,
Of straight line. This bulge ca,,se2
worry to the citizens, am Md to- y
somewhat recent inspectiB. %CsrtaiH
protective measures We're sdeteri1 med
on. put the dela4 was fatal wv Y
i never wenk3t% sleep "a the sfetel
on Main street feh-x AaiiS % visiting
mighty ferSent sa tbat sbs
emily inevitable Knight be DELAYED
always felt that I'VE might be swept
away during the nfEht3s ~
Below the torn dam today the valley
Tor mile or rpore Is ewept practically
clean to bedroSk and Freen,ans run the
reservoir res feedst swollen by last nights
rains. Is sw2eping through new chan
of the tow sonc} 2stood. '
portionat1lyN as 4hattered as Austin
only theYoss of the foods momentum
ana the meiy warnings given by oper-
ators VITO risktd' their lives to do SO,
ned the 1eathfiigt to two.
Fsper Thanks Taft.
PittsbAEgh Oct, 2.-Replying to a
10 l sst Nm e2ssxeds rom President Taft
Pittsbufsh, Pax40ct. 2-ro the Hon
Wm. Tart III gident Of the United
s sia{ss y xoH n5ssage OF sympathy and
ce4Sd Pennsylvania thanks you for this
pr0P4W rendering OF help Loss OF life
wilfatet exceed 25S. Situation we'll in