Milford chronicle., 1911-10-06
SEARCHING RUINS
FOR AUSTIN DEAD
500 Men Working TO Recover
Bodies From WrGCkag0.
DEATH LIST UNDER 100
Thrty-siS Bodies Have Been Found
and Fifty-four Persons Are Reported
Missing--Dr. Dixon Appeals For
Food For Survivors.


. Food For Survivors.
It now looks as though the lid
would be really lifted from the scan
dal Of the Bayless dam at Austin, Pa.
aud the story told of how the dwellers
in the Sinnemahoning valley, before
, their homes were given over to food
and fire, lived in constant dread of the
} RECONSTRUCTED concrete barrier that
} for two years alone intervened be-
tween them and death and ruin.
Harry W. Nelson, OF Coudersport,
the district attorney of Potter county,
said that he would exercise the power
OF a coroner and would hold an in
quest on Friday at Austin, which would
be tantamount to searching investi-
cation of the causes which led up to
me breaking of the dam.
Governor Tener is here TO personally
inspect the broken dam and the five
/ miles of valley over which the wreck
age of two towns was suddenly spilled
last Saturday.
While the state and county authori
ties are preparing to summon expert
/ engineers and others whose attention
before and after the flood has beer
directed to the faulty construction of
the DAM DR.. Samuel G. Dixon, th,
state health commissioner. and his as
sOciates are confronted with a grave |
problem of their own for which they |
are bending every effort to find So
luton.
Starvation stares the 500 families
that the state authorities are trying
TO care for in the face. for Dr. Dixon
plainly stated that unless food sup
plies soon begin to arrive it will be
impossible to feed the homeless men,
women and children that have been
suddenly thrust upon the mercies OF
the commonwealth
The cry for food is going up from
Austin and with less than 10000 con
tributed, DR. Dixon declared that the
situation had become so serious that
something must soon be done if hun
ger is not to add to the sufferings of
the survivors.
Thirty-sx Bodies Found.
A force of 500 men are at work
clearing the ruins of Austin Seven
more bodies, a charred skull counting
as one, were dug from the ruins. maxi
ing total OF thirty-siX bodies recov-
cred since the rescue work started on
Sunday morning. A total of eighteen
was discovered on Monday, while Sun
days search yielded seven The miss
ing are placed at ffty-four
The flooded district showed that 167
homes had been washed out and wiped
away, with sixty-four stores, four no
tells, five churches, five factories and
the shops of the Buffalo & Susquehan-
ma railroad.
The property loss IN the valley is :
estimated at upwards of S6,OOOOOO .
Advices also we're received from =
Costello, Pa, that no immediate help =
was needed there that the community !
has several warehouses filed with
supplies, plenty of money, but that 4,
clothing for women and children was 81
needed DR.. Dixon will take steps to a
furnish these necessaries and also will -
send men to aid in the restoration OF -
The town if asked ~
A large steam log roller was used ..
N the attack on the wreckage along -
he tracks of the Buffalo & Susque ~
lanna railroad, and lane had been :.
,leared so that trains may be run and :.
he debris carted away. Beneath one -
,uilding three bodies were found They =.
ire those OF a mother, infant and a -
hild about FIVE years old All were "'
erribly mutilated
One body was recovered and identi- a.
led as Mrs. Preston Wolcott A char -
ed skull also was recovered, but it -
yas in such condition that it was i'm a.
ossible to determine whether it was ~ ~
hat of an adult or an infant
The body of a woman that had been
the mOrgue for two days was iden
fled as that of Mrs. McCollins. a sis
er of State Senator f. E. Baldwin.
hose fathers body was one Of the ed
rst recovered on Sunday. Va
The state police have arrested ter xii
ersons charged with pillaging in the Th
lins. Fifty-five state police from the ser
ottsville and Wilkes Barre barracks not
re on the ground assisting in pa sis
olling and in searching the ruins. for
The dam, which split into eight wo
eces, was a mile and a half west
Id 300 feet above the town, and it
I'D thirty-three feet of impounded {
ater, more than 5OO.OOO,OOO gallons, 100
lie to heavy rains. yea
1t was a great structure, $50 feet her
ng, spanning the little valley formed Ne'
Freeman run, and rising to the pla.
light of forty-nine feet. It was of sna
ncrete, thirty-two feet thick at the her
Sc, and said to be constructed after
e most approved plans of modern en-
leering.
Very Few Injured.
It is a curious fact that the list OF =
2 injured is practically negligible
e state physicians and nurses, who
me supplied with bandages and med =,
mes, have found nothing to do They HOE
We turned their efforts to feeding
oil