Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-02


pile Of wreckage that was accessible.
seeking any who might be alive, but
scarcely a body was found IN which lie
was not extinct
The night had been one Of hardship
and horror. which severely tested the
mettle Of the men whom circumstances
had pressed into first aid rescuers Of
the flood devastated village.
Men who shuddered at the touch Of
dead body At the outset indifferently
searched mangled bodies for papers Of
Identification ere they had been long
at work in the debris. One corpse among
50 many aid not seem chastity: the sen
sauon was appalling
Dam Mile from city.
The scene Of the obliterauon Of Austin
covers an area three-eishths Of a ollie
wide and one and three-quartres miles
long. This comprised the business sec
ton and the valley residence portion
and was bounded by Main, Ruckaber
and Thorn streets and Costello avenue,
crossed by lesser thoroughfares
Nearly a mile above stood the NAM
moth concrete dam Of the Bayless Paper
and Puly company. eOO feet long, fifty
two feet high and thirty feet thick at
the bottom. tapering 10 a thickness Of
three feet at the top.
Back Of this dam yesterday lay a reser-
voir Of water mile and a half long
and an average Of thirty-five feet deep.
Directly in front Of the dam stood the
plant of the Bayless company. with four
main buildings Stacked high nearby
was 10000 cords Of nfty-lneh wood and
slabs and also a portion Of the COM
pany's immense timber stock totalling
In the Austin valley 100000 feet Of hard
wood and 25.OOOCO feet Of hemlock. This
was fve-year supply practically tho
last large cut of the region. IT was val
ued At 100000
A mill stream, Freeman run, flowed
through the town into Sinnemahoning
creek, leading to the susquehanna river
The town proper was a smart little place
Of comfortable frame houses and more
substantial business buildings along the
main street, which ran from side to side
across the ravine The principal busl-
ness building included the brick structure
occupied Jointly by the Austin bank and
the postoffice, the department store OF
A. r.. Buck, the Goodyear hotel and the
Commercial house and numerous general
stores
Five minutes after the dam burst this
stage had been swept OF It's setting Along
the foothills were thrown teiescoped
houses At either end OF Main street
brick buildings acted as buffers as the
twenty-five foot wall Of water rushed
downward with it's mass OF debris Al.
most Hill high the wood. steel and brick
we're piled. a mixture Of the contents
OF stores and homes and OF varied length
timbers and sticks.
wrcckaEe of Dam Complete.
The wreekage OF the dam had been "a
complete az II was sudden. Two immense
sections from top 10 bottom a hundred
and fifty feet wide were thrown out bod
ily like the immense gates OF a canal
lock The outward swing was more than
fifty feet and on either side the remain
Ing structure began gradually to erumble
away
Repairs last spring had consisted OF q
patch OF cement fourteen feet square
One OF the severed sections yesterday be-
gan at that patch.
The cause % the breaking is matter
which the distriet attorney OF Potter
county will investigate. The Bayleas dan
was examined by experts more than a
year ago and recommendations were
made looking 10 its safety. The district
attorney has secured the names Of some
Of the experts who submitted the report
and win summon them to testify ct an
inquest TO begin this week,
Relief work has not been systematically
organized tonight. but II IL hoped that
by morning the chaotic conditions will
have been relieved somewhat. a..
Relief TrRin Arrives.
Shortly after II o'clock this morning
the first relief train arrived over tho
Pennsylvania railroad Four carloads Of
food and medical supplies from the state
arsenal composed the relief loads. rhii
was ordered by Governor Tener. and the
train left Harrisburg at 4;l0 this morn
ing In charge OF Major Finney OF thu
Eighth regiment N @. p, with eighr
men. as guards,
Al sunbury. Pa. twenty-one men o.
Troop { OF the state eonstabulary. al
the available men al hand, were taker
aboard and a delay OF an hour wa
caused by the loading OF the trooI
horses.
II was shown that there lie need Of
strong hand 10 guard the town. Pillager
had been al work during the night. fol
lowing the rumor that the vaults OF tn,
Austin bank and the safes OF severa
stores had been wrecked. The rumor wa
not true
The firemen and volunteers did sf
fective work in keeping off would b
plunderers.
In several cases the guardins had ham
10 hand conflicts with the mArauders, 4
which the latter were worstsd
The survivors OF the flood had not re
covered from the horror OF the seen
this morning and for many hours non
but strangers visited the uins As IN
day progressed small knots OF survivor
met and visited the sight OF the RUNE
town. Many striking incidents OF III
flood and escapes were reoounted.
Credit for the quick spreading OF th
alarm was given 20 Lena Bnchey, a te
sphone operator. Upon receipt OF the mes
sage from the cliff house that the dal
had broken, she pushed the alarm bu
ton connecting with the fire departmsI
and the engineers office OF the Goo
year Lumber mill below the town. tt
engineer tied his whistle down and IN