The Mena weekly star., 1911-10-05
TOWN OF AUSTIN
 IS WASHED AWAY
Continued from first page)

were employed there. A rescue party attempted to reach the lnter- for of the ruins, but were driven back by the smell of burning flesh. Strong men became towards, and until help comes from the outside little can be done to ascertain tue loss or succor the injured.
 Whole Families Wiped Out.
 Whole families have been wiped out, among them some of the lead ing people in the town, but in the darkness and confusion it is impos- sible to tell just who is left. The number of dead is ruw estimated a; from $50 to i,U01, iiic population ef the town having been 3,200 before the disaster.
 An incident of the flood came to light when Harry Davis. the aged engineer who was standing near the dam when it broke, found that his family had been saved. Even while searching for them, distracted by the fear that they had been lost, he found time to answer the telephone and reassure frightened persons liv- ing at a distance, who, hearing ru- mors of the calamity, feared for the safety of their loved ones.
 Natural Gas Ignited. A dangerous situation developed immediately after the great wall of water had passed Austin is piped | for natural gas, and the great force of the flood tore the mains from the streets. One of them, the largest lpipe in the town, burst. A few min utes later the gas gushed out, and | in a twinkling it had taken fire. There was no explosion, but the flames leaped to height of 25 feet or more, and, blown by a strong wind, were communicated to the nearest house.
 In ten minutes a dozen other gas pipes had burst and were pouring their deadly inflammable fluid into the air. Men who had rushed for ward in the hope of doing some good were overcome and fell, while others were caught in the flames and incinerated. The street be- came a glowing furnace, and there was no salvation for those who chanced to be near. How many per-
 ished at this point is not known, but one estimate places the number at a score.
 Many persons, crushed and help less in the wrecks of buildings only lpartly destroyed by the water, were
 consumed in the flames. Their shrieks could be heard by the help-
 less ones who, awakened from their paralysis by the scenes about them lendeavored to save a life here and there and where it seemed possible But they were driven back by the
 deadly fumes of the gas or the heat of the flames, and half an hour later
 after the flood had passed they stood
 on the hillside, pitiful in their in-
 ability to do anything but bemoan
 the fate of their friends.
 Tried in Vain to Save. | Here the first organized effort al
 relief was made. Maddened by the
 sights about him, one man with
 tears streaming down his cheeks
 cried for volunteers to save the lives of men whose cries for help
 were gradually growing fainter. | Watched the Dam Give Way. l Tt was wonderful sight," said
 Harry Davis, Buffalo & Susque-
 hanna locomotive engineer who was
 in the little knot of persons near the
 dam when it broke. There was
 nothing to indicate that the dam
 was about to give away, and some- one had just remarked about it's
 strength, when, with a sharp report
 hole appeared in the west end. In
 a moment water poured through
 and it was immediately seen that
 the hole was getting larger. In a
 minute it was 20 feet wide and ex-
 tended almost the entire height of
 the dam. Then there was another
 report and it seemed as if the whole structure was giving away. With cry of alarm I rushed to
 the nearest high ground and per- sons scattered in every direction. It
 was apparent that the great body of water behind the dam was going out. Some was caught, and before I could
 tell what was happening the water was tearing deasn Freeman Hun, sweeping everything before it. The sound was deafening, but I
 had little time for that. There was house close by, and rushed to the telephone and called the operator in Austin. She did not have much time to telephone the alarm, but think she did her best. I guess she is dead. l have not heard anything about her since.
 II came down to Austin as soon as possible, but it was an awful sight. The water had torn through the place, taking all the principal build lngs and crushing houses. Then the
 fire broke out. The timbers and sides of houses were piled up high against the railroad shops, and they were soon in flames. I knew there were men in the shops, how many I can- not say, but there was no way to help them. They were probably burned up. 1 have not seen any of them since.
 Fire fin Many plaoac at n,,