The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-02
OFFICIALS TAKE HOLD SLOWLY
No ONE ~ CHARGE AT AUSTIN
FOR NAVY HOURS.
Complaint That County Authorities
stayed Away The Burgess stirs Him.
self After Twcnty.four Hours Then
state steps In and work Begins.

self After Twcnty.fOur HOurs-Thc'
| state steps In and work Begins
AUSTIN. Pa. Oct. THE rescue
workers. hampered by the heavy rain
to-day. had recovered only thirty-siS
bodies when they stopped work because
OF darkness late this afternoon The
estimate Of the dead then ranged from
$50 to 500.
| A noticeable feature of the disaster
was the absence Of the county officials.
who usually are on the scene early at such
time. Potter county has no Coroner
because II was not regarded worth while
to have successor named to the last
one. In cases usually requiring a Coroner
the inquest is held by a justice OF the
peace District Attorney Harry Wilson
OF Coudersport did not go to Austin to
| investigate. The absence OF the tsu1
officials led the executive committee OF
the Borough Council to meet this forenoon
and request Gov. Tener to direct rigid
| estigation, and the Governor replied
| that he and Adj. Gen. Stewart would
| visit Austin to-day.
State Senator Frank F.. Baldwin. who
has taken a leading part in the work of
the committee which has been investi-
eating Philadelphia, took an active part
in the days work. although greatly af-
fected by the death Of his crippled father
and blind mother. who were lost with
their daughter Mrs. Michael Collins,
when she was trying to save them. Sen
ator Baldwin and his wife rushed out
Of their home to go to the aid Of his
parent but the food drowned them
before their eyes and he and his wife
narrowly got out themselves. Senator
Baldwn's brother-in-law. william NJ.
Terr, the postmaster, and his wife were
saved by the prompt action Of Burgess
Murrin in breaking down a barbed wire
fence that hindered their escape.
The rain was not the chief reason why
little progress in the rescue work was
made to-day. The workers numbered
eighty-fve men brought from Olean this
morning. Although the State Health
Commission stan reached Austin at S
A. NJ. it was not until late in the afternoon
that Burgess Murrin formally requested
the department to take charge Of the
situation. The physicians and sanitary
engineers had no authority to take action
until requested to do so. because the vii
lage is an Incorporated borough. As soon
as the request was made Chief Medical
Inspector Roger consulted with Lieut..
Mair of Troop | Of the State constabulary
at Pottstown and energetic plans we're
made which were submitted to william S.
Dixon. State Commissioner Of Health.
when he arrived on a special train at 8
o'clock tonight.
1t was then determined to engage 200
men from Buffalo and other cities to come
To Austin tomorrow to begin cleaning
up the ruins in earnest. Ssanitary en-
gneers. under Chief Engineer q. Her
bert Snow. will he out early tomorrow
morning inspecting the broken water
and gas mains and preparing plans for
temporary sewer system. The bridges
in the main part OF the town were all
wiped out and it will be the dlNy OF the
engineers 10 construct these bridges for
use during the rescue work
F.'N Hamlin. who is president Of the
Borough Council "a we'll as superintendent
OF the Bayless company plant. was taken
to the hospital late this afternoon suffer-
ing from nervous prostration. DR., Ash
craft Of the State Health Department. in
charge of the hospital. refused to permit
Supt. Hamlin to he seen.
G. ~ Fray of the Registrars depart
ment in the Health Board reached Austin
late tonight and will assume charge of
issuing death certificates. which have not
been issued thus far because there was
nc person with the authority to issue them.
Mr. Fray will also institute a registration
of the inhabitants to-day in order TO de-
termine just how many persons persisted
The fear OF thefts and operations by
oh lal h, o,,thnr,ttaS tN-ninhf -
drive every one from the wrecked part
OF the city
Several thefts reported on Saturday
afternoon immediately after the food
induced this action. From the cash
register in the Austin Hardware Com
ing withstood the flood The cash register
in the bar Of the Hotel Goodyear was
robbed Of S45 and there was a further
theft OF $500 reported from the Goodyear
This afternoon when Chief of Police
Baker was inspecting the ruins towerd
Costello he saw three men hammerng
away at large iron safe The men ran
"The place is full Of thieves now" said
Constable Harler OF Eldred. who came at
the request of his friend. Senator Bald
win. and in his capacity as health officer
helped to direct the work OF the eighty
five workers in the ruins to-day. II was
drew lines around the wrecked district.
Senator Baldwin estimated to-day that
800 houses had been demolished in the
flooded district. They were occupied by
the leading citizens Of Austin. The Poles
employed in the mills lived on the fringe
of high land around the city. called the
Snowshoe. Asked II he believed the food
was the result of the negligence Of some
one, Senator Baldwin said:
-Well. l guess the dam just broke.
Many OF our people worked in the paper
mill and we we're more or less interested
in it. 80 we thought il slfe"
Burgess Murrin said he talked with
Supt. Hawley about the dam a month
ago and Hawley said:
I'm on easy street now. I've got the
new dam finished and feel safer"
Nobody thought the dam was danger
Gus except the women" said the Burgess
-Supt. Hawley told me he would have a
man always ready to blow the whistle
to warn us IL the dam broke, The man
was ready yesterday and ran for the
whistle, but before he could blow it the
mill was in ruins.
when the fire whistle blew | thought
some one was fooling and l ran over
where the boys pulled the fire engine out
When saw the mountain OF spray coming
down the street with toppling buildings
behind II knew what had happened and
ran for my home. l saw my wife reach
high ground safely and was able to hell
the postmaster and his wife.
Austin seems to have been i'll fatpd since
I@l txpA g..