The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-04-04
LIFE SAVING CREW
RESCUES ORPHANS
Captain Garland and Men From
Chicago Do Fine Work at
Fort Wayne.
LEADERS, STORY is GRAPHIC
Five Eoatioads of Children Taken
Safely Across Mile of Flushing
Water-Incidcnts Of the Flood
at Peru.

Chicago-Half-froZen and without
food, ffty-eight children and their at
tendants were rescued from the Fort
Wayne Orphan Asylum by Captain
Charles Garland and his crew from
the Chicago life saving station. Cap
tain Garland and six life savers re-
turned to Chicago from Fort Wayne
with their surf boat, but Immediately
departed for Terre Haute to continue
their rescue work.
Captain Carland's story was graphic.
He told how he and his men arrived
at the asylum just after four children
had met death when an attempt was
made to rescue them. Five trips to
the asylum were made by Captain
Garland and each time boatload wag
taken safely across half mile Of
swiftly flowing water Besides the
children four matrons and six men
were rescued from the building.
Garland Tells Story.
I'VE arrived at Fort Wayne when
the water was highest" said Captain
Garland. mo sooner had we arrived
when a report reached us that the
children were marooned in the Orphan
Asylum. One attempt had been made
to rescue them which ended disas-
trously for four of the children and
two brave men. The small rowboat
In which the would be rescuers had
reached the building overturned after
four of the children had been taken
from a second-story window. All were
drowned.
Conditions in the asylum were aw-
ful when six men and myself finally
reached the building. In one small
room, huddled together half frozen
and hungry, were the little girls and
boys with their attendants.
Many were crying, a few were
asleep from exhaustion. One of the
women had tainted.
Afraid to Trust Boats.
cat first they refused to trust their
lives to our boats. They had witnessed
the fate of the first boat and were
afraid. We finally carried twelve Of
the little ones out of the second-story
window and then our fight back start
ed It needed the combined strength
of every man on the boat to
fight the current and prevent the
boat from overturning. Then we
were hampered by the cries OF the
children and at times the one matron
we took with US would become panic
stricken After getting to shore the
children were placed in the care Of
merchants of the town, and we went
back for another load.
I'VE received different reception on
our second arrival at the asylum. A
shout of JOY went up when they heard
that the first load had been landed
safely. A little confusion resulted
from the natural anxiety of the tots to
get into the boat No one was hurt,
however, and after five trips we sue
ceeded in removing all the children
and their attendants to safety.
Children Go Hungry.
"The merchants thanked US for
what we had done. One Of the ma
irons told us the children had not had
a full meal for 48 hours. They had run
out of coal and were breaking up the
furniture in the place for fire wood.
The fire they kindled in the middle of
the room, Drawing the danger of the
entire building burning up"
Brings 200 Peru Children.
Charles H Thacher and his wife,
who live at 1850 Groveland avenue,
arrived here from Peru, Ind, with 200
Peru children, many of them now
orphans.
A man in Peru, having boat, de-
manded $50 from Thacher to take the
two away. There was another wom-
an in the marooned house. and the
boatman refused to take her.
"A shot was fired and the man fell
out of the boat, dead" said Mr.. Thach-
er Mr.. Thacher escaped with bis wife
and the other woman in the boat. A
second man, DR.. Hupp, offered a boat
man 800 to take his wife to spital,
there being imminent visit from the
stork. The man refused and the doc
tor knocked him out of the boat with
a brick. A Winona college student
rowed the doctors wife TO the hos
pital, where baby was born, mother
and child being saved.
Trio i'm Stolen Boat Drowned.
Three unknown men were drowned
at Peru when a leaky boat, which they
had stolen, sank. The boat was own
ed by Oliver Wilson, a farmer who
lives near the water line of the inter
urban tracks Wilson discovered the
theft when the three men were 100
yards from shore. When they had
gone a half mile, they appeared In
distress. The Wilson family watched
the men struggle in the water and
disappear. No effort has been made
to recover the bodies.
At Logansport heroic work was
done by the crew sent from Lake
Bluff and by the cadets from Culver
Military academy in saving lives.
Many pathetic incidents marked the
work of rescue.
In all more than 5000 persons were
rescued from marooned homes and
taken to safety IN rowboats. Many
lost everything they possessed
Horses. cattle and other animals were