The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1913-04-09
Frightful Experience In Dayton Flood.

From the Marquette, Mich, Chronicle
of April 4th we clip the following account
of the experience of former Forest
county lad who was caught in the food
at Dayton, Ohio:
Grant Gillespie, son of Mr., and Mrs. w.
$. Gillespie, OF Birch. was in the Dayton,
O., flood. He is mechanical craftsman
and had arrived in Dayton only a few
days prior to the catastrophe. He says in
letter hone:
81 had worked just two days, Saturday
and Monday, and on Tuesday morning,
the water was so high around the shops.
they sent us home. Al about $50 the
levy broke and the flood came, and 1t was
awful. At 1890 there was water clear up
to the second floor, lacking six inches in
Cremer's house." This is where the
young man boarded. THAT was fifteen
feet from the sidewalk. We thought it
was coming in on that floor so we built
gaDgway across from our upstairs win
dow to the house next door which had an
attic above the second floor. We got the
women and children up in that attic.
Right straight back of us on the next
street was two story frame house. A
girl of eighteen was standing on the roof
of the back porch calling for help. l
watched her until the water got up to her
knees and went out. She called over to
me to come up and get her. told her /
had no boat. She said she could swim
and If | would swim over she would
swim back with me. The water was
quite swift and very cold, but fireman
and | took off our shoes and shirts and
started. He got part way and crawled up
on shed root. | went clear over and
then she wouldn't come unless | could
take her mother. Her mother was very
large woman and was crippled. took
cupboard and hoated IL out the window
upstaiIs but il wouldn't work, so the
only thing could do was to swim back.
ION my way back got tangled up in a
chicken fence and cut my arm q little.
By the time got out of that and back to
Cremer's, was about all in The next
morning the girl and her mother we're
drowned. Water was all over the house,
THAT night was certainly an awful
night. We conld count thirty men.
women and children on roofs, and in trees
before dark. All that night you could
hear them calling for help, and cold
rain fell all night, too. There was
woman went by sitting on a raft made OF
The current was awful swift and they
ran into pile of drift wood and went un-
der. The next morning the place didn't
look like Dayton. The G. Il II. freight
depot across the street was wrecked. Two
whole blocks up in the district had
burned About 10 m. a fellow came by
in canoe aud gathered up fifteen women
and five or six men off those houses and
out of trees and put them up with us.
They were just soaked and nearly frozen
stiff. That left quite bunch still 10 be
rescued. The fellow with the canoe
started away and upset down in The cur
rent We all stayed up there in the attic
two days and nights snd had nothing to
eat but three loaves of bread. We drank
rain water OIL the roof. There were some
with US who had lost their little children.
some their mothers, and one little kid.
two years old, We did not know who he
belonged W. We were finally taken of
Thursdsy forenoon in boats. / packed
al n,y good eioEhss 10 my suit case and
.bs o. Cd OEsrslis and shoes, teeAuse
sTsrFt-1rg wEs s2i1rsssd with mud.
Tesp Es-s esrryiuy al Old man out and /
lsfs -GF ssileAAe - help. and WAS going
5AeE s,iss i, bui they, the guards
USGitr'i lss re. That old man was an
invalid and had isiu upstairs in q house
10 bed. Ths water came up 10 the bed
aud be lay all Tuesday night with just
his face out OF water. Two women were
with him but they went out on the roof.
when got out of the boat they depu-
tized me as guard and l helped thirteen
hours. until the militia got there. Thurs
day night slept on the floor in church.
Every place was full and the churches,
too. Friday they sent the Erie men
passes to come home over the p. r. X.
and N. Y. C. One of them did not come,
so went on his pass"
The young man went to Gallon, Ohio,
where he is stopping temporarily. Quite
naturally the parents were very much
worried over the pro spect of injury com
ing TO their son while in Dayton, and
we're very much relieved by a telegram
Saturday assuring them that he was SAFE
The letter followed the telegram.
Mr.. and Mis- Gillespie came to Mar
quette yesterday to celebrate today their
twenty ifth wedding ami verssry. Over
two years ago Mr.. and Mrs. Gillespie
came to Birch from Pennsylvania. Mr..
Gillespie is in the numbering business at