The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-04-04
Lecturer Saw 20 Bodies Recov-
cred at Delaware, O.
MEANEST MAN A BOAT OWNER
College Girls Relate Death Scenes
and Heroic Rescue Work by the
students-Storles Of Other
Refugees.

Rev. e. o. O'Neal, who returned to
this city from a lecture tour. He
saw rescuers take 28 bodies from the
river at Delaware, o.
"All of the small towns along the
river have been swept away" he said.
THE greatest problem is food. The
victims are starving and freezing to
death. Those who are able to work
are making every effort to rescue and
help others. There Is no communica-
ton between towns.
When at Delaware l saw college
students make many thrilling rescues
by swimming out into the swift cur
rent and swimming back with a food
victim. One young man swan out and
and rescued 80 persons in one day. He
was the bravest fellow ever saw.
Women and Children Ahoat.
Il saw a house with one woman
and three children clinging to the roof
floating down the stream. The house
was whirling and bobbing up and
screaming for help. Persons on the
edge Of the food had small boat,
but they could not row fast enough to
caech up with the house.
THE house bore down on the Penn
sylvania railroad bridge and crash
ed against 1t. The mother caught the
bridge and went down. The children
went down, but came up again near
tree. The eldest child helped the
other two and help on to the tree. The
boat put out and rescued all of them.
"A few minutes later house with
q man about 75 years and his wife
fioated down the stream. The woman
was lying on the roof. The old man
was holding her. Suddenly the house
struck tree and the brick chimney
fell off. Then we saw the old man
lift his wife in his arms and carry
her to the chimney hole in the roof
and let her down into 1t. When the
rescuers put out in boat and caught
up with the house, one Of the res
cuers inquired of the woman.
She is dead said the old man.
She died two hours ago, and l was
afraid to let her lie on the roof be-
cause the water would carry her
away
Sees Man and Woman Drown.
Il saw another house with a man
and woman clinging to the chimney
to keep from falling off. The house
struck tree and the chimney crum-
bled. Both went down before the
81 boat reached them and we never saw
them again. These are only a few
instance Of the horrible things seen
In the flooded district
Il went from Delaware to Prospect,
and the same tragedies we're repeated.
At Prospect l saw the meanest man
In the world. The meanest man, l
think, Is a farmer who owned a boat
at Prospect. He lived across the riv-
er from the town. He lent his boat
to a Baptist minister who used 1t for
rescue work. They saved more than a
dozen women and children during the
day. 1t was the only boat In the
town.
Farmer Demands His Boat.
Although the minister could res
cue but two persons at a time he
was doing noble work. Many persons
were swept away before the boat
could reach them. Late in the after
noon the farmer came to the shore
and announced he wanted the boat.
He declared he would take the boat
by force. He said he wanted the boat
to go across the river and attend to
some business.
THE minister refused to give up
the boat, but offered to row the farm
er across the dangerous river, II he
could keep the boat. The farmer
grudgingly assented, and a newspaper
man from Marion and the minister
Fowed him across. II was the first
attempt to take the boat across the
Ewift river and was extremely danger
Gus.
THE preacher declared he would
take any risk in order to keep the
boat. They landed the farmer across
the river with much difficulty. They
started back and when in the middle
" the stream the boat capsized, and
both went down. With the boat hun
Lreds OF persons could have been res
cued.
Bread Famine at Delaware.
The victims need food more than
anything else. There is a bread fam
Inc at Delaware. To show they were
willing to do anything to help the SUI
ferers more than 100 students at Wes-
leyan college volunteered to leave the
city so there would be 100 less to