The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-03-28
Ora Harding Brought Here
By Local Automobiles
Managed to Get On Top of
Railroad Train Shed.
SAYS MANY SUFFER;
ANIMALS DROWNED
Drift Food Is Picked Up BY
Men and Given to Women
and Children, He Said
All Required to Register.

Fatigue, suffering from the exposure
and from loss of sleep and food, Ora
Harding, formerly living at 120 West
Fifth street, Dayton, arrived in this
city about 1890 o'clock last evening
in an automobile with Billy Van Ettan,
final inspector Of the Westcott Motor
car company here. Harding had start
ed to walk into the country, after hav-
ing escaped fro mthe Pennsylvania
train shed, when picked up by the
Richmond party and brought to this
city.
Il started to work about o'clock
Tuesday morning" said Harding, who
had been employed at the National
Cash Register works. 81 could not
cross some of the bridges on account
of the high water and turned back to
my rooming house TO rthe purpose of
changing clothes as had given up the
idea of working that day. When I got
and went out to the street. Many peo-
pie were running towards the river
and / followed.
1.-THE fifth street bridge went down,
the railroad bridge went down.
81 started back to my rooms and
found that the streets were filing with
water and l ran to the railroad bridge
west of the Union station at the river.
People started to run towards where
we were and We pulled a number up
to the bridge with ropes.
1--WE got steam up on an engine
standing to the east of the station and
filled the train with people and run the
train to the station and transferred
them to the top OF the train sheds to
the second story. When We got the
train to a standstill the water was half
way up to the windows, with the wom-
en- inside the coaches, as they could
not climb on top the coaches. The men
helped the women up on top of the
coaches, then on to the sheds and into
the second story of the union station.
Attempted Suicide.
There was no loss of life Of per-
sons in this party although one Italian
attempted to commit suicide by jump
ing into the water. Others jumped in
after him and saved his life.
1--WE saw the drug store and two bus
mess rooms on each side of the store
at the northwest corner of Wilkinson
and Fifth streets burn. The blaze in
the drug store was caused by an ex-
plosion and the adjacent buildings
caught fire.
Animals Drown.
"Out of eight horses driven into the
station at the union depot Tuesday
noon four or five horses were saved.
They had scarcely enough room to
keep their heads out of water. The
station floor of course was much high
er than the street, SO you can imagine
the depth of the water in the streets.
Yesterday afternoon another train
near the bridge, which was above the
high water was run down to the sta
ton and women and those men who
were not drunk were allowed to get
in the caches This train was taken to
the end of the bridge, where 1T was on
high ground.
Ate Drift Food.
I'VE got OF and hunted around for
drift food, such as oranges and apples.
We had the steam in the engine going
and the women crowded around and
managed to keep fairly warm
Il heard the Celina reservoir had
broken and we made rush for the
highest place. We managed to get TO
the Third street bridge and then on
the levee on the other side of the next
bridge. We were received there by
members of the relief station in Day.
ton view.
I'VE all had to register and We were
fed. Then I started west and crossed
| the river on another railroad bridge
and come west on the National road
/ was picked up six miles west by the
Richmond Automobile party. .