Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-04-04
WOMEN SEEK DEATH
INDIANA LIFE SAVER TELLS A
GRAPHIC STORY OF THE
FLOOD AT PERU.
he FERRIED MANY TO SAFETY
Thrown into Water Several Times by
pespairlno and FrenzIed Psssen-
aers-PaddIed Three Miles Through
the Tree Tops.

Plymouth, Ind.-Graphio description
Of the horrors Of the food at Peru,
Ind. was given by Gilbert Kessler,
one of the heroes of the calamity.
Weary, tired eyed and almost UNI
nerved from the loss of sleep and
the sights he had witnessed, young
Kessler, a muscular product OF
northern Indiana farm, staggered from
a relief train from the stricken city
at Plymouth. Here he recounted the
terrors of the inky nights when the
Wabash river drowned the piercing
cries of the frantic and the groans of
the perishing. To board the relief
train Kessler had padded three miles
In boat through the protruding tree
tops and debris that momentarily
threatened to wreck him.
crazed Woman Leaps to Death.
Kessler's most vivid picture was
the suicide of several fear crazed
women. who leaped from the rescue
boats. The roaring current and the
terrible sights, he declared. had mad
dened them.
ut was too awful ever to forget"
said Kessler with shudder. st was
cold and damp and misty, and the
sight OF that black water rushing on
pitilessly just seemed to take the
heart out Of most of us, especially the
women.
Might and day you could hear the
shrleks Of the women. And the con-
duct of some of tneml l vas plotting
one OF the rescue boats to our land
ing. the court house. and the boat was
pretty well filled. One of our passen-
gers was a woman,
I'VE were moving rather shaklly
through one of the main streets when
all of a sudden saw this woman rise
from her seat ana begin to wall; ooh,
what is the usei Wen all be drowned
anyway and she plunged from her
seat into the torrent
Tossed Overheard; Regains Boat.
THE next moment l found myself
In the water saw little arm stick
up for moment / made a grab for
1t, but 1t went down. There was no
chance to swim in that Niagara.
struck the stern of our rowboat and
seized it with one hand. Then l grad
ually drew myself aboard.
II picked up one of our oarsmen a
little later. He was still alive.
"But the circumstances considered,
you could scarcely blame the woman.
A great many OF them, though, suf-
Eered with stoiclsm that had to be
admired
Then again, had a similar occur
renee. We were bringing another
boatload to the court house when a
woman lunged out despalrlngly and
all of us went over. Again it was a
fight and managed to save myself,
Four times. altogether, l was thrown
out into that muddy stream and am
still wondering how / managed to es,
cape.
1.-THE current swept around street
corners with tremendous force and
only the most experienced oarsmen
could propel those craft with any de.
gree of safety. One OF the life savers
from Michigan City took too wide a
turn and they all landed in the tree
tops"
Were as many lives lost In the cap
Sizing Of boats as in the flood ltself?"
he was asked.
Eyes, but the boats were not to blame
because 1t required great experience tC
handle a boat in that current" he an
swered. I'VE had 200 boats, bu
there was so much loss OF life tina
finally the women refused absolutel.
70 enter the boats. They preferre'
to stick to roofs and second floors"
Bursting Of Dam Described.
Kessler then gave a description O
the flood on the first night.
ut was 1880 D. m. when the waite
burst upon the city" he said "a ten
porary dam had been constructed b
the lighting company and because q
the threatened condition of the We
bash plans were made to break hol
In the dam and let the water on
gradually Instead the dam gave on
and the water came with roar
Families had Just finished suppe
when the fire whistle sounded Slmu
taneously all lights went out. Peopl
ran out to see what had happene
and soon cries of anguish were hearC
In the rain and darkness you coul
not see the water until 1t was almos
upon you. felt It swishlng abou
my ankles and ran for my girl cousin
When l got to her house | vas wait
deep In water. Cries, shrieks and tn
reports of reyolvers rent the al
Swifter, swifter ran the water. NJ
cousin and were almost swept of ou
feet. Above the din | could hear
TO the courthouse! To the cour
housed Half swimming, half houl
dering, We reached there.
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