The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-03-19
A crowd of Broadus pet

a CTOWC OI bToauuS people We're
on the bridge to witness the prelim-
mary fascinating spectacle. All but
four retreated to safety in time. A.
Montgomery and wife, Willis Martin
and l.. NJ. Graham were moment
late, for inthat time the water with
blocks of ice cut off their escape,
from the west side. They again
found refuge on the bridge and be-
lteyed they We're secure until the
water at its height had covered the
other approach. later to recede until
the prisoners found housing at the
S. r. Stanfield place. Graham going
to Jake Linville's to relieve the con-
gestion. Russell Newton had crossed
to the lridge on horseback en- route
home soon after the head waters
came and Deputy Sheriff Lee War
rem rode in to he of any assistance
but the high water lrecluded his re
turn at that time.
The telephone poles went down
across the river making impossible
communication with POwderyille or
other points down the river. Almost
every harbed wire fence along the
bottoms was laid waste.
Bob Robertson. iitney driver, who
had g, up Little Powder and re-
turniny. with Dick Drexel, reached
the bridge after dark and nearly
drove OFF into the seething water be-
fore he discovered the condition. The
two, Increased the number at Stan
fields.
The grade school house on the op
, posite bank OF the river was rendered
obsolete and pupils and teachers were
ency. 1t was believed school had
been held there for the last time as
the new building in Broadus was
nearly ready for occupancy and only
awaited transfer of the school room
equipment and installation of the fur
mace.
Sunday morning the Broadls party
took measures for their own return
home. \ raft was imlrovised and
Martin and Graham set sail using
long poles which they found would
not take hold ofthe frozen river bot
tom Hardly had they started nav
igation when disaster loomed ahead
They We're swished into a current
and had started downstream when
Martin grasped an overhanging tree
branch and with dexterity gained a
| safer position. With a rope he still
held he stopped the progress OF the
raft until Warren towed it back to
shore With his mount
Another incident was when Mont
gomery escaped a JOY ride to Pow
leryille astride an ice foe. With
| others he was Frying loose ice to try
and break up the gorge that had
formed both up and down the river
! from the bridge. He felt his fOun-
dafion moving and barely had time
to jump TO safety.
! Sunday afternoon Chas. b. Lewis
on horseback was riding the oppo-
site bank and his attention directed
by a gun shot from the Broadus con-
tingent. Lewis saw their predica
ment and believed it possible to get
them across in wagon. John +.
Singer, employed by A. W. Rue, was
on this side with such a conveyance
and volunteered to make the trip
across. assisted by Bert Straiton. and
pil0ted ly Lewis on horseback. Wars
rem met them and after cutting a
barbed wire fence the shore was
reached and the party returned with
out further mishap.
But in the return trip Singer and
Lewis had difficulty with ice fields
disl0dged by rise of water. Sing
er's horses rearing onto a large ice
block probably broke the Wagon
tongue. as they were soon struggling
entangled in the harness. Singer in
icy water waist deep eXtricated the
animals. also saving the harness. but
the wagon was lost and foated dOwr
stream. Lewis and his horse were
having difficulties of their own il
Iavoiding ice but arrived at an op
lportune time for Singers relief. TAX