Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-05-02

lot SOllt SOIt OF CliSolAatN du lot prOD-
erty she had rented. ! was taken aback
by the way she had aged.
Life is funny, funny.
In october OF that year l found N.Y.
self in Albany. About half past three
call reached me from my partner up
in Paris.
You better come up" Sam Hold sug-
geSted anXiously. ITS been raining up
here in Vermont for twelve days with
out letup. The Green rivers on a ram
page and John Stevens engineers claim
that if the raceway dam above the
Process works goes out, Paris may be
drowned in four feet of water"
Reaching the Paris depot in safety,
however, l found Sam Hod was await
ing me %nervously. His car was parked
on the other side of Depot street.
I've brought you a raincoat," he de-
clared, and a pair OF rubber boots. I'm
county highway commissioner. you
know. and l got calls an hour ago from
Wexford. Cobb City and Barstow to
come up in a hurry and condemn the
east roads. Besides. l want to see and
report how much damage the floods
doing up-country. You've got to go
with me. Charley's staying to Bar
stow, one we get there, and I haven't
the stomach to drive back alone"
Charley who?'
"Fisk-the barber. His wife's up to
Barstow, visiting their girl. Things
look pretty bad up there. The old mans
worried"
Beyond Cobb City we began to grow
alarmed. Sans car had a water tight
carburetor, but swampS and mill ponds
were becoming small seas. backing up
ntrns "a fJt,nr CT rntnlnc IF E,~br,@ -
giving our machine the aspect of a
boat.
If this country down here's so
flooded cried my partner, what about
Lake ~Claymore?"
+. Lake Claymore was a five mile eX-
panse of water up above Barstow, an
artificial reservoir created by the
mighty dam of the New England Power
company. 1t swung between two noun
tains that drained all the water to the
Canada line.
Rain, rain, a deluge of rain. Rain
that Kissed at the windshield like sleet,
drove in around soggy curtains, dripped
down our pantlegs and washed on the
floor mat. AS we climbed the eastern
skirt Of Mad mountain, with BarstOW
ahead on its northern base, a great tree
gave way and crashed just behind us.
oN tNSiANy WV We AiiicSSQ Az III ill
other place a section Of highrOad had
gone. We had barely room, keeping
close to the mountain, to slip past the
washOut and gain the wooded rise.
Since leaving Cobb City we had met no
cars, returning that night was out of
the question.
BarstoW was a hamlet of 1900 people,
built in a ravine of precipitouS sides.
Like swallows nests its prim white cot
tages with their picket fences and
green blinds chung to the grades that
shut in north and south. The high
road around Lake Claymore dropped
! 200 feet in a mile and a half, descend
ing into the towns business section.
Our first sign of something wrong APP
peared as we passed a farm house just
curve winding down upon the village,
a string of automobiles were lighted by
our headlamps. They were all point
ed toward us and none of them showed
lamps.
Looks as if they was driven up out
Of the village for safety's sake" NUT
Sam. But where's everybody?
They've left their cars here and APP
parently run back"
WED better leave our own car here"
I said as we came down Grove street.
my Lord, there's no lights any,
where!" was Sans next exclamation.
Hope nothin' happened to the power
Just at that moment a man came
running from a homestead at our left.
He was swinging a lantern. We halted
abreast of him.
whats wrong in this place." Sam
The mar seemed to turn, though he
kept on running. He shouted back
something that curdled our blood.
What did he say?" Charley de-
manded.
HE said the dams going out at the
head of the valley. Come on, let's pile
Down the turns and twists of Grove
street we ran, guided by that fellow
ahead with the lantern. Soon we saw
other lanterns-a coagulated bobbing
them a hundred feet below us. Then
We heard the roar.
my God! Water!' cried Sam Hold.
1T must be down in Main street
We cut through a yard and slid down
IN embankment. People were below
is. We fell on the edge of them. Men
alternately sobbing and screaming. But
'nly lanterns were Lighting the scene
md whatever was occurring still lower
Town. We pushed through the crowd.
sam was ahead. I followed. Then
Charley. Abruptly 1 caromed against
Holds back.
Catch hold of something and hang
mi" he beloved.
Queer antics were occurring as we
our way forward. A hundred
fifty feet interviewed between our
and the telephone build
ng'S second story windows. Three py-
hon cables stretched from the south
ide to a phone pole planted inroil;
rom this pole to the embankment q
had been rugged. Along this I
lerial escape from the structure three
PEOPLE we're working their way by
vrithing. One of them fell as we
watched in cold horror. He was scarce
y a splash in that demonlike vortex.
DIT in the pitch with a Shrek he was
His companions, however, at
ength gained the bank.
Anybody left in tn place." doomed
| voice.
Barbara Taylor's up there. She
leave her switchboard"
Barbara Taylor! Babs! {
Has tn girl gone crazy?" l
"She told the rest of us to get out ,
While we could. She's warnin' all the ,
armhouses down the valley while the !
wires are still Open!" ]
Tho Qyoc IF oiphf h,,nIroI ~ - it, l.