The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-27


The ice jam, which looks
composed of slabs of ice as
high as a houses side down
to door-mat hunks.
The pile up, now only a quarter
of mile long, cracked and broke
into bits, and frozen chunks banged
over the Indianapolis Water Cos
Broad Ripple dam to the delight of
hundreds of sightseers.
Here's What 1t Did
Breaks were described by one
spectator as, Ice slabs upended and
almost standing in air like some
magic hand twirled those slabs on
wires"
Here's what the ice jam did:
1t made Ravenswcod look like
prehistoric ice age Residents, &C
customed to the song River Stay
Away From Our Door," hummed
ice please melt" as porches, yards
and business buildings were sur
rounded by hunks of ice
The beer parlor of Frank Arens
was iced by the river. Roy Good
pasture, grocer, moved canned goods
and staples into his upstairs bed
room. The towns dance hall was
a good swimming pool.
One Refuses to Leave
While Deputy Sheriffs Ralph
Randall and Elmer Stewart aided
by townsfolk and other deputies,
evacuated homes using rowboats as
free taXiS, the word rippled with the
White River current that "Magill
won't leave. He's the only one who
won't bulge from his home. We've
gone down there twice TO get MIN
out"
And so two Indianapolis Times
reporters went to see the only man
who wouldn't leave. They found
three families and two dogs BRAY
ing the swift currents eddying
around their porch-steps.
In canoe, ducking under clothes
lines and passing the towns gas
station with water halfway up the
pumps. we persuaded the paddler
over his Il wouldn't go to Magill'S
for love or money
Smiles at Trouble
We saw smiling woman stand
ing at a doorway in one of the
newer two-story resort homes. She
looked down at water 18 inches from
her door.
Steering clear of a rose-bower we
nosed to her doorstep. Ice cakes
nudged each other in her backyard.
Mrs. HILBERT Swift was quick to
smile and say. This is a thrill
we're getting. We're not moving out.
Water was on the floor but now it
isn't. We always can move to the
second story. Food? Why. we al
ways can open another can.
There're my husband and me, my
daughter and her child, and oh!
yesl the neighbours dog. We res
cued him. You wouldn't care
to stay for supper tonight? All
right
Siding with the current through
front-yard bushes, scraping yard
swings, circling car marooned in
the street. we found Robert Magill,
20, who won't leave his home.
No Place to Go
Magill, former town marshal,
"baches" with his dog Brownie"
He asked the gondoleers What
should Ismove for? Where would 1
go?"
The question unanswered, he
tilted his cap off his round, quizzical
face and beamed on his visitors.
just to prove the water was not as
high as iii the past he measured his
doorstep for a 10 inches to 60"
He said he still had his kitchen
table top and the roof yet to go"
If he needed it.
"Coal-I've a bucketful. Had to
get that by wading in three feet of
water, barefoot. I ordered some coal
but I guess they won't bring it." he
said as he eyed the water eddying
at his doorstep
Cigaret Supply Low
I've got groceries enough to last
two days. I've no telephone. but
some one will get me if it gets too
bad" he added.
He admitted his cigaret supply
was low. 1t was replenished and,