The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-02-18
hioWonan Tells
ofFlood Tragedies

these little towns OF California
and Newton, which I must ex-
plain are only two and three
miles away from us-the people
never dreamed the water would
go up so much higher than it ever
had before, so they began quietly
to move their furnishings into
their second floors. Then when the
waters kept on rising at a very
fast rate of speed, and it kept on
the rescue boats came
along to take people from their
second floors, standing in a couple
feet of water even up there. Some
of the people were even then re-
luctant to leave everything they
owned behind! In many cases
people climbed to the roof, cling
ing to the hope that the waters
surely were going To stop and 60
down, but old Man River kept
right on coming up. What 1 be-
gan to say is that on those first
days and nights. Daddy was out
working day and nighs, helping
rescue people from their flooded
homes and doing all he could to
help. He had some very gripping
you can be sure.
Many an hour 1 was waiting at
home, wondering when he would
come back and whether or not he
had accidentally fallen into the
angry old river. I guess if I had
lynnyuro Nf fhn 1,n
had to take l would have worried
even more! 1t was always with a
great amount of relief and hap
pineSs that we welcomed him
back. All the women in the
section whose husbands were
out doing the same thing, said
just what l was experiencing
they couldn't accomplish any
thing. They just walked through
the house and back, tried to con-
centrate on something and could
MT, and finally decided to just sit
back and not try to get anything
done, but listen to the radio re-
ports, watch the weather, and
wait for our husbands to come
home again, then see them go out
again, and come back again! So
all of us were very happy and
thankful when all the refugees
from these two places were safe
ly up here, housed in our school
house, which 1 must also tell you
is just a block from our church
and home.
l heard this morning that one
certainly gets a real heartache to
go and look at these little towns
l spoke about above and see them
now that the water has receded,
how the people are trying to clean
up the meSSeS and debris. Radios
and pianos are seen in some
yards, completely ruined, CHM
neys of some of the homes fallen
in, one house on top of another;
in fact, l don't know what there
will be that is worth anything.
Those poor, unfortunate people!
Can you just imagine what it
would be like to go back to that
type of thing? I guess we who
don't have that problem will new
er quite know the pang it must
send to the soul and heart.
The other evening Milo was
talking to a couple who told him
they lost their first home in the
California state earthquake, then
their second in the Kansas hurri-
cane, and now their third has
gone down the Ohio. Still they
were able to smile and say they
felt they could go on and start
over again! The man was wear
ing an old coat that the Red Cross
had given him (even their cloth
ing is all gomez and he was able
to smile when he said he was go
ing to return that coat just as soon
as he could get back to work and
afford to get himself one. Now, 1
ask you-doesn't it take courage to
smile in the fact of all that? Milo
said they were a fine couple, and
they want us to come and see
them when they become re-estab-
IIshed again! Just TO hear them
talk makes me want TO sob.
The other day a little nine year
old refugee boy, who was saved
with his family from their flood
ed home, was taken in by their
friends right near us here. The
little fellow was not used to the
strange surroundings, went out to
play and accidentally fell into a
huge reservoir which is ordinarily
used to distribute water to this
section of the city. His IL year
old sister frantically jumped in
after him, and although she was
saved by two men who saw the
tragedy, the little boy was drown
ed before they got to him. Milo
had the funeral service for him
day before yesterday, and he said
1t was very sad. Just imagine,
they lost everything they had in
the flood, and then had to lose
that little fellow, too. Milo re-
marked what heart breaking
things have happened in the
midst of all the other suffering.
When we were in the city the
other day, it was quite a rare
thing to see men and women car
rying tubs and pals of that pre-
cious fluid-Water- down
the main streets of Cincinnati.
The water has had to be rationed
out in certain sections of the city,
so it is quite usual to see lines of
people waiting turn to get their
jugs and pals, buckets, anything
they have, filled with water, all of
which must be boiled 10 minutes
at least! But to see the other
wise sophisticated main streets of
Cincinnati travelled by folks with
kettles and all sorts of containers
over their arms, filled with water,
is certainly a strange sight, al
most a picture of olden times
when people carried their jugs of
water long distances. 1 hope we
never will see this again.
Well, I'm afraid I haven't told
you nearly half the things Milo
al l,oI he