A TOWN SWEPT AWAY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 259, 7 November 1911, Page 3

A TOWN SWEPT AWAY.

: BURSTING OF A RESERVOIR. I TWO HUNDRED LIVES LOST. i A NIAGARA OF WATER. !• (N.Z. Herald- Correspondent) ! SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 4. The bursting of a cement! dam above the little town of Austin, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of October 1, by which, about 200 persons were drowned and property loss of more than £1,000,000 occasioned, seems to have been a foreseen and even an expected disaster. But with the inditiereuce to human life—their own as well as that of others.—characteristic of the American people, no one seems to have thought it prudent to change his place of residence from the little- valley because of the always impending danger cf

inundation. The dam was of conTeto, and held back a groat sea of water containing 500,000,000 gallons. It belonged to the Bayless Pulp and Paper Company, and W as used for the operation of ite mills, said to be the largest of the kind in tihe woda. These mills were the life of the little town of Austin, situated less than a mile below the dam, and containing about 3200 people. For more ifhan a year the inhabitants have feared Ixhe occurrence of just what happen- ; t:d last Saturday, but no protest was made, because iHie residents of Austin depended upon the paper cor- , poratkm for their daily bread. Recently the dam had been patched, and about a year ago, when the reservoir : was full of ice, a hole was dynamited ; in the dam to let the water out and ; prevent its giving way. A visitor to \ the town three months ago states i tttiat at that time the people were dis- j cussing the possibility of a repetition ! o* the Johnstown flood, in which 3000 people, were drowned.

A TERRIFYING SIGHT.

"When the dam burst a number of people were looking at it on account of the unusual occurrence that water was running over the top. Suddenly tihere was a sharp report, and it was'seen .that a hole had appeared in the west end, through which, water poured. In a minut© it was 20ft wide, and then the masonwork gave way in another place, and the, entire body of water was released. It was a terrifying sight as the Niagara of water poured down the narrow valley, a wall 50ft high, sweeping everything before it. The big pulp mill was directly in the path of the torrent, and was swept away. It picked up a forest of logs and carried them along like co many battering rains. Houses- were torn to pieces and carried away on the crest of the gigantic wave; .wreckage was hurled high in the air.

GIVING THE ALARM

The village below received practically no warning of the advancing menace. Harry Davis, who saw the dam burst, rushed to high ground to save himself; and from a- house there telephoned to the operator at Austin. She pushed the alarm bution -connecting with the fire brigade, and then rushed into the street screaming, "Tho dam has broken!" She-then made all speed to high ground, above'the town, from where she saw the advancing wall of water. "The people did not seem to appreciate their danger," she stated afterr wards in an interview. "Some turned into stores as if to make a purchase.. "While I was looking down upon them, helpless to give further warning, the cloud of mist that seemed to precede' tin© flood hid them from view, and a moment later the green water buried tthe houses from rhy sight."

OX THE CREST OF THE TORRENT.

The flood poured straight through Main-street, , the centl-al business thoroughfare of the village, carrying all the chief structures and also spreading on either side along the main streets. Men and women were caught unawares whilst witibin their homes, so sudden was the catastrophe, and children playing in the back yards were swept along on the crest of ''the torrent. A moving-picture theatre filled with people was overwhelnied in the flood, and probably none of the amusement-seekers escaped. !-

FIRE FOLLOWS FLOOD

After the wall of water had roared off down the valley, fire broke out; owing to the breaking of gas mains and tihe overturning of oil lumps. An unknown number of persons who were pinned in the wreckage of houses thrown down by the water were burned to death. Most of the buildings in Austin that were not swept away were practically demolished. It is thought tho town will never be rebuilt. Two of the large paper plants will not be reconstructed, and most of the business men of Austin have been ruined financially. The village of Costello, idiree miles below Austin, was wrecked by the flood, but because of the warning received by the inhabitant the fatalities were but few; it is believed onl,y three persons in Costello were drowned

A PITIFUL SCENE

As night fell on Austin the scene was a pitiful one. Wailing women were to be seen searching among the ruins for children and husbands, and men with/ lanterns spent th© whole night seeking their loved ones. Thieves took advantage of the confusion and darkness to ply their trade, and an armed force was found necessary ito protect the vaults of tjhe local bank. In several instances the policemen and firemen had hand-to-hand conflicts' with the plunderei-s. Utter chaos prevailed m the hours immediately following the flood, and the survivors seemed dazed, many or their natural leaders having been drowned. No organisation was attempted until next morning, when a company of the State oonstjabulary arrived and took charge of the situation: Among the.first orders issued was one prohibiting the railroads from bringing sightseers to Austin, and signs were posted on the chjef roadways permitting none to pass fcfut workmen. Hundreds of carnages and automobiles were tvirned away. Early reports from Austin were to the effect; that 850 people had been drowned. . Even with the reduced mortality, the flood was the most disastrous in the recent history of the Fnited States, with the exception of tfie Galvestc-n tidal wave in which COOO people were drowned, .and the Johnstown Hood, also occasioned by the bursting of a dam which was responsible for the death of 3000 persons. .