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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1911)
1 THE E PERISHED IN FLOOD AND BLAZE Man Who Visits Scene of Dis 'aster. Says ; Early Estimate of Deaths Far Too Low Other Town Suffers. ' - , 3 Ik :, United Pftwa Lctlrd WLr..) .'- Port Allegheny. Pa-. Sept. 0. With ' fir and 'water' atlll working-; havdc ' In tho little city -of Austin tonight, Bur ; aTees Murrln, wno escaped, death In the disaster, . declared he blleved whjn a final Hat of the dead waa made. It would ; be found 'that 1000 persons had per ' lshed-'in the flood, r.. . : ' ' ... Havrnz .1ut returned from the stricken city at midnight tonight, U J, Reaenor.-? a prominent Jeweler - of Port Allegheny, told the United tress tnat : the early estimate Of from 300 to 600 ; dead would prove far too lowf He had Just talked with Burgee Murrln, who k was directing such reacue work aa could be carried on. -s . r ' ' ,'Srv: - Towa trader Water. 'l never expect te again witness auch a Bight1 a greeted me when I reached Austin,", aatd Resenor. "The entire alte of where the town once' stood la under IB feet of water. Bodies are 'floating everywhere. . There are few uninjured to car for, though. x lie uiiiauiia w iiu wen tivw ui uwucu 'Outright wheu theflrst avalanche of water struck escaped .one death only to WISH . UQ H1BBIICU UUWU UUCl 111. Will' bers that followed. . i "The entire scene was lighted up- In a arhastlv faahlnn hv th llirhta nt flraa rapidly destroying every nortlon of the du tidings left above water, We could see men and women, evidently badly in Jured. struggling wildly in the water, attempting to hold on to floating tin), ber. - Then they went down. .: . "The main street of Austin is so nar row and so hedged In by hills that the water ran through as though confined In a canal. There la no, doubt in my mind, nor In -others who have visited the scene that possibly 160 persons , were drowned at Coatello, only thre . miles away. The waters are "ittTT pour in a over the devastated town. "The only rescuework that is being ; carried on is Deing aone only by the light from the burning structures.. It will be Impossible to- rtscue many bod lea until daylight. With the great amount of timber turned loose In the flood, no boat can live In the waters, and the workera have mostly -to stand on the edge of' the flood and drag out such bodies as they can reach with 'pole. - "All of the money In the Austin Na tional bank may be safe. The cashier heard the roar of the .waters aa it brake loose from the dam and having, for the past two years," lived in fear of a flood, he knew what it meant The money was quickly gathered together and thrown Into the vault. This was locked . and th office force - fled.. Pianos Selling Fast Head "Last Days" announcement Koh ler & Chase piano clearance sale, page 7, section 1. thia paper. . OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. ' SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 1. ' 1911. Ilia ; IMPRISONED'WATERS BREAK BONDS. RUSH : UPON HUNDREDS (Continued from Pag One.) , bodies caught In th wires and terribly tim. . -.- ----- -r Many bodies are being recovered along the banks , of the . river, some having been, swept five miles below the city. Rescuing parties are busy, fighting th flames tonight, seeking to sav th ' bodies, buried there, from incineration. Many were imprisoned in houses washed ' onto high ground by the flood, bu soon j they were Into th fire, aone. l.j Stat Senator F. A. Baldwin narrow ly escaped death In the , deluge. father and tils mother were drowned. Baldwin , fought , gallantly agalifnt th waters to sav- his aged ' parents but without success, ; Fire departments from Emlthport, Coudereport, .; 'Bradford and Keating Bummlt were rushed here to '. fight th flames, v. 1 ' '-.': -- i rtro Couplet work,.'"" ':').'' Th wreck of the, buildings left the gas mains open and the flames spread rapidly. All of the buildings-hot com pletely destroyed by the flood war swept by-the fire, which biased -along the- ruins, Juoiplng ..from ga pipe vto gas pipe. . - Clothing Is belna collected at Court sport and Emporium for th. hundreds now destltut and homeless. . The Austin hospital was soon filled with injured and bodies' were '. piled up In rows on the lawn outside. ' Two tralna from Keating Summit . carried food and clothing, doctor, nurses and medicines .into th .destroyed town asd brought Injured on their return. ; The hospital Is situated on a high hill and scaped,-the flood.. . - Among tne nrt refugee to : reach Keating Summit was the chief druggist Of Austin.. He had . seen 1 mother caught in th falling wails . of their home, beside the store, and killed. He had barely escaped with bis life. When the water swept past the mountain of broken wood, of tumbled stone and brick and of warped wires at 'the Inter section of Main and Turner streets. It was flooded Z0 feet deep and of still In creasing momentum. ... The schoolhouse of Costello, Ilk the. hospital at Austin, stand on a hill. But It was destroyed, and that tells In a nutshell th damage to the town Not one quarter of Costello's build ings was so well situated. The people of Coatello heard the on-rushlng waters in time to escape. ' Warns, Then Escapes. Th first alarm of th dam breaking was given by a telephone lineman who. saw th advance of the water from the ton of a oole. He tore ud a long dis tance wire and notified Oaleton with his test set and then fled toth JilU. .. . .... t,. ' Dareiy escaping wuu nis mo. The country around Austin is niiea with wells of natural gas and the gas in the mains began. to burn, adding to the hofc-or .of th scene. ...... . , The fire aooaratua from Olean, N. T., which arrived at Austin earjy In th evening was practically useles a all water connections in the town naa Deen destroyed by the flood. , Cries of th victims Imprisoned In demolished and burning buildings were heard in very section of Austin. In January. ItlO, the concrete dam across Freeman's Run at Austin, Pa., erected at the Austin plant of the Bay less Pulp A' Paper company of. Bing-r hampton, N. T., waa dynamited when it was feared that a heavy flood was go ing to cause it to give way and destroy the town. A small section of the dam waa blown out. relieving the weight of the water back of It and saving the town at that time. ; The Bayless company's paper mill and u.,..m.n u mmsmmeap. ONLY WOMAN HARNESS MAKER ON COAST. WORKS IN SAIEM A STORE WHERE LADIES CAN TRADE Mationd Wine Co Family Liquor Store The Largest Mail Order House in the- Northwest Highest Qualities and Attractive Prices at All Times Special For One Week Beginning Monday, Oct. '2, Until Saturday, Oct 7 Kentucky Bourbon and Pennsylvania Rye Whiskies v ABSOLUTELY-- STRAIGHT AND PURE Five-year-old .Bourbon . . . .... . . . . . . ;Per )GaL $3.00 Eight-year-old Bourbon . . ; . . .Per Gal. $5.00 Eighteen-year-old Reimported Bourbon. Per Gal. $8.00 Five-year-old ;Rye .'. . ... . .Per GaL $3.00 Eight-year-old Rye . . . . . . . . . . . . , Per GaL $5.00 Mountbourne Medicinal Tonic,Port or Sherry Wine Full Quart HILLWOOD BOURBON -Full Quart $1.00 MULTNOMAH PURE RYE Full Quart $1.00 NATIONAL WHITE LABEL . -Rye or Booirbcn full Quart $1.2? NATIONAL RED LABEL . Rye or Bourbon Full Quart $1.50 NATIONAL , NO. 6 Full Quart $1.75 We Carry a Full Line of. J. J. Imported Scotch Whiskeys, Imported Cordials, "Im ported German, French and Italian Wines and Im ported French Brandies at the Very Lowest Prices : . , Our Delivery Wagons Carry No Signs'- --T-Insuring No -Publicity on Delivery:'--' Express Prepaid on Out-of-Town Orders of $4 or Over National Wine Co. "FIFTH AND STARK STREETS; PORTLAND, OR. Phones Main 6499, A-4499 : ; " (f it Ill , : i : r- l i -:" ' w ',..-i'.-A if:.-- ', f II , III , r- rt : A' ::Xlr-Asv' wv.ii III I m ' rr. . W III S - . , -. , . ....-. . v . .. .............. '. - - , do;-' ';'-' ''.. v ' ESTIMATE IS MADE sfOR MUNICIPALITY Total, If Not Cut Down, Will Be $2,267,962; Mayor Has . Pruning : Knife; Ready t to MWake Big'Swipe.;:;1 Mra.-R. E. Clark, who .Mys there Is no part of the harness .trade aha can't (IUImb Unrein nf lilt loarnal.V. Salepi. Or.. Sept. SO. Mr R. E. Clark ot Salem, enjoya the dlsUnctlon of be' Int tha only woman on the Paclflo ooaa actively eng-aged In hsmeea. making. Commercial traveler who. have covered every, city on this coaet handling leather workers' euDPlles declare they have' in vestigated .tnla. claim tor . Mrs. Clark! .and know it to be true. In the entire United fitotea, r they say, they know of but two other1 women harness maker, any they are .in'New Tork city. "I. have been running thia ahop '. en tirely alone for several devajhls week while Mr. Johns is awayT said Mrs. CTark yesterrfay, "and t Jiava not turned away . a bit of repair work. I mak every part of the herness and do all kinds of harness repalrlna;.' I can as sure you there ia at least one woman in ' the world who knows more than to put 'a1, collar- upside- JowjLOft"" a' horse or put, 'the crupper over. his' head. , ' , "I fell Into the knack of mending liar ness' while's, girl In my home In Eng: land, where ray uncle had at' harness ahbp.- I loved the smell of leather and. epent air my spare time In the shop.T maKlns;, loops and' riveting on '-buckles. After I had been, married and we moved te -America my health completely broke. I was . weighing 94 pounds when I de cided Mo work in the harness .shop to regain my strengtn. I have now been aV the work six years ani) weigh ,148 pounds' and 'believe Lam si strong a woman aa can be found In Salem, I bell.eve. the smell of leather baa saved my life." V"--:-k-4.1. ' , ,- . Mrs. , Clark has a cosy home, where a largeprt of the town ia located near the creek and aa the valley Is .very nar row and the surrounding hills very steep, .rising for half "a mile below the dam to a height of 800 feet, there has always been apprehension at Austin dur Ing aeasona of floods. Freeman's Run baa a water ahed, of approximately 15 square miles which is qultemouytainous. In the" summer and fall the water In Freeman's un was , not -sufficient to operate the pulp mill and It years ago a dam waa built a mile above the mill to impeusd. 36.000,600 gallons of water. Tno construction work was done 'by C J.- Brltnall and -Company,-Binghara-ton, N.'T. i'The dam "was completed De cember 1,10 --When it was compreted there was one email vertical xsrack about SO feet to the right of the spillway. ht crack' extended, from the top-to the grund level. It was about one-slxeenth of an Inch wide. Within. a month after the completion of the dam, another crack .appeared. Neither of these waa tha re sult ot water presaure, as no water aau as yet been Jet into the dam." During the "week of January 17, 1910. tha weather grew warm, rain fell, anow on the mountains melted and in three days the dam waa completely filled. The town., of Austin was greatly alarmed, fearing that the dam Mfht give way. Ena-lneerinr fJews, ia its issue or, March 17, 1910, stated that appearances clearlr Indicated themovement of the aam aownsirea.m,-' a. yari ui u.iu was constructed in freezing weather. Engineering News reported on March 17. 1010, aa follows: . "Nothing has been done toward rein forcing this dam. It is now being used and at this writing carries a depth of S3 feet of water and no further, move ment has been noticed." left-Efforts at rescue 'and recovery of bodies have been- hampered by the flames. Hundreds of persons from this City have gone to the aid of Austin. Special relief trains are belna; sent by the Buffalo & Susquehanna railroad. Calls tor berp .were sent to Keating Summit,' Emporium and ether town near there and were sent to other places. ' BUILDINGS JAMMED .1 AND PILED SEVERA1: HUNDRED FEET HffcH (By the International News BcttIc. ) ;i Kaatina- Summit. Pa,, Sept 80. "1 was an eye witness to- the deluge that, hurl ing Itself down the Slnnemahonlng val ley, a wept through Austin, picking up Its buildings aa though "they were kind ling wood, lamming them Into the little gully below, on -the town and huTylng Its Inhabitants la the debris," said C. J. Buckley, who rode nine miles on horseback to report the disaster. "With my own . eyes I saw whole TamlUes entire family connections swept away. ' ."Then the flood. passed" and I aaw dosens of- persons lying dead In what had once been streets. I cannot describe the horror of the scenes. I fled nine miles on horseback to tell the world of the disaster. "As I sped away from Austin I' turned to look back upon the scene and dashed away. Jn horn;.; for everything was gone beautiful homes, big brick buildings the opera house-rail In a heap, at the mouth of the gully and piled sevwat-'hundredl feet high. "All - out of thia glgantlo pile the flames, were creeping. ' "I could see women tearing their hair and hear them screaming as they trept through the heaps of dead and dying. Already the priesta and clergymen wre busy. The Boy. Father O'Brien and the ReW Mr. Harter were 'doing "heroic work. They administered the last "Some of the- victima were without leg and jarma; the heads of some were crushed. It waa appalling. I , "Thousands of people lined they hill side as I spurred away. Some or them were without clothing. All fft them wn without food and many ware so badly Injured that they could not walk. ."Everything l nav in tne world is swept away. I' am penniless, but I m-fortunate' to have escaped with my life." f . ' ' AWFClL SCENES ARE DESCRIBED BY EYE . . WITNESS TO FLOOD ; (Continued from Page On.) POSTAL SAVINGS BANK DEPOSITS - TOTAL $67,586 ' The third, week of the' postal e savings bank, ... finds n aggre-v, gate of l87,5iavdrposttpd, divided among 1250 accounts and 1533 4 ' deposita "Withdrawals amounted .';to. I8E98 In 133 withdrawals. Stamp and card sales amounted w to $45.10. B'tmpi and cards - cancelled amounted to $21. yesterday . fc7 accounts - were w opened and 322 deposits made for 35318., bixtVen withdrawals were made, amounting to $412. Card sales amounted to $1. Dur- 4 Ing . the week 317,576 was de- posited, ' " . RODGERS FLIES 205 MILES, 258 MINUTES Ravare, Ohio, Sept. 80. Two hundred and five mllea from Kent to Ravare in a total flying time of 258 minutes was the record made today-by, Cal P. Rod- gers In his Wright biplane on the four teenth day since the start of his ocean V ocean flight for the $50,000 William R. Hearst prize. ' His fastest time was made- between Aurora and Burbank, a distance of 41 miles, which 'waa cov ered In the remarkable time of 38 minutes. She llvfli with her husband, a carpenter by trade,'- and ber little daughter.- lQ years old. " The little girl , starts to school each : morning soon -' 'after her mother goes' to the harness ahop to be gin" her day's work.A'Mra. Clark, while .at work.', wears a .heavy. Blue man' a shirt, a , velvet topped' skirt; -and' the regulation harness, maker's apron. She Is employed by X vV John, where ahe harf worked four yeara.!. ! 11 - . ' Twenty municipal departments have fllde their estimates of .expenses for 1912, and with a number of estimates -stlllto be filed, the total cost of the 'departments rererred, to, lr tne esti " mstes should not be cut down, wIVJ be $2,2.(7,9(2. ' The 'expenses that have not been officially, estimated as , yet are those for lights, street repair, the free employment bureau, v 'the- aealor' of weights and.' measures, the' city engin eer and of her. .miscellaneous ; expenditures..- ',- ;,' 'The estimate do not mean that 'the elty will have to fix a tax levy to meet them, for , it is annually the custom -of the ways and means committee of -the city council, to consider the recommen daflona of various department ' heads and to, prune the figures submitted - - Kayo to Apply Knife. ;- Mayor Rushlight says he will, if neo essary, further cut down 'the list after the waya and means committee has fin ished .its work, eo that taxpayers need not be alarmed.. " ', , "I will examine all the estimates CHr-fully." said Mayor ltuhltt ' terday, "and taxpayers or the city i. rt assured that there will i.e i vt necessary expenditures. In this reftrv I want to- say 'that I sm oiikii..i t t . any general sslary raises, a I bil v the city employee have already i liberally dealt with. ... Of, oouree ,tlur Will necessarily be an increased pen- dlture ; in soma departments as it - la necessary to-keep pace with the growth of the city.' ? ' - - '"For' Instance. ' there must 'be more fire stations and more apparatita for trie fire department. Tbe increased mini- 1 bir of pavements will demand addition al expendftnraln. the street clearflng de. . partment, tha growth of .the. park sys tem entails ' greater expense and any other Items of expense have to be mot ' that did not show In last year's budget. However, 'economy' , consistent with progress,' wilt be my slogan." . s .. just of Sstlmats..' ; ,. . , , Following are the various estimates v filed" to date: ,-, ' ; " -' ' .'..,.- Flr department $773,870; police , $410,910; park department..." $172,032; mayor's . office, $6800; city attorney's ' f office. $19,996; municipal Judge,. $450; ,. Inspector of buildings, $28,(12; health office, $31,280; dock commission, tk9.v 094.29; etvll service commission, (3050; ., street cleaning department, (J71.37J 90; , poundmaster, $7265;. city garbage crem etory, $32, 0f Janitor service, city hall. t $49,(40; city. museum, $2600; plumbing Y Inspector's office, $26,402) city - trees- -nrer's offlee,$l(,744; city auditor's of-r , flee, $62,500; miscellaneous, $133,000., .-! -h ' r ' . Comforting the Old Man. . , From the Silent Partner. '"" ..' -"ldother (in a very" low voice) -Tommy, your grandfather la very sick. Can't you say something to cheer him up a bltT" .v- .'. . " ,'Tommr (in an earnest voice) Grand- ' father, wouldn't you Ilka, to have sold (era at your funeral T v '. Toronto.-Canada, labor men may en- . ter municipal contests next January. ' . -V '.-.',. '.' ;' ' "' ' ' ' , v- -S ""' Activity , at; the Eilers Music House Wholesale. estab-' lishment, upoal the half blocks atttygrove,; between 15th and 16th streets, shows a remarkable increase r i-- ' Shipments January 1, 1910, ta . , 'J - September. 1910 . . . . i . . .,. i .113 cam Sbipmentg'January 1, 1911, to ' v ' September, 1911 ....;"..;!. ...133 carj, Increase . ,..i....t.,(....20 car OUT: ; . -V Shipments .Janoar l,Vi910'to Sentrnnhef 1910 :...42 cars Cs.' Shinmentii Tan. 1. 1911. to - Sept, 1911 , 52 cars Increase . ....... .. 9 cars '.-.vv . wn r, i .-if. i-1, a,... - Now the Nation's Largest teauSJG I i'.V The- Wholesale Department of Eilers Music House, and also the new Six Story -Addition, recently completed. Here the great wholesale and dis tributing business is handled, -and some of the Eilers Pianos are also being made here. Now the Nation's Largest deal ers in Pianos, ; Organs, trip Organs. Headquarters for AU Makes of Talking Machines. cupants -were aware- of what happened. In scores of . instances . people were drowned In their homes without know ing what had caused the flood.. ;" . All Uouaersport nas Deen aeserted by tne population that la rushing to the reeoue of the i trlcken town 13 miles away. 1 YSK audden stop has. been put to all traine wiunn a wiu-ra or me sirica en section. Railroads have discontinued their trains and help la being rushed over water swollen roada in automo biles, wagons and other hurriedly con trived conveyance. ;.: . , Coudersport, tne nearest town of any slse, immediately started every able bodied nan to the assistance of the vil lage. " - Scores of bodies naveoeen recovered and are now being; hurried to Couders port. Hundreds of men, women and children are Buffering from, ' broken limba. .' ,' - ;.'-.'.-.;'..' Ti Furniture for the Bedroom If you are hard to please in Beilroom Furniture, we urge you to see our stock. , If you want some thing finer than you can obtain elsewhere, or some thing newer or more distinctive, or if you insist upon a wider selection or prettier styles in low-priced fur niture, you will find it here, r ' Recent heavy ship ments have completed vhat is the largest, meet varied and handsomest stock of Bedroom Furniture in the Northwest. ? t, It is a stock selected for particular people who know and Want- correct ,and beautiful furniture, whether they are buying costly or inexpensive pieces. - There are many new things in Ccna and Enamel Furniture, in Austrian Silver Fumed' Oak, Waxed Oak, Birdseye Maple, Circassian Walnut and Prirr.a Vera, and a surprising amount of new Mahogany Fine reproductions in the various period styles alter nate with the best work of present-day designers. ' . .' 1 In price, our Dressers and Wooden Beds start at about $20.00, and, we show a complete and care fully , graded range of qualities, including suite as high as $1500.00. In every quality prices are most "tempting, and there are some very special bargains in odd pieces and broken suites. V ( ' A NEW STYUSH UPHOLSTERED FURNITUpE : We have just received from the custom house ar shipment froni Wrri. Birch, Ltd., of London, for whom we are sole agents. Birch Furni ture is lmown everywhere as the finest : overstuffed furniture made in the world. The present shipment is. smalltwo. or three Daven ports and eight or ten Chairs- so the stock will soon be exhausted. I o". FIFTH and STARK ( FIFTH end STAR!! FH soon .stanea in- ma buueungd