Rossiter, PA Flood, Mar 1936

RAGING FLOODS
Tuesday 's flood, which caused untold damage and suffering in many sections of Indiana county took its heaviest toll a Rossiter, where an entire family perished when the home was swept away by the swirling waters following the bursting of the dame at Francis mine late that afternoon. The victims were MR. and MRS. RUSSEL SAYE and their two little daughters ETHEL MAE, aged 6 and DORA aged 4.

The bodies of Saye, aged 35, and daughter Dora were found late last night while the bodies of Mrs. Saye and her daughter, Mae, swept two miles away were recovered this morning.

Kostic Oshenic, who lived with the Saye family and who escaped a similar fate when he clutched a limb of the tree told the following story of the tragedy to County Coroner John Woods today:
"Russ and I had worked all night," Oshenic said, "came home together and slept until around four o'clock when I was awakened by shouts of alarm. We all gathered together on the first floor but before we could do anything, the water had reached our knees and Russ and his wife picked up the two girls and we hurried to the second floor. The water came right up after us. I climbed through a window and up on the roof and pulled the others up after me.

"But the houses was on posts and it was not long until we felt it break away. I was terrible. We whirled around unsteadily on the roof for just a short second, it seemed, when there was a crash as the house hit a large tree and went to pieces. That was the last I saw of Russ, his wife and their children,"

Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, PA 19 Mar 1936
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Transcribed by Lori Boggs. Thank you, Lori!