Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-05-10
Waterspout Disaster on the Colorado
TI ~ . Desert. ~ Yltti

|t .N#I.N UeSeIL. AH
The correspondent of the Alta Cali.
fornian gives the following account of
the recent singular disaster on the Colo
RADIO desert -I4
The unusual storm of Sunday, 10th
inst, notice of which / sent you by
steamer, was not confined to this imme-
date locality. On the Colorado desert,
on the afternoon of the same day, in
what is here known as a waterspeut, q
government train was lost. The train
consisted of IL wagons, was known as
Chsndler's train, and was accompanied
by one company and . detachment
from another company of the l4th United
States infantry, under the command of a
lieutenant. They had encamped in the
bed of, and just below the for ks of deep
and broad wash The troops were
marching to Date Greek and Skull VAL
lev. in Arizona. The camp was about
nine miles east of Dos Palmos, at Can
yon Springs. While thus encamped, a
small black cloud suddenly appeared
above the horizon, from which lightning
and thunder proceeded. A sufficient
time hardly elapsed to observe this cloud
when it, or another one teeming with
electricity, made its appearance in the
opposite direction. The whole heavens
were overcast, and amid the vivid flashes
of lightning and deafening peals OF
thunder, q shower of hail commenced
falling, which soon became a shower OF
Fat pieces of ice, from two to four inches
square. The mules instantly fled before
the peltiug storm to some neighboring
hills, while the men sought shelter under
wagons and the high banks of the wash.
An emplOye who came in with an ex-
press from the command to the
auartermaster at Wilmington, says be
took shelter in wagon, and in few
moments huge volume of water, the
face of which was nearly or quite three
feet high. came rushing down the wash.
This was soon followed by an additional
one which came pouring onward, aud
which presented front still higher above
the waters of the first. The water rose
in the wagon 10 which he was until IT
nearly reached the top Of the bows Of the
covering, only few inches of arr beisg
left for him to breathe beneath the wagon
cover. Two men of the 18th we're
drowned, and the commanding otficer
was carried down the wash in the angry
and boiling food, and was only rescued
from drowning BY an Indian yaquero
who, standing on the bank, saw the lieu
tenant completely exhausted from bat
ting with the wild waters, amid the wreck
of the trees, and threw bis rata over his
head and drew him TO the shore. Six
wagons were irretrievably lost, together
with nearly al the harness Of the whole
train, and the rest Of the wagons were
washed down the torrent, overturned,
broken, bruised, and scattered for miles.
Commissary stores with which The tram
had been laden, were carried into the
Salt lake (the great basin Of the Colorado
desert), distance Of eighteen miles from
the scene Of disaster, The command
and the train are unable to mcTe until
resupplied With wagons, harness and pro-
visions from the depot AZ Nilnlngton.
The provisions we're nearly al lost
Canyon Springs are about two hundred
miles from this city, on he Ia Psz road,
By which route and place the command
vas marching" ....rrrr