The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-02
FIRST EDITIO N
FLOODS. AND WHlRLWIND
A City of Seven Thousand Inhabi-
'lants DestrOyed-WhOle Streets
and Blocks Of Houses Swept
Away-The Loss Of Life
and Destruction Of
Property.
various Accounts of the calamity.

various Accounts OF the Calamity.
CORRESPONDENCE from the city of Mazatlau on
The western coast OF Mexico, dated the 9th OF
November, says:-The city OF Alamos, situated
in the southern portion OF the State OF sonora,
has been swept out of existence by VISITATION
of nature namely, q combined attack OF the
two great furies, wind and water. The terrible
event occurred during the great sea storm
lasting from the 18th to the lS n ultmo. IRON
private letters received in this city we translate
the following accounts OF the QCevrucuon anu
loss of liie;-
ave have endured awful suffering Torrents
Of rain for forty-eght hours inundated tue city
during the greater part OF the l6th ana llth'
followed by another torrent OF torty-elght hours,
20 that the houses not in the Immediate way OF
being swept off by the force OF the swollen
flooGs were crushed in by the enormous guam
tty and the strength OF the rain falling upon
them Senor Diero Perez measured the water
in a tank and found that forty inches had
fallen in seventy.two hour. Alamos is no
more. You may rest assured that unless some
new and rich mines are discovered it will never
be rebuilt. We are Impoverished and ruined"
Another letter says;-''A horrible event has
struck us with CONSERVATION and ruined large
proportion OF the inhabitants OF this city. On
the 18th it commenced 10 ram, and after
teyenty-two hours, at 10 o'clock at night, the
sluices and dams on the mountain broke loose,
furious wind arose, the waters came dashlng
like fends from the mountain sides, and
brought US face to face with the most terrible
dancer. This circumstance made US forget
all things except that which Is more precious
than all thiugs-lfe-and especially the lives OF
our little ones. Three minutes after the full
tide of the flood and everything was swept away
as by q tornado. We sought refuge in the
mountains, from where we could hear the crash
ing in OF our houses. Everything we had is
lost There must be considerable loss OF life,
but as yet am not able to ascertain the
truth"
never seen such rains and floods in my life as
we have had here Tor the past three or four
days. commencing on the 18th. The beautiful
and rich city of Alamos is totally destroyed and
can never be itself again, because II seems i'm
possible to retrieve such misfortunes. Our
house, one of the strongest in the place and out
OF the way OF the mad food OF the creek, was
made wreck by the great force and weight of
the rain falling upon the roof. Tue principal
street exists no longer, and where stood ro VS. of
stores, private residences and offices, no " looks
like the bank of river lately overtlOwn and
covered with debris. Everywhere l look de-
structon is spread around me. AS yet do not
know the loss OF life"
The fullest and probably the most reliable
account is that by an American gentleman to
one of his friends here. We copy from private
letter.
'The agony that we have all gone through
within the past few days Is impossible TO de-
scribe. PROBABLY you Will have heard ere this
that the city of Aamos is IN ruins: out as you
may not have had all the particulars, will give
you what know. On the 18th it commenced to
rain, and on The l6th genuine rain aud wiOd
storm set IL, lasting until the lSlh. Ii seemed
as if the very hoodga'es of heaven had opened,
and that second deiuge was upon the world.
The wind, too, rOared with dreadful fury, and
all the elements seemed combined for some
dreadful carnage. We little thought what
was in store for our beautiful CITY. But
soon the tale was told aud the destruction
complete or or almost complete. Toe storm
lasted until late on the evening OF the 18th.
During its continuance it appeared az ii no
human being could live within its reach. Tue
Alamos river was swollen to great height, and
i'll its wild, headlong course carried everything
before it. Houses were swept away like so
many straws, and whole blocks OF buildings
Here thrown down like so many rotten trees.
The wind was DO less terrible than the water.
Houses were unroofed and blown to skaters,
tiles and like material we're scattered through
the air like chat; and strong trees were up
rooted as ii they bad been corhstalks. Tue best
part OF the city is totally destroyed. About the
only buildings saved worthy Of mention are the
Mint, the Church, and the old Safe College.
These stood on high grounds, and this adVau .
tagc, with their solidity, saved them. DIR. Hill.
an American resident, had three houses carried
away. and is q loser to the amount of about
$4,000. MIR. T. Robinson Bours, an American.
doing banking business here, mad his bank
ing house swept away. Others have suffered
severely. The loss OF life has been
quite large. Sixty dead bodies have
been picked up, some of them mangled fear
fully, and could scarcely be recognized. Many
of the bodies we're found miles do Tu the river.
Undoubtedly the number found will be largely
increased by other unfortunate ones. | have
not attempt to describe or explain this most
extraardiuary phenomenon of a seventY-two
hours whirl wind and deluge. The ruined city
of Alamos was the Athens of Northwestern
Mexico, or, at least had that reputation. Its
women were reputed 10 be the lOVelest and
most intelligent throughout the republic, and
Its citizens were highly spoken of as contrased
with those of other populations. There. was
a great deal of wealth, refinement, and
luxury among the better classes. 1t was q
sort of sancti6ed Jerusalem, where the proud
tch nd hra am hal1 4
would not be poisoned by contact with Indian
and negro mixtures. Asmos as city. had
fame before the great metropolis OF New York
was known. 1t is old among tue many old
towns of Mexico. Surrounding it have been
some of the richest mines in the world, and
from which the city had its chief support. Al
the time of its destruction 1t contained popu
latiOn OF about 1000 souls, though geographical
dictionaries place the number at 900, VIII ch
is at least 5000 too many. Unhappily for its
people, the number Is lessened through a terri
bic misfortune, and the City of Poplar Groves
has fallen to the dust (even as man lalls) in itf
strength ~