Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-08-14
A CLOUD-RuRST,
Heavens Flood-Gates Opeaed-Two
Girls Drowncd-A Terrible
Scene.

llOSc WIO nave ever witnessed q |
watcr-spout will bear testimony to
its appalling nature. BY some it is |
supposed to be formed by Il whirl-
wind of extreme intensity. while
others ascribc it to an electrical
1t occurs for the most part
at sea, but sometimes also on shore,
and particularly i'll rocky businesses,
though generally in the ncighborhood
of water. One of these curious
phenomena occurred on the Central
stage road, in Golden Gate Gulch,
four miles above the town of Golden,
on Sunday afternoon, about 1 o'clock.
People residing in that vicinity ro-
port having seen, just above the
higher mountains, numerous dense
clouds, from which u %conical pillar.
resembling condensed vapor, was
seen to descend, and almost simulta-
ncously n d%cafening peal Of thunder
was heard.
Mr.. Jack Nirden, wife, and his
sister. and Miss Blood, daughter of
Lyman G.. Blood, all of whom reside
some five or six miles up the canon.
had been to Golden. and were return
ing home in a double carriage, and
had reached the point Indicated
above, when the peal of thunder
came and the water-spont dispersed.
a moment before. they had passed
Fred Buchanan, who had pulled his
team on TO an elevated spot ofground.
and was sheltcriny himself. under a
ledge of rocks, from the approaching
storm. Presently n violent commo.
ton, with confusion of sounds. like
the tumult of the elements. was heard
high up in the mountains. Then
came a tremendous torrent of water
bearing trees and boulders. and cal.
culatcd to aStonish and terrifv bv its
magnitude, force and violence. The
horses, seeing that they were to be
sacrificed to this prohigious volume
took fright, and, shying 10 one side
upset the carriage, and al occupants
were pitched into the BOTTOM of the
gulch. In nm instant, as ii we're. and
before they could their feet
the wave. with a perpendicular brcs.r
of ten oil twelve feet. was upon them
and licked them IN like the sands q
the gulrh. Mrs. Yirdcn chung TO hel
husband, and he, by n miraculous
chance, got hold of Il limb. aud hello
fast until tho flood subsidized. TIL.
poor .irls--Misses Blood and Virden
aged respectively twelve and four
teen vcars-wcre less fortunate
They were. carried down. down. b,
the mighty current to an nppallin!
death. After the torrent had e1
hanstcd it's fury. aud n search for til,
bodies had been instituted. that o
Miss Blood. mutillatcd beyond reco"
milton, was found buried in the sand
all but II foot, about a half mil
, below where the accident occurred
Her skull was completely dcnuded IL
: places, and her body was frightfuIl
-. gashed. II is n singular fact tina
. Lyman G. Blood. her father, who la,
been down TO the valley, and was re
turning on horseback when the acct
, dent took place. and hadjoined Buck
man in the search for the bodies, wa
the first 10 discover the corpse Of til
girl, though it is still more singula
:. that he did not recognize her. for h
; supposed hor to be at home. II,
body Of Miss Nirden was recoyere
!" some three miles below the scene q
" the disaster, where II had lodge
against a tree, and was stripped oft
clothing.
> II is n matter of history, aud wi
: be readily recalled by many, that
waterspout equally prodiRious d.
, secluded upon Guy Hill a few yeal
a ago, and flooded n stage coach col
tanning Generals Grant, Sherman All
Sheridan, though they were II
enough removed TO escape disaster.
f.t