Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-26
The Great Flood in Phoebe.

A few days ago the telegraph men
toned a destructive flood in Phoebe.
In Sundays Record we find a lengthy
account of the storm from which we
extract the following:
First came a few exceedingly large
drops of rain, mingled with hail,
which melted as soon as IL touched
the ground. Gradually the rain fell
faster and faster, till in a few min
utes the air was so filled with il that
one could scarcely see further than
100 yards. On Main street there was
at first a small stream probably two
o. three incEeS deep and a fool and a
half wide. This stream increased in
size gradually, until in about ten min
uteS he whole width of the street
was covered with a madly-rushing
torrent of water. Hundreds of per-
sons lined the sidewalks until the ris-
inG river forced them back into the
shops, stores and saloons. Though
no clouds could be seen, the light
ming flashed in the sky almost every
moment, and the quickly following,
loud crashing ana rolling of the
thunder told how near to US were the
discharges. CobbleStones, powders,
fragments of rock, old boots and
shoes, large and small dry goods box
es, barrels, plankS and ScantlingS, and
whatever animals had CHANGED 10 get
Into the stream, were borne down at
an almost incredible rate OF speed.
Every available hand was at work
bailing out cellars and sweeping the
water and hoeing and shoveling the
mud from houses and sidewalks, but
the task was as vain as that Of Mrs.
Partington in a somewhat similar I'M
dertakiug. Cellars were titled, and
the floors of houses were covered
with from two to eighteen inches OF
water, mud and stones.
TWO STORMS MEET.
Whilst the above described storm
was flooding the lower part of town,
another was coming in an opposite
direction. The two storms met not
far from the American Flag mine.
The amount of water said to have
fallen there was enormous. 1t was 50
great that some even thought a cloud
burst had occurred. BowlderS weigh
ing over two hundred pounds we're
carried down with the stream. The
No. Z shaft of the Meadow Valley
Company is reported by the miners
who were forced to leave it to be full
of water t. the eighth level, about $50
feet from the bottom. Miners came
to the surface thoroughly wetted, and
Tar more frightened than wet.
THE DAMAGE.
The damage is almost commensurate
with its cause. Among the few who
have given us rough estimates of
their losses are Asliim & Bros, dry
goods and general merchandise,
81, 900 to So. 900; A. Flvnn, boots and
shoes, 81 500; NJ. Wilcox, boots and
shoes, 81, 500 to $1,000; Coleman &
TYLER. Capitol Saloon cellar broken
in), 81, POO; II. F%rendenthal, bakery,
$500.
This would make a total, in round
numbers, of $4,000 lost to business
men alone. But this does not at all
give an adequate idea of the damage.
Chinatown seemed to be almost ready
to float away. On the lower side of
Main street the water passed through
the Chinese dens from front doors TO
back, and corrals II ho-pens were
burst through. and the fences carried
Oft. Many of the residences on Nc
Cannon street, on Meadow Valley
street, and all the smaller streets
back of it on the side OF Spring Noun
tain, on Davis street, and other lOcall-
ties, were also flooded. Water, mud,
and gravel flowed into them, over
carpets and furniture, destroying
furs, silks, etc, tie an anlount prob
ably greater than that lost by business
men. Kitchens being Hooded, and
provisions being destroyed, a greater
number than usual We're Obliged to
go to restaurants for dinner. But
here again wa, difficulty. Many of
che restaurants had also been Hooded,
and in case, of which We know
certainly, all but the regular patrons
we're sent away dinuerless.