Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-01-26
THE GREAT FLOOD.
Hundreds of thousands of Dollars
Worth of Property Destroyed.
From the Marysvllle Appeal, Jan. 22.l

In our issue or the ZUtn lnSt., WHICH
went to press at about IL o'cloek'on
Tuesday night, we could only say that
the city was submerged, but to what
depth we could not learn, owing to
the confusion and excitement and the
impossibility of obtaining accurate
information. Boats could not be had,
because there were not more than five
or six in the city. BY 1890 Wednes-
day morning the water in the streets
had reched its highest mark, ranging
from
FOUR To FIVE FEET IN DEPTH,
And in all the buildings, with few
exceptions, from a depth of eighteen
inches to five feet. There were, per-
haps, twenty buildings into which
the water did not reach, including the
Hudson block, Casey block, and the
residences of G. b. Kimball, }. II.
Krause, Fred. Buttellmann's, and one
or two others. People occupying one
story buildings in all parts of the city
were obliged to fly to two-story build
ings, and had no time to save anything
but what they wore and could carry
with them. In many Instances
women and children had to be packed
on the backs of men, or
REMOVED ON RATS,
To places of safety in two-story build
ings. All who resided III second
stories, over stores in.the main part of
the city were safe, and in these build
ings, including the Court House,
many sought refuge. The filing of
the city was so rapid that it was
thought number of lives would be
lost, but fortunately but one person
was drowned. People residing in one
story frame houses in
THE FIRST WARD
Had timely notice and left their homes
before the water reached them. This
section of the city being five or six
feet lower than the streets in the main
part of the town, the water averaged
from ten to twelve feet in depth, and
the damage to buildings and fences was
very large.
SMALL BARNS AND oUT-HOUsES WERE
OVERTURNED
And one or two small dwellings were
floated from their sites. The one
story house of Mrs. McGinnity, which
stood on the West side of + street
slough, between Fifth and Sixth
streets, was fioated into Napoleon
Square, "a distance of about half a block.
The barn of Mr.. Mcguire was carried
a few rods South, upon the lot of Off
Ger Cunningham, which fronts on J
streets, between Fourth and Fifth.
The broom factory of Thompson &
Son was lifted from its foundation and
stands out of line. The fences are
generally lifted from the ground and
scattered in every direction. The city,
with the exception of the First Ward,
was clear of water by o'clock on
Wednesday evening, the water Begin
ming to fall at about l o'clock and
gradually ran off as the rivers declined
At daylight on
WEDNESDAY MORNING
The city was one vast sea of water, on
level with the Feather and Yuba
rivers, with strong current of water
making Southwark from the ureak in
the levees on the North side of the
city, and flowing down the f street
slongh, through the big crevasse in
the South lcvcc, into tho VnhA -;-v,.
This current brought in and carried
away considerable quantities of flood
wood and every kind of debris from
the flood. The
SCENES WHICH OCCURRED
On the streets all day Wednesday Were
peculiar to Californians, who improved
the day by polling about the streets on
RATS, and maintained the best of
spirits by frequent potations of some
thing from black bottles. There were
a few boats, but these were generally
manned by parties who did not fail to
take advantage of the impoverished
citizens, and charged five dollars per
hour for their use. After the water
had receded so that 1t was not over
knee-deep to animals, quite number
of men on horseback appeared i'm the
streets and generally the livery horses
were. removed to the Yuba river
bridge and to the levee. On Wednes-
day morning there were but few who
knew where they were to
FIND A COLD BREAKFAST,
And no doubt quite large number of
people had not sufficient to eat during
the day. But our liberal citizens, who
had anything, freely divided with all
who were thrown in their way. On
Second street, near High, there was o
fire built on pile of driftwood, and
from quarter of beef the hungry
sliced a piece and broiled it Oh the
end of sharpened stick. The appeal
boys, who were all forced to stay in
the office after getting the Wednesday
morning paper to press, obtained for
age by passing over the roof of I.
BOOn's grocery on 6 street, through
which Ed. Sellon, the carrier, was low
cred with rope to such things as he
could reach on the shelves above the
water. Though no one suffered for
food, to our knowledge, we are salts
fled that many maintained a strict
diet and in some instances substituted
stimnlants for food. The water had
entirely receded from the streets by s
o'clock Wednesday evening, and sew
eral hours before this time express
wagons were out and busily engaged.
But none of the stores were opened
till Thursday morning, when the
GREAT DAMAGE AND LOSS
Became apparent. The flood proved
no respector of persons; the most ele-
giant jewelry and dry goods stores pre-
sented the same dilapidated appearance
as the smaller and palmer retail
houses. When our merchants became
aware that the water was coming into
the city, they commenced to pile up
their goods on boxes, timbers and
counters. In few instances the
goods were placed above the high
water mark, but generally so low that
the water reached them, and their