New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-06


little blades like the sprouts of timothy in newly
sown field Now the seed tops are formed and IN
a week OF two more the seed tse will ripen, the
grass begin to cure and good feed will be assured
until the rainy season next year In 1879 there
was not enough rain TO start the gras, in many
parts of NcwMexico. and the present summer has
been the scvcrest for cattle and sheep that has
been experienced in many years. Thousands oi
them died, and other thousands were driven out OF
the country in search of feed. Many have already
returned and the owners of 1ocks and herds who.
month ago, were on the verge Of despair are
happy again.
But the rains that have been grateful on the
cattle and sheep ranges, have done great damage to
the railroads recently built i'll this Territory ana
Colorado Almost the first shower that amounted
to anything after the rainy season began took out
bridges and long sections of embankment on the
Atchson, Topeka and Santa F6, the Denver and
Rio Grande and the Kansas Pacific railroads, and
ever since then. although trains have been running
most OF the time there has been an uncertainty
about their movements that has made il a wise
precauton for the traveller on starting on n
Journey to take with him three days rations, and
to arrange his business so that il would not suffer
if he was detained two or three days some side
track III the mountains or OH the prairie waiting
for trestle to be reconstructed n piece of en-
bankment TO be rebuilt.
Thoughtless people who have thus been detained
involuntary prisoners or who have had their bust
ness plans disarranged by the delays have done Il
great deal of unnecessary grumbling about it.
They forget TO make allowance for the character
of the country through which these railroads have
been built. and fail to appreciate the wonderful
that il has been necessary to exercise TO pre-
vent serious accidents. or to givo the railroad men
credit for the remarkable energy thcy have dis
PLAYED in the repairing of damages and making the
resumption of business possible after one Of the
great storms.
DIZZY RIVERS THAT SUDDENLY BFCOMF TORRENTS.
The normal condl ton Of most of the rivers in
wMexIco and of many of those in Colorado. is
tnat Of a dry arroyo gulch through which not a
drop of water generally runs except far below the
surface, where it can generally he found by dig
gng pits. But these alroyos frequently drain a
broad extent of country, including high mountains
and wide valleys The rains in this country. too
do not come in gentle showers or in long, steady
rains that gradually are absorbed into the earth
and slowly carried of by underground drainage
The mornings are generally brisht and the atmos-
phere is wonderfully clear and transparent. Ahout
noon a little cloud may be seen rising, which looks
like a mass OF cumulus such rs gathers in the sky
on hot summer afternoons in the East and from
which rain rarely fails. With remarkable rapldity
the clouds viii oycrsprcad the heavens. growing
backcr and more threatening every moment until,
before one has time 10 seek Il etor. great drops of
rain begin to fall, and then the water comes down
in actual torrents for an hour perhaps two hours
Little Tills, gathering on the mountan-sides,
mite to form BROOKS. and hundreds Of these low
ing into common water course, make re-
siotless river of it in ycIy few minutes. As it
Il. f.lfsrf
and momentum breaks oui of it, banks, and carries
everything before it, But it is in the lower portions
of their courses that these streams do most damage
during their sudden floods There nay not have
been drop Of rain within miles of a lace III the
valley through which one OF these dry arroyos cX-
tends. The only warning that flood Is about 10
take place may be dark clouds hang Nc over
mountain range twenty miles away, and the low
mutterng Of distant thunder. Even this may have
passed away and the bed Of the stream may be aS
dry as an ash heap Al at once Il roaring sound
will be heard i wall OF water four six some
times ten feet high eyen is seen rushing down the
gulch Before it. pushed by an irresistible force,
is a great mass of debris bouldcrs several feet in
diameter sticks, bushes. the trunks OF trees, roll
ing over and in the widest confusion in front
of the great wave which always advances but
never Tecedcs.
EFFECT or THE FLOODS OF The RAILWAYS.
The structure that can stand the shock of this
mass Of trees and rocks and water must bc cxcep-
tionally strong. 1t strikes the Diies Of railroad
bridge, which are driven down eight or ten feet
into the loose gravel undcrmincs them. and takes
them down the stream like feathers and. of course,
the ties and rails go with them, the latter being
wrenchcd from their fastenngs and bent into all
sorts of fantastic shapes 1t comes out of cailon,
impinges against an embankment through which
there has been built only small culycrt, cuts
away the earth though II were only quicksand,
and lands a mile of the track, ties, rails and all
hundred yards away from its original position.
One nocd took out ten miles Of the track OF the
Denver and Rio Grande road between Colorado
Springs and Pueblo. in July. and early in August
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 road suffered
about equal damage between La Jnnta and the
Rio Grande River. saw in Mora Canon, about half
way between the Ration and Santa Fe ranges, at
least a mile of track that had been taken up
bodily and landed twenty or thirty rods away from
its original position, the rails twisted ami bent
until they were as crooked telegraph wire
which herd of builaloes have been playing with.
The only way in which this could be made passable
was by building n new embankment and laying
new ties and rails. In Apache Canon in the Santa
F6 Mountains, the track crosses ravine thirty or
forty feet deep on bridge held up by ties built mp
clubhouse fashion in place of high trcstle that
nas been taken out by the food
The safety with which trains have been run ever
these new reads during the Tic DDS of chs year. is
On the Atchson Topeka and Santa
re road about a month ago. freight train was
run upon washout that could not be seen. and the
went into the ditch, killing the en-
rineer This is the only serious accident that has
occurred. ana the explanation is that every pos
sbe precaution has been taken TO insure safety.
| met division superintendent on the road, look
ing after some repairs. He said that ever since
the floods began. he has made every other consld-
GRAFTON subordinate to the single of safety He
had paid no attention to the grumbliDg of passen-
gers on account of delays. but had absolutely re-
fused to allow train to until he was sure
Z. L.. hIli 10 sniL 60 In