The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-02-09
THE RIVER T.
DISASTER ON THE MARIAs.
The Ice Rngorged River Breaks, Carrying
Destruction and Death.

The streams seem to be actuated by 8 single
impulse this season, for no sooner does one
overflow its banks, bring down its heavy,
crashing burden of ice, creating its panic of
fright, and do its quota of damage, and then
recede than another and another follows.
First our own Missouri, then the Teton, and
now the Marias has been pouring herself
town, over flowing the entire lower valley,
and bring destruction and carrying death in
its course, for this stream did not stop with
driving people from their houses and carrying
away their substance, but came on swiftly
and irresistably, taking poor humanity una
wares and sleeping, and pouring over it its
hood OF water and its mass of ice, leaving
them behind, perhaps, but not in condition to
tell the story-or carrying them off down
with Its turbulent flood where they will not
be heard of again.
1t was early on Saturday morning, our in
formant says he thinks it was three O'Clock,
when the suppressed roar of the flood was
first heard tearing its way down, but no par
ticular danger was anticipated, and the in
habitants manifestly felt no alarm, some of
them evidently having been up and returned
to bed again.
Particulars SO far have not been given ex-
cept upon what can be guessed from the con-
dition of the houses late on Saturday after
the flood had partially receded, for nothing
has been heard from the ~unfortunates who
participated in it, and it is feared that but
few of them are left to tell the story.
After the flood had risen aud then partially
receded, lulling the people into a false Sc
curity, it had gorged in some OF the numer-
GUS canyons to an extent that is difficult to
imagine, for when it broke the torrent came
down more like a tidal wave than the current
of q river, and carried eyerying before it,
leaving not the people time to escape. 1t
was this which must have done the work of
destruction.
dutch John" who has been stopping at
the mouth of the creek which empties into
The Marias, three miles above the Teton, was
the lowest down, and the first to be heard
from, although among the last to suffer. He
was awakened, as the search afterwards re-
yealed, by the drst pouring down, when he
evidently arose, dressed hi mself, and again
retired, after seeing there was 40 immediate
danger. Soon after, the great flood came,
which probably caught the unfortunate
asleep, and drowned him as he tried to make
his escape. His Giles for a few moments for
help were distinctly heard by a number of
people who were unable to assist him,
but they grew fainter and fainter, and
in a few moments were lost amid the
rushing of the ice and flood. When the
flood went down, az examination of the
premises disclosed that the house had been
struck by a field of ice and one end crushed
IN; the clothes Of the victim were lying on
the bed where he had thrown them, and eY-
erything showed a hasty atempt to escape
and he probably went without his clothes
out into the gloom of he night and a
doom which must have hal all the horror
which the wild rushing Of th elements and a
sense of utter helplessness Impressed upon a
mind awakened from peacefl slumber.
Three fourths of q mile oove the place
described, resided a man wb goes by the
name Of sLongEHaired jim. Nothing has
been heard from him, and hits believed to
have been lost. It was imossible at the
time our informant left to gednto the place,
for the water was still rushig around the
house. It was more exposed, nd gave indi-
cations, when discovered, of aYing been at
one time entirely covered Withyater. AS it
was higher up, and closer to There the ice
had fearfully gorged, it is %notrobable that
the force or depth of the cu1ent was less
than below, in fact, It was morexposed, and
the belief was general that must have
persisted.
Further up the stream was e ranch of
Mr.. Simmons, who with his wifand child,
and two men who were stoppil with him
were believed to be lost, althoua this is not
certain, for some of them at leastnight have
escaped, and the time from Whic this infor-
nation dates, Sunday eyening)lg consid-
cradle room for hope that sonQhing may
vet be heard ofthem.
But at the best this Marias foosvas a hor-
TOR that we hope never again toecord, for
the situation of weak Women al children, I
and, in the warning of flood andce, of no
less helpless men, is too horrible + contem-
plation. And when we think hoVery mar
row was the escape Of this toWn Benton, !
and imagine what Wonld have beethe con {
dition of this mass of people had e gorge, !
lasted lasted q short time longer, Wean only
be thankful that the situation on Marias I
was not repeated in Benton. I