The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-02-09
THE RIVER Pr S.
in the tent. Mr.. Losey caught up his boots

in the tent. Mr.. Losey caught up his boots
and a double blanket, and they Waded out Of
the tent, waist deep in the water. Every
thing in the tent was lost, including a sum-
mer's supply of provisions, etc. A half
breed tepee, near by, in which there were two
families with six children, and which at eight
stood at least nine feet above the
water level, had three or four feet Of water
in it, and a haystack belonging to Jack Riply,
higher up than water was ever known to come,
was washed away. The half-breeds escaped.
NJ. Losey got On his horse and rode up the
river, OF the high ground, intending to 60 to
Mccormick & McKay's, but could not reach
there. On the way up he saw 10 head Of
cattle floating down the river, some dead and
some alive. AS he went along be saw as
many as 200 cattle penned in by the water.
They had taken refuge n the high points
of land, and the flood, circling round
land. Some of them were nearly out of wa
ter, while in many cases the water was up to
their sides. The general elevation OF the land
where the cattle were, was lower than the
river bank, so that when the river falls the
water will still surround them. Five miles
above, he saw a man up in q tree, at the foot
of which was four or five feet of water. He
did not know the man, and it was impossible
to rescue him. Near by stood q house with
a dirt roof. The house was completely sur
rounded by the water, and on the roof stood
a man, also unknown, who had a sack OF
flour and some wood up there with him, and
had a fire burning. The man had evidently
been caught by the flood during the night,
and had not had time to escape. Huge cakes
of ice were rushing by the house and tree,
and the situation Of both men was extremely
precarious. Mr.. Losey, finding that be could
do nothing to aid them, rode back to where
he had been camped, got some lndlan-cooked
venison-the only food he got for twenty
four hours-and started, in a roundabout
q for Benton. He reports that the prairie
| is covered with water, the coulees being full,
| and the water in the low Says forming wide
| lakes through which he could not ride his
horse, necessitating wide circuits to avoid
them. He struck the Helena road near the
Is mile station, and reached this place about
6 o'clock last night. He gives it as bis opin-
ion that Mccormick 6 Mckay are flooded.
| What became of the men spoken Of above,
be does not know, but IN all probability they
are there yet. Mr.. Losey says that between
/ ~ - .~1 o a - fhn xun+nr rOcn 0unr
| eleven feet, and after that receded and rose
again, as gorges above formed and broke.
The people whom Nr. Losey left behind
were destitute Of shelter and almost out Of
provisions, and he says they did not have
amongsthem enough bedding to keep q single
person warm last night, sleeping as they
were to do, on the open prairie. Their suf-
fering must have been intense, and if they
are not heard from soon a party Of relief
should be sent for their rescue, or at least to
ascertain their condition. 1t is possible, how
ever, that by this time the water may have
receded sufficiently to enable them to reach
their homes, if they are yet standing-a mat.
ter which it is impossible to ascertain anc
also one of considerable doubt.
Ali the houses on the Teton at Government
Coulee are surrounded by water.
"A gentleman just in from the mouth OF thu
Teton reports that there was no overflow
there when he left.
The suddenness and unexampled power O
the Teton freshet found the entire valley IN
prepared and is among the things which W
must attribute to the same baleful influence
which has been the cause Of SO much los
and disaster this winter.