Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1883-05-26
DEADwOOD's BOOM.
Raxing Waters Wage War on Various
Villages Of the Hills.


time in a week and the first news to b,
received was that the melting snow a
the head of Whitewood and Deadwood
aided bv the rains Of the week, hao
raised the waters Of the two TO terrible
flood causing great loss of property ant
not few lives. The first paper to reach
us containing the particulars was thu
Index, Of Rapid, from which we con
dense the following:
| pEADwooD.
By four o'clock Thursday afternoon
the water Of " htewood had broken ou
Of its channel in the upper part Of Cleve
land, and came pouring down the main
street of the part Of town almost to the
head OF Sherman street, and was fol
hours the main channel of the stream
being filled full Of logs, stumps. drift
wood and almost every conceivable
thing that is made Of wood. All the
houses standing near the old channel
have gone out, among them being
Krciger's dwelling, Dudley's ice house,
Mrs Gates and Mrs. Powell's residences,
j. McCioud's house, Hank Robinson's
two houses and stable, Volin's fireproof,
4. d. Stewards two houses and barn.
NJ my others were damaged by water
coming in on the floors, others under
mined and partially capsized and again
others filled with mud. From the head
Of Sherman street it resumed iss old
course, taking with it the residence of
Hattenbach Brothers situated in the
rear Of their store on Sherman street,
and going on down 10 Pine where Fri
day it had increased in volume to such
an extent that the brick school house
and Methodist church, which was just
dedicated short time ago, crumbled
and fell, disappearing before the food
AZ thou.h built Of matches. The loss of
the school house Will indeed be q severe
one 10 the district, as it was fine build.
ing put up two years ago at great cost
and built with the proceeds Of bonds
sold, so that the city owes about every
cent of it, The Methodist had worked
hard and early and late to get their
edifice completed and were only fairly
settled in it when washed away
Tom Manning whose livery stable
was situated on Deadwood street became
alarmed for the safety of his stock
Thursday evening and removed them to
place Of safety. Subsequently several
efforts were made to blow the building
up in order TO clear the channel, and
the report Of the explosions was dis
tinctly heard in Rapid by telephone
They were not successful, however, and
the building was left to topple over and
finally disappear.
From this point the current cut across
to the northerly side Of Sherman street,
taking out Jacoby's marble snop and
every building from there on down 10
Lee, which street was completely de-
molished nothing being left on either
side but the two buildings at the corner
Of Main The water swept on over to
the Pioneer Office on Sherman street at
the foot Of Lee, standing several inches
deep on the floor, but doing no material
damage aside from causing temporary
suspension Of that paper.
BELOW THE PIONEER,
on the easterly side of the street, all the
buildings were flooded and more or less
damaged. The two-story brick ware
house Of Welch, Farley 4 Co. was ruin
ed and all below that carried away. On
the opposite side Of the street every
thing went before the water, and it be-
gan cutting in toward Main street, TAX
ing j. X. p. Miller's fireproof and under
mining the back end Of Ben Baer's
wholesale liquor house and several other
buildings, seemingly returning to it's
channel only to leave it again and cut
into and across Main street at Fink's
stone warehouse The walls of this
building were fully three feet thick, but
they were undermined and crumbled
away. From there down through China
town
MAIN STREET IS GONE,
as are also all the Chinese houses, and
there is absolutely no getting into town.
For a distance Of about two hundred
feet the street and the space where the
buildings stood has been carried away
by the remorseless current forcing a
channel up under the bluff. All travel
going into town frouI below must needs
climb the hill and come in by way of
Centennial avenue.
All the girls located on lower Sherman
street have been compelled to seek new
quarters, their houses being carried
away. Most Of them saved their furni-
ture.
An attempt was made to blow up the
bridge across Whitewood on Sherman
street. but for long time it stood catch
ing all the drift that came down.
To add to the confusion about noon
Friday in the heaviest Of the rain the
CRY OF FIRE
was raised. 1t was found to issue from
IChristie's saloon on Sherman street
across from the court house. The water
pipes were all broken and nothing coult