Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-23
DEADWOOD's DUCKlRC.
Details Of the Torrent which
Swept Through tbs ketrOp-
oils Of the Hills,
Over Half a Million Of Property
Destroyed by the Flood.
South Bend aud Golden Gate
Absolutely Wiped Out.
The Wreck az Oth,r Towns
Deadwood 81 ccial to Piosocr Press.

Deadwood s. ecial to Pioseer Press.
With the first notice received from
Ten Mile ranch, ard The threatenin,
appearance of the heavens aud the rail-
falling IN torrents, led the citizsns liv
Ing and dolng business on the lowe,
places in the city to exert themselveI
toward saving their lives and properly
Tho scene beggars description. Al
through the streets were rushing mel
aud teams, bearing Go high places II
the mountain side n 90 things whist
they might save. Az the ,tteam sud
denly rose, bearing In its mad cours,
whole trees, parts Of buildings anc
huge timbers, ths populace be.
came almost damaged, and 9
few controlling minds set to work
to retard the pressure, which
was accommodating by damned drift
wood of all descsipa MS against the
buildings, which afa built over and
across Whitewood creek on Lse street.
II was decided to fire the one
serving as the greatest barrier.
Cashman's two.st Try building wac
closed and fred under surveillance OF
the fire department. This served
only as a temporary relief, for, as the
waters kept rising, one by one the
buildings on Lee rtreet were carried
down the stream until oil except
sixty feet Of Lee street nearest
Main street was washed away and
the waters kept rising until they
reached Sherman street, when Sher-
man street from Live was all carried
away. All buildings near the chan.
mel were washed stray. 1t Is impossi.
BILE to describe all losies.
IN EAa CITY.
Lead City suffered least. The most
damage done there was to the,rRilroad
tracks and the Homestake Mining
company. Golden Gate, Anchor City,
Central City and South Bend ell nuf-
fered terribly, Tw. quartz mills were
washed away, and q brewery nearly
all carried away South Bend was
absolutely washed away, and Golden
Gate nearly 80. There iH not a mine
that can be worked without first re.
moving the water. The mines inthe
Vicinity OF Deadwood have from nine
to fifteen feet Ct water, and mining
business generally OF all description
Is suspended Temporarily. The most
important business portion of Dead
wood City, incluc'ng banks and whole
sale housssSksasy hislly, we're esved,
owing only to tneir elevated situation.
Chinatown, In the lower end of Dead
wood, was washed out.
THE Loas OF LIFE,
compared with the loss of property, Ia
very light. As far as known, there
are only five lives lost. Geo. Chsnd-
Ter and wife, who kept the toll gate
between Lead City and Dsad wood,
were drowned. Mr.. Chandler's body
has not been recovered, A man
named Brirdley was killed by failing
tree, caused by being undermined by
water. Two o.her men, names az yet
unknown, were drowned In White
wood creek. The body of Mrs,
Chandler has been recovered, as has
that of Mr.. Brindley. The other
bodies have not yet been found.
The loss of properly has been estl.
mated at $500, 600, though / think
$3.50, 900 will cover 1t. In Dsadwood
the new public school house, erected
at o cost of $12. 600, was washed away,
az also was n new Methodist church
recently completed at a cost of 81, 900.
All travel to and from the hills is
stopped, owing to the swollen condl.
ton of all streams east from the hills.
Three west bound stages with thirty.
five passengers, are lying at Cheyenne
river with scarcity of food, and can
get no further until the water in q
measure subsidies.
BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
The following are a few of the lsrg.
est buildings destroyed:
Two.story brick ~fre.proof Of Ben Bser.
Fire.proof of j. X. L. Miller.
Two.story building of Kidd & Benn.
Public schoOl.house.
Methodist church.
WEIGH. srlen & Co.'s store.
Warehouse Of Ismsn 4 Ayres.
Samuel Cushman's house.
Casiels quartz mill.
Another quartz mill on Deadwood gulch.
Nearly ali of RosenkrAns' brewery and
numerous other buildings.
1t is o fact that more than 100
houses were washed out OF D3adwood
City alone. To attempt TO state when
repairs will begin is impossible. The
mines are all preparing to reaume op.
eratlons, and will doubtless soon
atari up. To-day Is quiet, and con
fdsnoe is, in o measure restored, aud
those who vacated their homer that
we're not washed away are moving
back, Spearfsh and Crook City were
damaged, but, as the wires are down,
It is impossible to give q detailed ac-
count Of the losses In those towns.
RAPID CITY,
situated on Rapid creek, Immediately
at the base of the mountains, suffered
comparatively little from the food.
Rapid creek rose about 10 feet, and
surrounded tho city entirely, with the
exception of the south side, which is
bounded by bluffs. The only damage
to the city val the loss of a few kllns
of brick. The city council took the
%precaution to anchor all the b~ridgesin
the city. The loss to Rapid City
proper will not reach over 81, 600
The broad, fertile valley above and
below the town was entirely sub
merged. Ia Is feared that In the
Rapid Valley, more than 40 miles long
and extensively cultivated, there are
not more than 800 acres of grain that
has not been washed out. The loss In
quarter cannot now DO estimated,
but II will no doubt reach $50, 900. |
On Spring creek and Rapid creek, IN