Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1885-09-04
THE DELUGE OF SAN GABRIEL
Mexican Villages and Their Inhabitants De-
str0yed by Flood.

~ NtW W, VI bududldJdTd, gives the
following account of the almost total
destruction, in the morning of June
6, of the villages OF Cuarenta and San
Gabriel, by deluge that fell upon the
surrounding mountains:
The said villages are, or were, stu
ated in g canada, or narrow valley,
through which passes the highway to
San Louis PotoSi, and at few leagues
to the eastward of the town of Lagos.
The villages stood Immediately upon
the banks of little river that flows
through the valley, its margins lined
with well cultivated fields, gardens,
orchards, cane plantations, and sup
porting many domestic animals that
furnished subsistence and were the
only patrimony of many families. Qua
renta was station where the arrieros,
in their journeys over the mountains,
generally passed the night Fifty or
sixty of those industrious persons
were lodged in the two public houses
OF the village that fatal night, the ma
joritv of whom, and their animals.
perished.
Between 4 and of the morning,
while the peaceful inhabitants were
still TRANQUILITY sleeping, many fam
lilies were awakened by such terrible
and continuous detonations of thunder
as they had ever witnessed. This
frlghtful but providential announce
ment OF the coming catastrophe was
The cause OF reducing the number of
victims. Upon the mountains called
La Media Luna, La Mesa, and others,
toward the east, was witnessed a sur
prising and terrifying spectacle, like
nothing ever seen before. 1t is de-
scribed as resembling an eruption of
NeSuviuS; the continuous electric dis
charges among the vast black masses
of clouds that whirled above the noun
tains cleaning in red flashes of fire
and yellow streams of gold, forming
an lgneous mosaic in the sky, so to
say, that, though gorgeous beyond de-
scription as physical phenomenon,
filed the behOlders with terror. Enor-
nous sleeves, or water-spouts, de-
scended from the clouds, and seemed
TO grasp the mountains. Suddenly a
great noise like the roar and onward
rush of great waves of the sea an
nounced the awful approach of the
deluge, a tidal wave. that filled the lit
tie river, overflowed the valley, and
swept from its path with reSstless
force whatever it encountered. Great
logs of wood brought from the neigh
boring mountains, trees, thick magueys
torn up by the roots, shrubs, cows,
swine, burros, fowls, were carried
upon the enormous mole of water.
The stone bridges, that had withstood
all former floods, were demolished.
The obstruction formed by their piers
diverted the current in other directions.
Sweeping literally through the streets,
it occupied houses on both sides of the
river, destroyed many, and damaged
all.
The rapidity of the invasion aud its
duration of almost three hours did not
permit the occupants to save more
tnan their lives by precipitatc hight.
In the desperate efforts of men to save
their families many sad fatalities oc-
CURED. A father, having carried his
little children TO place of safety, re-
turned TO save his wife both perished.
Many were saved by the prompt as
sistance of relatives and charitable
persons that had earlier warning OF
the catastrophe Some escaped by
taking refuge upon the roofs of houses
that withstood the rushing deluge,
where groups of women and terrified
children waited in momentary eXpec-
tation that the structure would follow
the fate of those they saw disappear
around them.
The whole valley, that yesterday
smiled with the homes and fruits of IN
dustry, is a desolation. The survivors
are homeless, propertyless; reduced
from comfort to beggary. Hundreds
that have escaped the deluge are