The Red Cloud chief., 1885-05-01
ANcIhea KANSAS HOOD.
The Town of Medicine Lodge Over hcimes.
Involving Great Loss OF Life and Prop.

The Town Of Meaicin- Lodge Ov~r~
Involving Great Lo.s OF LII. and Prop.
srty.
MEDICINE LopoE. VIA HAEFsE NAN.
April @a--tuesiay morning a terrible rain
fall VISITED Barrier County swelling the
Medicine River AMI Elm Greek. streams
that pass on two sides If the city. far -
yoad anythin; ever heard in this county.
Elm Greek il IN the northwest par; ot the
county and il fei by numerous small
streams and these were all n.lct ~ their
banks in les than one hours time. NJ
this place, where The stream - usually
confined 20 a shallow channr. >lNty fee; vide.
IL spread over the hrs; and ~syoni bottom.
a distance 81 from half a mile 10 i mile
and WAS fifteen fee; dcrp. In the bottom
directly ,aS, 81 town were nifty hou~s>. a.!
occupied. and no les than a dozen q: thc.,
were entirely destroyed and in many ease.
THEIR "~CCrFASr~ EITHTE
or we've only saved by clingir- 20 Tic
branchc, Of trees. tainied in this bottom
We're TEN or fifteen emiSrant wagons ElicJ
with families, and not half the oCurla..
have Ne, been found. North of herr en;.r,
families We're drowned white Others made
miraculous escapes All q: yesterday aud
last night The streams We're - high that nc
communications could be hal viii tie Fast.
and to-day the nrS, mail matter and dl>
patches were sent out. The business,
houses OF this cit. wrTr closed YESTERDAY,
auI .lrrN man ia ~. f.x.s. ~ .y....
IN the work Of coI>tfuctins boats and
rSfin Ia aid in rr>cuiug th, people who
ware clinglng ~ tie trees. who hal found
.1dgm-nt an the tops of remaining house,
or who had taken refuge on the high point
of ground. MANY uf these were without
clothes and w-rr cold and sin when r-s
cr,d. Their appeals for help wcrr heart
rcnilng. Many parties "ho attempted Ia
rescue them in the frail beats were them
selves dashed into the water and bare,
saved. Before noon no l-s> than = dozen
citizens who had attempted to help the un-
fortunate were
THEMSELVES CEli>G FoR HrIr
from the tops az Trees. Horses could not
live In the strong current. aud 81 The I-prl.
had Ia wait until the Hood su,-id-si before
any substantial relief Couli br. given, By
night nearly all of the living had been
rescued from their prrllou> positions. though
n few could not b. rescued. \ PARTY was
out all night endcsvoriug To rescue iho-.
remaining. The Medicine River was eight
feet higher than ever known. but ~ far -
known no lives were lost on This stream
the people not having dared 4, an, time 70
live or come too near it, banks. However
hundreds Of cattle Were drowned by Ia,
Medicine River. aud grca, fields Of cron~
upf,s mined and f.nsx- torn auUa- Nil
stock WAS also lost un Elm Greek and hun
dr-ds Of dead animals line - banks. The
flood started At dark Monday night. north
west ~ here. Witnesses >ty tha, for sly
hours the rain actually poured. and then a
great water spout burst and 4 sudden rise
here of ten feet occurred ia less than ten
minutes. The severe storm appears rot
to have extended west uf sun City ar lar
north of Eim Mills. q. W. Paddock. wife
and four childrcn Twin. ten miles north on
Elm Greek were overwhelmed by the fool
which completely drStru;r I'd ihc.r house.
The bodies of the wifi. and three az the
children have been recovered. Ia. wife
and child of Frank SHIPPER ~ this iura
were ON top of their house and can not h.
heard ~. SHIPPER was carried two miles ~
the wa'c- and escaped barely alive. .Jrr.,
Gibbs. his daughter. Mr.. HAMS and her
daughter wcr" all drowned.
TIIE BODIES ~ TIN TWO WOVEN
have been recovered. Charlie Smith. 10
'owlcv County. a mover. has not been
found Samuel Maddox. Of Chauian1ua
County. with his wife. and seven children
ard bro,hcr-n-law. Robert Suag. of Clinton
County. Mo. Mere csuI.d near Elm Cr-cS.
The wife and fUur chiidr,u were druwn.yl.
Her body ami those uf two children w.r.
recovered. Maddox lost his team bur r..
covered a trunk containing urar,y a.. p1u.
One daughter and SON remained in the tree
tops eight hours. -Four wagons containing
movers are unlIcard of Vet. and IL il .uIr
posed they were all drowned and tina. ia-ir
bodies will I've found below here. y"
news has been received from below here
on Medicine River further than ten m les.
hir the >unp"siiion i, that the loss of l,ic
will be- great. The city council has organ
lied a relief association and thousands az
dollars have already been subscribed. Al
dead bodies recovered up Ia iodav will b,
buried this afternoon. The Il stric, cnur;
has adjourned until the excitement IL over.
and the court room hss hc-n turned into a
morgur. Judge DINER j. out with s-aIrh-
ing parties. SIM City AMI Lake cts. west
Were not s~riou-iy damaged. though ia
undated. Elm Mills waS al" coveted with
water, but no loss 81 life prcurcd.