Morning journal and courier., 1885-08-18

before he had so hastily left behind him. From that moment he never doubted the stories told of the wild pranks of Cherry creek.
 But whence came this great mass of rush ing waters? "A cloud burst" up on the 'Di- vide" was it's source; and this was the origin of the flood and public alarm of Sunday evening. Persons living up the "Divide' said that the cloud from which the water came appeared to be not more than one or two miles in diameter; and the water came down from it as it comes out of 8 sponge squeezed by the hand. Whether the result was caused by the compression of the cloud by two opposite winds, or by being forced into the gorges of the mountains, dashed against their lofty, precipitous walls, or by the agency of electricity, those who know must tell. We can only relate the fact.
 The velocity with which the water moves down the grade, from the source of it's june ton with the Platte, is worthy of note. A ranchman named Eyser, living about twelve miles up the creek above Denver, hearing the ominous roaring of the flood coming from the highlands, and knowing the danger to which Denver was exposed if taken una wares, mounted his horse and with all possi- ble speed made his way to the city. It was race between "Jupiter Pluvius" and horse flesh, in which the latter was barely success full, for scarcely had the Mayor and other au- thorities received the forewarning and made nasty. provision for protection, when "the floods came' and the torrents swept through the midst of the city.
 Immediately the danger signal was given and thousands of people hastened to witness the mad rage of the pillows It was aston ishing to see with what speed the turbid and turbulent flood, eight feet deep, swept over what but an hour before was only dry bed of sand AltAough no lives were lost, con siderable damage was done to property, the Mayor thiDEG Tnt fiftann thorSand 6n1- lars. The abutments of iron bridges over the creek were severely washed and were saved only by throwing into the washed out chasm hundreds of gunny sacks filled with sand. Two inch blanks spiked to heavy posts set as breakwater to protect the banks of the creek were swept away as if they had been made of pasteboard. The beautiful City Hall, built, as many think very unwise- ly, on the east bank of the creek on a sandy foundation, is in imminent danger of being undermined by recurring floods. A heavy stone wall is proposed to protect it, but since that will cost some thirty-five thousand dol lars at least, it is probable that some other
 method of protection will be adopted. The most radical and popular proposition now is to turn the channel of the creek at some point several miles above the city, so that it shall flow into the Platte far above or below the city.
 Colorado is subject to cloud-bursts in the !uOuuGdluS, OuG IS 1ISo lEOLu Guo D0IllS LII GOT- nadoes and cyclones which prevail at the East. In no part of the country does cleo tricity pervade the atmosphere more general ly or abundantly than in the region of the Rocky Mountains. Here it seems to remain in state of more complete diffusion, owing in large degree to the dryness of the air. While ordinary thunder storms are abundant in summer in this region, and wind storms sometimes blow with considerable violence, taking up dust and sand creating what are known as ''sand storms," electricity is sell dom developed as an element of the storm to unusual degree.
 Tomatoes seldom occur until the noun tain winds have passed several hundred miles out on the prairies eastward. far into Kansas an Nebraska, where they meet the moisty warm air of lower altitude, in which, if not the chief cause, it acts as very potent fac tor in the destructive cyclones which are so common in all the States east of the hun dredth meridian.
 Denver has been considerably agitated of late by an outburst of different kind. In previous communication I alluded to the strike of the Knights of Labor," employees on the Rio Grande and Denver railroad.
 The strike proved failure and many of the strikers returned to their work. A few were convicted of violent conduct in their attempt to force the Brotherhood of Engi- neers to join them in the strike, and are now serving out their term of confinement in prison. A bitter hostility has grown up be- tween the two organizations because the en- gineers did not think the Knights were justi- fled in striking and refused to join them. Condemned by the United States court, hay ing lost the sympathy of the community, which at first was largely in their favor, some of the more reckless and vindictive ones have resorted to the use of dynamite in order to wreak their vengeance on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad company. Three explosions have been made with the design of terrorizing the railroad company and pun ishing the engineers for refusing to comply with their demand to join in the strike. The locomotive of one engineer has been twice blown from the track, but in the several at tempts no one has been killed, nor has the engineer yet been persuaded that the Knights were right in striking, or wise in their meth cd of seeking dynamite justice.
 By the last explosion last Friday evening the engineer was severely injured and his To- comotive badly disabled. The track was torn up and the rails were broken or twisted and excavations were made into the ground two or three feet deep. The city authorities, the police force and citizens generally are thoroughly aroused to ferret out and bring to justice the miscreants engaged ln this ne- farious work The Knights themselves are becoming divided. Many condemn the cow ardly, secret deeds of violence and some have abandoned the organization, and very many would do it if they did not fear the vindic- tive punishment to which they would be ex- posed.
 Yesterday Suspect was arrested and the chief of police claims that there is abun- dant evidence of his guilt, but it remains to be seen whether those who are cognizant of facts in the case will dare to testify so as to secure conviction. Strong intimations of lynching are freely thrown out in private conversation and by the press. Vigorous condemnation has been expressed of three or four leaders of the Knights, and especially of the editor and proprietor of their paper. This is the language used by a city paper this morning: s'Public sentiment will favor the sitting of Smiths case to the bottom, and the strong arm of the law, backed by every decent, law-abiding citizen in the communi ty, will protect every witness in telling the truth. If the Knights of Labor or anyone else attempts to rescue any dynamiter o1 suspect or to bulldoze witnesses into keep ing still or speaking falsely, there are ropes and trees ready"
 The lines are drawn, and healthy as this climate is reputed to be, it will soon become very unhealthy for prolonged residence oi any individual who talks or in any way acti approvingly of the dynamiters' destructive conduct. Herr Most, whose motto is stKill kill, {" was here some months ago and sowec seed of which doubtless we are here seeing the developed fruit. In Chicago, Cincinnati and other cities the spirit of destructivenesi which he inculcated needs but the opportu nifty to show itself in deeds which unchecked would soon reduce our fair land to a state oi barbarian. "'Tis true 'tis pity, and pity 'tis 'tis true,
 that the sympathy for the laboring men and the favorable public sentiment in their be-
 half, which of late has been rapidly increas ing, should be dissipated so suddenly by the indiscreet management of few persons who are supposed to be the leaders and guardians of the workingman's interests; for, however much the despotism of the nonopolist an6
 ''money-bag power'' may be feared ant
 hated, the unreasoning, irresponsible mob under incompetent leaders, will be no les tyrannical in the exercise of power and ia
 more dangerous to the public welfare P. A. c. Woodford, of Winsted, graduate O the Yale Scientific school and recently mad
 one of the six special agents of the labor bur | eau by President Cleveland, has resigned hi appointment to take professership in th State university of Indiana.
 Apropos of the neglected condition o General Israel Putnam's tomb at Brooklyn, il | Windham county, late issue of the Williman l tic Journal SuQQests that the Putnam Pha