The Progress., 1888-09-15
a cLouD-BuRsT.


Which Sweeps Through Hot Springs
/ Ark, with Awful E6ect--T Thirteen Live,
Lost, and Damage Done to the Extent
/ of 100000.
LITTLE Rock, Ark, Sept. i. The Gassttc,,
Hot Springs (Ark.) special says: ssTo-day
is an epoch in the history Of Hot Springs,
The city is gutted. Ruin and wreck meet
the vision everywhere, and nothing like il
has ever been known to compare with the
result OF Thursday nights storm, which
occurred too late to be telegraphed. II
was waterspout and the valley was
swept with a mighty tidal wave. The loss
to property is fearful, while the sac.
ri6ce to human life is, under the circum-
stances, appalling. Swift and terrible
was the visitation. Without warning
| people were awakened from slumber tc
lind themselves threatened with destruc
tion by mad waves. Strange to relate few
people were conscious Of horrible disaster
till they awoke to look upon the desolate
scenes this morning and drag the drowned
from drifts.
| The storm struck the town at In o'clocI
Thursday night from a northwesterly
direction. It was accompanied by stiff
cool winds, though not strong enough to
produce damage Rain fell in tor
rents from II to l O'Clock with
| out intermission or cessation Indeed,
| those who were up and witnessed the
awful scene describe it as one never
before seen by them. The vivid flashes OF
nghtnlng displayed, as it were, great
sheets OF falling water. At the close OF
the storm great and ominous sound
mingled with the shouts of people and cries
OF Distress went up from the valley, and
such people as were in the vicinity of the
creek and rayines went forth to render as
sistance. lsJ
The flood on Central avenue, the princi
pal thoroughfare, assumed an angry river:
whose rushing tide swept every thing NOV.
able on it's bosom. For over half an ilou,
the avenue was transformed into q
torrent hfty yards wide. Barrels, boxes
and parts OF houses came down on the
tide, and were left strewn on the side.
walks Several large hotelSwere flooded
to the depth of four feet with murky
water, and many buildings were totally
DESTROYED. Up to this hour six persons
are known to be missing, i've of whom
have been found dead in wrecked build.
lngs. The damage to propertyi is estimated
| at $780, 900.
1t is impossible to accurately. estimate
the damage to property, both public anc
private, but it goes away up, in the thou
sands. The greatest damage was from
Malvern crossing up to the northern sub.
| urbs
The destruction was augmented by the
| formation OF drifts at the upper ends of the
creek arch. The mouth of the arch on
both Wilmington and Park avenues chokec
completely, which threw the main body Of
the flood over the streets and down Centra
avenue, and also caused back water to flow
up the two creeks above the two arches
On Wilmington avenue there was but little
damage done until the food reached the
Josephine Hotel. The office floor of this
house is considerably lower than the
street, hence the food rushed in through
the front doors, and when at the highest
stood at least four feet deep on the lower
floor, completely covering the counter in
the office and the billiard tables in the
billiard room
The da mage along the line from Upper
! Park avenue to the junction with Whit
tlngton avenue proved grave on investiga
tlon The first building moved from its
found alton in the north part of the town
was one OF the small dwellings owned by
Hon. Nicholas Bell, and occupied by a col.
ored family named Fletcher It was swept
away, and the mother Of family, Matte
Fletcher, and her four children were
drowned The husband had miraculous
escape.
When tire rain was heaviest cries fol
help wepe heard in the creek back of DR.
Franklin'S residence The dark wassiin
penetrable, and the rain came down il
sheets: Through the roaring and crashing
the voicesof the man could be heard grow
ing fainter. Jack Franklin hastily drew or
some clothing and wading into the torrent
in the direction of the cries succeeded ir
drawing the man out, disabled by the fal
Of his house, and landed him in his fathers
residence. Re gave the man wine and kept
him until morning, when the poor fellow
was able to, get out and find the bodies o1
his wife and children caught in the debris
of the, creek below
An old man and his wife named. Harri
son, who recently moved to the city, occu
pied "a small cottage near the Arlington
stable. The force Of the water caused the
building to- collapse just as the old man anc
his wife Were making their escape The
| wife wascaught uni derneath the debris anc
peris he'd Her body was founds in the
ruins. lin the rear of the Wayerly Hote
were couple of small buildings whicl
We're CANNED away, in one of which Mr.
O'Brienls' cook, "a colored woman, was
sleeping: She is supposed to have beer
drowned, as she has not yet been heard
from. The Big Iron and old Hale bath
houses, were badly flooded, as were
all the. buildings all the way dowr
Central avenue. In the rear of Douglas
book store the embankment caved in
smashing the rear door and flooding. the
book: and stationery store with mud; an6
waterto depth of fourteen inches.. .dpine
muoh damage
The, Army and Navy Hospital. an6
grounds were consid derably damaged The
loss is estimated at 1880.
Mayor Kimbell and the entirec police
fonce were out promptly, and did. every
thing possible to render aid whare,reeded
/ The mayor called to his assistance large
force of men, and the work of:nemovins
drifs and searching, for bodies, has bee1
i pushed forward.
DROWNED WHILE ASLEEP.
Pueblo, Col, Sept. l-Seven cowboy
pitched camp last Tuesday night in th,
dry bed of creek just west of Pixies
Peak. During the night rain came VI
and cloud burst near them IA food O
water six feet deep came sweeping dowl
upon them, carrying every thing in its path
including seven sleeping cowboys. b
4 a terrible struggle two of; them 3s11ccee3et