The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-09-06
A cLouD-euRsT.

a ClOOO-8ORST.
An Unprecedented Rainfall Causes a Flood
which sweeps Through Hot Springs,
Ark, with Awful nect-Thirteen Lives
Lost. and Damage Done to the Extent
Of oIOO.OOO
LITTLE Rock, Ark, Sept. THE Gazette's
Hot Springs lark special says: To-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 tho
result Of Thursday nights storm, which
occurred too late to be telegraphed. It
was waterspout and the valley was
swept with mighty tidal wave. The loss
to property is fearful, while the sac
rifce to human life is, under the circum-
was the visitation Without warning
people were awakened from slumber to
find themselves threatened with destruc-
tion by mad waves. Strange to relate few
people were conscious Of horrible disaster
till they awoke to look upon tho desolate
scenes this morning and drag the drowned
from drifts
The storm struck the town at IL o'clock
Thursday night from q northwesterly
direction. 1t was accompanied by stifY
cool winds, though not strong enough to
produce damage. Rain fell in tor
rents from II TO | 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
lightning 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.
The flood on Central avenue, the princi-
pal thoroughfare. assumed an angry river,
whose rushing tide swept every thing NOV
able on its bosom. For over half an hour
the avenue was transformed into
torrent fifty yards wide. Barrels, boxes
and parts of houses came down on the
tide, and were left strewn on the side
walks. Several large hotels were flooded
to the depth of four feet with murky
water, and many buildings were totally
destroyed. Up to this hour six persons
arc known TO be missing. five of whom
have been found dead in wrecked build
ings. The damage to property is estimated
at 800. 600
1t is impossible to accurately estimate
the damage to property, both public and
private, bus it goes away up in the thou.
sands.
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 aud Park avenues choked
comp. etely, which threw the main body Of
the flood over the streets and down Central
avenue, aud also caused back water to flow
n n hp kS al ha fNsa
On Wilmington avenue there was but little
damage done until the flood reached the
l1Jesephine Hotel. The Office floor of this
use is considerably lower than the
street, hence the Hood 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 tho
billiard room.
The da mage along the line from Upper
Park avenue to the junction with Whit
| tington avenue proved grave on investiga-
| tion. The first building moved from its
| foundation in the north part Of the town
was one Of the small dwellings owned by
Hon. Nicholas Bell, and occupied by col
ored family named Fletcher. 1t was swept
away, and the mother Of family, Matte
Fletcher, and her four children were
u
i escape
When the rain was heaviest cries for
help were heard in the creek back Of DR..
| Franklin's residence The dark was i'm
penctrable, and the rain came down in
sheets. Through the roaring and crashing
the voice Of the man could be heard grow
ing fainter. Jack Franklin hastily drew on
some clothing and wading into the torrent
/ In the direction of the cries succeeded in
| drawing the man ont, disabled by the fall
| of his house. and landed himin his father 3
residence. He gave the man wine and kept
him until morning, when the poor fellow
was able TO get out and find the bodies OF
| his wife and children caught in tho debris
| of the creek below
An old man aud his wife named Harri-
son, who recently moved TO the city, occu.
pied small cottage near the Arlington
stable. The force OF the water caused the
building to collapse just as the old man and
his wife were making their escape. The
wife was caught underneath the debris and
perished. Her body was found in the
ruins. In the rear of the Waverly Hotel
were a couple of small buildings which
were carried away, in one of VIII ch Mr..
| OBriens cook, colored woman. was
sleeping. She is supposed to have been
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 down
| 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 and
| water to depth Of fourteen inches, doing
much damage.
The Army and Navy Hospital and
grounds were considerably damaged. The
loss is estimated at 81, $50.
Mayor Kimbcll and the entire police
force were out promptly, and did every
thing possible to render aid where needed.
The mayor called to his assistance large
force Of men, and the work of removing
drift and searching for bodies has been
pushed forward
DROWNED WHILE ASLEEP.
PUEBLO, Col, Sept. l-Sevcn cowboys
| pitched camp last Tuesday night in the
dry bed of creek just west of Pixies
Peak. During the night il rain came up
and cloud burst near them. A food ol
water six feet deep came sweeping down
upon them, carrying every thing IN its path
including seven sleeping cowboys. BY
terrible struggle two Of them succeeded
in getting hold Of the branches of trees
| and there they clung half dead until the
flood subsided, which was almost as quick
as it had come upon them. The bodies o1
the other five men were found scattered
along the bed Of tho stream one to five
miles below their camp. The names Of only
two-Plasher and Koyal-hayc been ascer
| tanned.
| Tired Of Life.
CLEVELAND, o., Sept. IA special Il
the P,sss from New Lisbon. o., says: A
desperate suicide occurred here Thursda,
morning. Several days ago Mrs. Thomp
, son gave birth to child and her husband
was teleSraphed for. Wednesday night
he returned to town, but instead of gont
home went to u saloon, where ht
got drunk. The conduct of the husbane
preyed upon the mind of the mother 81
much that she arose from her bed Thurs
day morning and went to small stream
near the house, and, with the babe I'M hel
arms, laid down where the water was bu
two or three feet deep and drowned bott