The Clifton clarion., 1888-08-01
THE WASHOUTS.
way Suife rs Severely From the Heavy Rains of the Past Week

The heavy rains which have pre-
 vailed south and west of here the
 past week, and of which Clifton
 only got the tail end, resulted in
 a number of serious washouts and
 other damage to the Arizona and
 New Mexico railway.
 The storm of Saturday night
 last caused the first trouble, and
 when Engineer Polk, who took
 the train out Sunday morning,
 arrived at point about two miles
 south of South Siding, he ran his
 engine over the first washout of
 about fifteen feet, having nar-
 TOW escape from capsizing. Be
 ing unable to return handcar
 was sent back to Clifton and ma
 terial and men were at once sent
 to the scene and the break crib
 bed up, the train returning to
 Clifton. Subsequent lnvestiga-
 ton resulted in the finding of
 other and more serious damage to
 the road at points between the first washout and Guthrie.
 President Russell, with his usual energy, at once proceeded to repair the road, but all his ef- forts proved of little avail for the next three days, as the heavy storms in the mountains west of the track sent such volumes of water down the gulches and can yons leading therefrom as not only to destroy the work already accomplished, but to cause new breaks.
 Monday afternoon about , o'clock storm arose, and just as the work train in charge of Engi- neer Clark was about to cross the high bridge at Wards, a heavy volume of water coming down the canyon loosened one of the bents of the bridge and turned it com pletely around. A force of men under charge of E. Schumann was put at work Tuesday morn ing, and by noon the structure was repaired and the train de- parted for the washout district only to find that all the work ac- complished the day before had been destroyed. And if this were not sufficient, still another storm arose about 3 o'clock which sent a torrent of water down the canyon and did additional damage to cul- verts and bridges, causing one new break of about 200 feet.
 Nothing daunted by these set backs, President Russell only re- doubled his efforts and last night sent up to the Metcalf for force of fifteen miners, which arrived this morning at half past five in | charge of Con keleher, and left | on the work-train, together with | section men. Mean while the engine at Lordsburg had been ordered up, and succeed | ed in getting to Guthrie in charge | of NIT. Stellar, with a lot of ties and other material. Work was pushed vigorously from both ends of the district, and crlbbing, track changing and repairing proceeded | 
 The washout district extends over section from one mile south of Clifton to half mile below Guthrie, and the damages may be separately located about as follows: First, Wards bridge; second, two miles south of South Siding. One hundred yards south of here the track had been washed out twice Five hundred yards further on is the fourth washout and the same | distance below is the fifth. Three | miles and quarter from Guthrie | is the sixth washout, and one mile | beyond is the seventh, while two hundred yards from Guthrie oc- CUTS the eighth. The ninth and last one known last night is locat- ed a half mile below Guthrie, al though it was reported that there were still two more between that | point and Duncan, one of a more or less serious nature, the other being very slight.
 The damage done was by far the most serious and extensive of any in the history of the road, | and it will probably be some time before it is again in thorough re- pair, although it is reported that if the weather remains clear a regular train will leave for Lords burg Friday morning.
 President Russell, Roadmaster Mullen and Master Carpenter Schumann have been indefatiga-