New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-12
FLOODS IN CALIFORNIA.
RAINING STEADILY FOR ELEVEN DAYS ALL
OVER THE STATE.
cLoUDBURsT, WITH LOSS OF LIFE, IN SANTA
CRUZ CoUNTY-THE SACRAMENTO RIVER
ALARMINGLY HIGH-THoUsANDs OF
ACRES UNDER WATER.
,BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]


San Francisco, Dec. 1.-THE great rainstorm
which has continued throughout the State for
eleven days appears to have been broken to-day
in this city, although it is still raining at many
points in the interior. The rainfall has been
seventeen inches here, which is unprecedented
even In the phenomenal year of 40; and the
damage threatens to be large in bridges washed
away and rich valley lands overfowed. The
Sacramento River threatens to overflow the evees
in many places and thousands of men are pa
trolling the levees day and night The river Is
twenty-six and one-half feet above low water at
Coiusa, and several breaks occurred this morn
Ing, flooding a half-dozen large wheat ranches
below the town. Thousands of acres of promising
wheat are under water, and unless the breaks can
be repaired great damage will be done.
For miles above Colusa, on both sides of the
river, the Sacramento Valley looks like a great
lake, with trees and houses standing out like
islands. What makes the breaks in these levees
so dangerous is the fact that the river bed IS
nearly as high as the valley lands, having been
artificialy raised by rubbish poured into ii by
years of hydraulic mining. Thus the levees are
like the dkes in Holland, and any break means
the opening of torrent TO stop which requires the
strenuous labor OF hundreds of men. Further
down the river, although the danger Is grave, no
breaks reported. All the railroad trains are
delayed by the high water, which has washed
away the bridges. The Oregon express is lying
at Redding, and no mail has come over the North
ern route for several days.
About haf-past 0 last night a cloud-burst oc-
CURED in a mountain canon near Boulder Creek,
Santa Cruz County, and food of water many feet
high came roaring down the valley. 1t
carried along whole trees and logs, and nothing
stood before it.
Five houses, with their sleeping occupants, were
swept away like eggShells. The people in the
houses were in bed at the time, and were taken
completely by surprise. The first they knew of
the disaster was when their houses were struck
and carried away, with everything else. Joe
Easton and his wife occupied one OF the houses.
They were in bed at the time. The people on the
banks saw them swept by the torrent, clasped
in each others arms. The men ran down the
stream in the hope of saving them.
quarter of mile below the spot where the cot
tage had stood cry for help was heard, and Mrs.
Easton was found clinging to the bank. She had
been struck by the drifting logs as she was swept
down stream She was badly bruised, and had
been completely stripped of her night
clothes. She is nearly fifty years Old
and the shock may prove fatal; but
it is believed she will recover. She said that as
she and her husband were swept dOw9 together
great log struck him, and separated them. She
did not see him again. EastOns body was found
in pile of drift, about half mile down stream.
man and wife named Francis who lived in
one OF the other cottages, had narrow escape.
When they realized their danger the water was
rushing past their house six feet deep Ihey
saw that the house would not stand, and sprang
throufn window into the water After great
exertions they succeeded in reaching the bank.
| There were several other narrow escapes; but al
| though all in the houses were badly bruised, no
one except EastOn was lost.