The Lamar register., 1889-07-13
gsAVy RAINS All OVER gEs STATE,
water SpoutS, ,Riyers and
Greeks Out their Banks.

e-S1@~S 49, !
Heavy black clouds lay in the west
all afternoon Monday that gave the
appearance of great rainfall, Tues
day morning it was still cloudy, and
at half past eleven dispatch from !
Las Animas gave warning that their
old bridge had gone out and twenty
feet of water was coming down the
river, the news caused considerable
excitement here, and word was sent |
in all haste to parties Lying on the |
low lands, and campers along the |
river that a flood was coming. A
few minutes after receiving the word,
the road leading to the bridge was
lined with buggies and horsemen.
Granada was warned to look out for
their bridge, and our county commits
sioners were preparing to fight the
water for possession of our bridge.
Geo. 7. Herbert was soon on the
ground with ropes and chains to make
the bridge fast to the large trees.
The delayed passenger train came
down from the west at noon and re-
ported the water almost to Caddoa,
freight train at one o'clock reported
the water past Caddoa and out the
banks, dispatch at four p. M, re-
ported the water rising rapidly up
| the river. At two O'Clock the rain
poured down here until the streets
and prairie was covered with water.
At five o'clock the flood reached our
bridge, but the reports had either
been greatly exaggerated or the water
had spread out or been carried out
by the many bitches, until it Just
barely crept out the banks a short
distance above the bridge, and did
not reach the road bed of the bridge
by two feet As it was there was an
immense body of water, and the drift
wood would soon have forced the
bridge out if it had not been for the
lively and hard work of the men on
hand to keep it moving, the drift
piled up against the bridge next to
the south bank and it was about an
even fight for four hours to keep the
great mass from Increasing in size.
! A. ,;,,o ofc1oof- ,rLa,, ,ba r,,a,- Ia
reached its highest point, Mr..
Downer was quite badly hurt, large
pole that was used to tare the drift
apart was pulled over with great
force and struck him. He was con-
veyed to his residence, and on exam
ination found his INJURIES were not
serious. The rise in the river was
nothing to compare with that of three
years ago when it was at least five
feet higher at this point, and then
did not get up on leyel with our
valley. The damage done to bitches
was confined to washing out head
gates, which was the case with the
Bed Rock, the Bent and two small
bitches west of here.
AT Denver, Boulder, Longmont and
Palmer Lake the rainfall was similar
to cloud burst, Sallda was but mile
from a waterspout but was notdamag-
ed much, several miles of the D. S R.
G. track was washed out in different
places, and other reads in the state
were delayed by small washouts. AT
Rocky Ford there was cloud burst
that damaged some of the fields,
near there two or three adobe houses
melted down, and in one instance
farmer had hard work saving his
family from drowning. The rain
was general and the rivers and creeks
are reported as being very high all
over the state, but we have failed to
hear of q single case of drowning, or
any great loss of property.