Telegram-herald., 1890-02-27
THREE SCORE DEAD
Some Definite News from the Dis
aster IN Arizona.
SIXTY PERSONS LOST IHEIR LIVES
The Barstias of tue " alnat Sross D~aa
ssaas an AssIanche on " ater 100 fsst
High Thrsagh the tsliey-fhs
fFIshtfal kssatt.

PkEscOrr, A. T.. Feb. 26.-At last
come authentic news OF the dam-burst
on the Hassayampa river has been re-
eeiysd, and while the first reports are
confirmed, It l. shown that not halI mas
been told. At midnight Monday mes
senger arrived bearing the following
letter from sheriff O'Neill, who lettfor
the scene Of the disaster as soon As II
Was reported:
Hzssayampa river below the sites OF
the dams Is complete. A tornado could
not have made such complete wreck.
For miles ths waters turned free by the
breaking OF the dams have filled the
bed OF the creek with bodies and with
enormous boulders, trees and every
other kind OF debris.
''lhe following s. names are partial
list OF the drowned: Hannah McCarty,
Joe Reynolds, George Eboets, y. +.
Nickel, Alexander Mcmillan, T.. G..
Wheeler, unknown Mexican, e.. l..
Cook, y. l.. White, John silsbee, Chas.
King. Patrick shay, Patrick Barry,
Charles Bracken, William Flanagan,
Frederick Palmer. Casper Freester,
John Browne, Alexander Browne, >.
Burlogie, l.. ID. Haynes and child, Geo.
Bundell and eight Cinnamon.
Besides these were mentioned a.
missing, some twelve or fifteen miners,
who were IN the placer mines between
the upper and lower dam, with "A num-
ber OF ranchers along the stream; and
whenever the casualties are ascer-
tanned, the entire loss will probably be
between fifty and sixty lives. The bod
les thus far discovered are about
dozen, many of which were found
twenty or twenty-five miles from the
place where the flood overlook them
all. The remains are more or less nlu-
tlatcd, while IN several cases only frag-
ments nave been recovered, Us the force
of the flood was terrific. Many bodies
have doubtless been buried IN the sand
and others torn 10 pieces and carried
FAR south.
''Thc impetus of the stream of water,
when turned loose, can hardly be APP
preclated without going over the
ground covered by ii. Those who
saw il say that II came down in
an almost perpendicular wall, ninety or
one hundred feet high, and apparently
crushed down instead OF sweeping
away everything before IT. Immense
boulders, weighing tons, were thrown
around as child might toss a ball.
Enormous trees were broken IN two or
torn IN shreds; iron bars were broken or
twisted out of shape, and ordinary fiat
iron was picked up and carried five
miles and then embedded in the walls
OF the canyon eighty feet above the
present level of the stream. A large
safe belonging 20 Robert Brown, con-
tanning in the neighborhoOd of s. 900.
Was swept away, and no trace has been
found of II.
Whatever the water struck went
down. The Hood struck the lower dam
at 1850 and five minutes later the head
quarters, five miles below, were swept
away. Several persons were at both
places watching, but not withstanding
this the number of men drowned At the
first point was over thirty and those
who did escape did SO with only what
they had on their backs, many only in
their night clothes.
Early on the evening of the 21st a
courier was sent from the upper to the
lower dam TO warn the residents at the
latter point that the former structure
was IN danger of breaking. but owing
20 the storm and darkness the messen-
ger could not keep ahead of the flood l..
and lost his life IN trying 10 cross the
Hassayampa river within view OF the
survivors OF the camp he had tried to
save"
Charles Thompson, a courier who
arrived here this afternoon from below
WickerbUrg. and who lost his ranch
below the lower dam. reports that nine
bodies have been recovered at Wicken-
burg, and three above, IN addition 10
those already discovered. old Histories
Brili ranch with all the other ranches
along the river have been entirely swept
away.