Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-03-20
nlled the gulch itself a nundrel, ice,

titles of 1t were turned aside into the Lew channel cut for it above the dam, it was slowly but surely filling the whole gorge and would soon rise above that structure, even if it did not sweep it away.
 Another meeting of the settlers was called, at which it was resolv d to ap- ply to the courts for perpetual in- junction restraining the companies from emptying their slickings into the gorge. The services of q prominent attorney of San Franc sco were secured and ap- | plication for the injunction made. But there were delays. The attorneys for the mining com | panies asked for time in which to pro- duce cvid nee to show why t"e in ;unc- tion should not issue, and although h the | settlers pleaded the absolute necess sly to them of immediate action, the time | asked Was given and even twice eX- tended,
 Then some technicality in the law or the papers in the case was discovered, and still further time consumed. By this time the fall rains had com- menced. and few days later the gorge above the dam was full, not of water alone, but of earth and stones, winch. pressing aga nst that hastily built
 
 pour ng over the valley and farm lands below.
 The bed of the creek was at once filled Witt sand and g aveL Bru Il and l timbers from the broken dam, tog ther with whole trees washed down by the 1 operations at the mines, w,rc swept along with the current and, finding lodgment, formed barrier which in turn banked up the water and ear h | bch nd it, until over whole farms the worthless soil from the mountains rose to depth of ten or twelve feet, bury
 ng orchards and vineyards, and even some small buildings beneath the ac- | cumulated mass.
 l Powerless to stay it's course, John and Martha Parsons saw the flood of death r!se about them. Saw first their lower fields flood d and made valueless. Then saw the flood rise about the | grape-vines until they were buried | from sight, and the mass of earth and water. rising more slowly now, rcache l the orchard and the higher gr unds l upon wh oh stood the cottage with it's .tlying farm buildings Day by day they watched the horri-
 ble mass close in abott them.
 Now the toplnos; linn $ of the peach trees alone app 'arcd in sight, and then | disappeared entirely.
 At night the garden fence had been
 rrachcd; in the m"rning it was foot deep within the inc osure. and was rap
 idly approac .in.y the door yard from
 three si.les.
 Now it reaches the front gate, creeps
 through the latticed fence and up the l grave, gr;.,c, *:., ::::,!s. Hiie by one the flower
 b ds disappear, swallowed up hy the l hD,. ,la iS te
 folds about the doomel cottage whose
 inmates watch its approach in helpless
 agon,, knowing that no human power
 can prevent the total destruction of all
 that years of toll and economy. had en-
 Lied them to accumulate,
 What Is to be donco
 Already do en of the ncighbors
 have been drivea from their houses and
 arc dom cilcd in thos> more remote
 from the scene of the overflow, or are
 camping out among the hills overlook
 ing lhe:r desolate homes.
 A few more days and the ocean o
 mud ana water will enter their own
 cottage; where shall they seek for ref
 ugc?
 There Is no one in the cottage now
 but John and Martha Parsons and the
 crippled boy: the young girl who was |
 to her own home, and Jennie and Luc,
 being still in San Francisco.
 Evidently the g rls could not long re-
 main at school now, for their parents
 had no longer any mems of paving
 their expenses. Every dollar of inc in come of the past year had been ex pended in paying for work upon th'
 dam and in the effort to obtain thu
 injunction, and but fifty dollars re mained in bank of that once laid asid' to aid Erastus, now upon his owl claim at the Slough.
 The girls must come home," Mrs Parsons had said when word cam that the dam had broken and all wa . lost.
 .'We must send for them, father.
 we are to lose everything we can no : pay their expenses in the city any long CT, and if you will take it to the office will write letter at once, telling ther . to come by the first boat But her husband pointed to the lak of mud and water. already six or eigh
 feet deep over the road across tn l creek bottom.
 8 I've can't git to the landing.' h said. "A horse would mire in tha t stuff fore he got half way to the bridge. l ''Then we must go to the landin D above. Can't you set some Of tt 8 neighbors to go for you? Mir. Ritchie Henry will go, l think, You kno :. they are not in as much danger yet { :, we are.''
 : Fl kin git some one to g, I spec r Marty" replied her h.isban l; Fl Ri
 it some one to %. 1 rec on, but tl el n mt no home :e the girls to come t. ,f CT ther won't be by the time they Il @ git the letter and git hele' IS "O,, John! Jo Il! is 1t possible ths ,f we have lost everything"' sobbed Mir }, Parsons. dropping into chair ar > bur, 'ng h f; ce iD her apron 1t John arson+ made no reply, an J. after a few moments h S wife checkt e h r sobS n ra $ ng her head asked: d '.Is there no W Y? an not th. da @ be rebuilt and made strong enough al
 high enc gh to stop this awful d n structiop of the homes of honest pc