Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-26
CALIFORNIA AND COAST.
Carl Browne Thrown Into Los AngGeS
County Jail.
HEAVY STORM ON LAKE TAHOE.
Full Particulars of the Awful Flood
in Arizona-Heayy Fines Inn
posed on Chinese.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE EEooRD-uMoS.l ]
TILE WORST CoNFIRMEp.


A Greater Flood than the One Which
Destroyed Johnstown.
PRESCOTT GA. IT,, February 25th.-The
failure of the messenger to arrive yester-
day with further particulars of the great
disaster on the Hassayampa river, had a
tendency to engender feeling of hope that
the first news was exaggerated, and that
the catastrophe was not as bad as at first
reported. Such hopes were, however, dis
PEELED shortly before midnight, when the
messenger arrived with reports of the dis
aster made by Sheriff O'Neill, which are
as follows:
RoUARK's RANCH, February 24'h.-The
scene of desolation along the Hassayampa
below the sites of the dams beggars de-
scription. A tornado could not have made
such complete wreck. For miles the
waters turned free by the breaking of the
dams have filed the bed of the creek with
enormous boulders. trees, cactus, and every
other kind of debris
H. s. VanBuren, President of the Wal-
nut Grove Water Storage Company, anG
his daughter and niece, for whose safety
grave fears were entertained. are among
the survivors, as they were far from the
scene of danger when the dam broke.
The number of persons killed is now
known to be thirty eight, including eight
Chinemen. 1t is believed that the total
loss of lite will be between fifty and sixty.
The bodies thus far discovered number
about a dozen, many OF which were found
twenty or thirty miles below the place
where the food overlook them. All the
remains are more or less mutilated, while
in several cases only fragments have been
discovered.
Many bodies have doubtless been buried
in the sand and others carried far to the
south. Those who saw the advancing
flood say ii came down in almost a per-
pendicular wall ninety or a hundred feet
high, and apparently crushed down in
stead of sweeping away everything before
it.
Immense boulders, weighing tons, were
thrown around as a child might throw a
ball. Enormous trees were broken or torn
into shreds. Iron bars were broken or
twisted out of shape, and piece OF flat
iron was picked up and carried FIVE miles,
and then imbedded in the wall of the
canyon eighty feet above the present level
of the stream.
A large safe belonging TO Robert Brow,
containing in the neighborhood of 81 GOO,
was swept away and no trace has been
found of it. The food struck the lower
dam at 1850 A. NJ Five minutes later the
headquarters, five miles below, were swept
away, aud not a remnant of the dam now
exists. AN immense body of water, one
and half miles square and sixty feet
deep, was emptied in an hour.
Early or the evening of the 21sta courier
was sent from the upper to the lower dam
to warn the inhabitants at the latter point
that the former structure YVES in danger OF
breaking. but owing to the storm and dark
ness the messenger, William Akard, could
not keep ahead of the flood and lost his
life in trying to cross the Hassayampa,
within view of the survivors OF the camp
he had tried to save.
The survivors are il the greatest destitu-
ton, having neither provisions nor cloth
ing. A camp OF workNen engaged in
building flnme aefe have not been heard
from al all, and it is feared that all are lost
MORE BODIES FOUND.
PRESCOTT, February 25th.-Chas. Thomp-
son, courier just in from Wicken berg
and who lost his ranch above the lower
dam, reports that nine bodies have been
discovered at Wickenberg and three above,
in addition to those already discovered
The old historic Brill ranch, with all other
ranches along the river, have been swept
away.
QUARTz MILLS INJURED.
PRESCOTT "a. IT,, February 25th.-Wm
Murphy, who came in this afternoon, re-
potts that the recent food worked serious
damage to the Crowned King mills, To-
Gated on Poland creek. The estimated loss
is $4,000. Reports of great damage tc
farms and mining machinery also come
from the Verde. The present floods and
the damage they have wrought are uDpre
cedented in the history of this section.