Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-02-28
CAUGHT IN THE MAD RUSH
Scenes of Desolation Along the Path
of the Flood.
Further Details Regarding the Break,
ing Of the Dams.
Over Thirty Lives Lost and Property
Greatly Damaged.

PREsCoTT, Ariz., Feb. Pa mes
Senger bringing further details of the
Walnut dam disaster. arrived this morn
ing. Sheriff O'Neill who sent him from
the scene of the disaster writes:
4 scene of deSolation along the Hassaympa
below the sites of the dams is complete.
For miles the waters. turned free by the
breaking of the dams, have filled the bed
of the creek with bodies and with enor
NOUS boulders, trees and other kinds of
debris. The following Is a partial list of
the drowned: Hannah Mccarthy, Joe
Reynolds, miner; George Ebb0ttS,
laborer; Alexander Mcmillan, coachman
for Van Buren,; E. G. Wheeler, laborer;
one Mexican, name unknown; 5. Lock,
laborer: n l.. White laborer; John SiliS-
bee. Charles King, blacksmith; Patrick
Shay. laborer: Patrick Barry, laborer;
Charles Bracken. laborer; VIM. Flanagan,
laborer; Frederick Palmer. laborer; Casper
FreSsler laborer; John Brown, engineer;
Alex. Brown, engineer; s. Burlogie.
laborer; c. d. Haynes, laborer, and
child; George Rundell. laborer. and
eight Cinnamon. Besides these mentioned,
some twelve or fifteen miners who were
placer mining, between the upper and
lower dam, and a number of rancberS
along the stream are missing. When
all the casualties are aScertained the entire
loss will probably be between fifty and
sixty lives. A number of bodies have
been recovered, many of which
were found twenty and thirty miles from
the place where the flood overlook them
All the remains were more or less multi
ated, while in several cases only fragments
of the bodies have been recovered, as the
force of the food was terrific. Many
bodies, doubtless, have been buried in the
the sand, others torn to pieces, while
others were no doubt carried far south.
The impetus of the stream of
water when loose, can hardly
be appreciated without going over
the ground covered by it. Those who saw
1t claim that it came down almost III a
perpendicular wall ninety or a hundred
feet high, and apparently crushed down
instead of sweeping everything before it.
The immense body of water, one and one
half miles square and sixty feet deep,
Cmptied In an hour. Immense bOulders
Weighing tons were thrown around: enOr-
NOUS trees were broken III two or torn into
shrcds; iron bars were broken and twisted
out of shape, and an ordinary fiat iron was
picked Up and carried five miles and then
tllDtJUcU Ill Jllt Wills VI IIt CdllN OIl. CU
feet above the present level of the stream.
A large safe containing $1,000 was swept
away and no trace has been found of it.
The flood struck the lower dam at
so a. m, and five minutes later the
headquarters five miles below were
swept away. Several persons were at both
points watching, but Notwithstanding this
the number of drowned at the first point
was over thirty, and those who escaped did
so with only what they had on their
backs, many having only their night
clothes. The survivors are in great desti'
tuition, having neither provisions
or clothing. Many are using
grain Sanle to their SllVeTinr
bodies. Friday evening Il courier was sent
from the upper to the lower dam to warm
the residents that the former structure was
in danger of breaking, but owing to the
storm the messenger lost his life in trying
to cross the Hassayampa within view of
the survivors of the camp he had tried to
save.