Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-02-27
THE DAN BURST.
The Whole Valley a Scene Of
DeSOlatiOn.
THIRTY-EIGHT VICTIMS so FAR.
Nine Bodies Recovered at Wickenburg-The
Old Historic Brill Ranch Swept
Away Along With
Others.


though particulars come in slowly. Two
prospectors, who arrived yesterday
morning from the upper dam, say that
they camped above the dam Friday
night. At about one o'clock Saturday
morning the dam broke and the water
rushed down the narrow canyon in a
solid body eighty feet high. One man
was rescued from the top of tree. The
prospectors state that not even rem
nant of the dam exists. The immense
body of water, one and half miles
square and sixty feet deep, was emptied
in an hour. They had talked with many
from the smaller dam, fifteen miles be-
low, who said up to Saturday evening
twenty-five bodies had been recovered,
but could give no additional names.
The survivors were reported in the
greatest restitution, having neither pro-
visions nor clothing. Coarse grain sacks
were being used in lieu of clothing.
The camp of workmen engaged in
building a flume has not been heard
from at all and it is feared that all are
lost. No news has yet been received
from Wickenburg or from the settlement
below the dam.
E. H. Beggs, the stage agent who took
Sheriff O'Neill and DR.. Miller to the
scene, returned to-day and reported that
a messenger with full particulars had
been sent by Sheriff O'Neill. 1t was
midnight, however, before the messen-
ger arrived, giving list of the lost, as
far as known, and a partial list of the
survivors.
Sheriff O'Neill writes as follows:
RoURAK's RANCH, Feb. 24.-The scene
of desolation along the Hassayampa
river below the sites of the dam is COM
plete. 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 bodies and huge boulders, trees
and every thing in the way of debris.
The following thirty-eight names are a
partial list of the drowned: Hannah
McCarty, maid to Miss Hanlon and Miss
Van Buren,; Joe Reynolds, miner;
George Ebbetts, laborer; N. E. Nickel,
laborer; Alexander McMillen, coach
man for Mr.. Van Buren,; E. G. Wheeler,
laborer; one Mexican, name unknown;
G. L. Cook, laborer; n. L. Cook, laborer;
L. n. White, laborer: John Silsbee, Ia
borer; Charles King, blacksmith; Pat
rick Shay, laborer; Patrick Barry, Ia
borer; Charles Bracken, laborer; Will
liam Flanagan, laborer; Frederick
Palmer laborer; Casper Freester, la
borer; John Brown, engineer: Alexander
Brown, engineer; S. Burlome, laborer;
L. D. Haynes, laborer, and child; George
Rundell, laborer, and eight Cinnamon.
Among the survivors are Miss Mary
Hanlon, niece of H. S. Van Buren,, pres
ident of the Walnut Grove Water
Storage Company; James Redington,
hydraulic engineer; Paul Lansing, book
keeper; Robert Brown, merchant, and
all his assistants, and Edmund Silsbee.
H. S. Van Buren, and daughter, with
Lieutenant A. n. Brodie, the superin-
tendent, were in Phoenix, having left
for there on the Tuesday preceding.
Besides these here mentioned, some
twelve or fifteen miners, who were in
the placer mines between the upper and
lower dams, with number of ranch
people along the stream, are missing
and when all the causalties are learned
the entire loss will probably be between
fifty and sixty lives.
The bodies thus far discovered are
about a dozen, many of which were
found twenty or thirty miles from where
the flood overlook them. The remains
are more or less mutilated, while in sew
eral cases only fragments have been re-
covered, as the force of the flood was
terrific. Many bodies have doubtless
been buried in the sand and others torn
20 pieces and carried far south.
The impetus of the stream of water
when turned loose can hardly be appre-
eiated without going over the ground
covered by it. Those who saw it say
that it came down in an almost perpen-
dicular wall ninety or 100 feet high and
crushed down, instead of
sweeping away, every thing before it.
Immense boulders weighing tons were
thrown around as a child might toss
ball. Enormous trees were broken in
two or torn into shreds. Iron bars were
broken and twisted out of shape and or
binary fat iron was picked up and car
ried five miles and then imbedded in
the walls of the canyon, eighty feet
above the present level of the stream.
A large safe belonging to Robert Brown,
containing in the neighborhood of
81, 900, was swept away and no trace has
yet been found of it. Whatever the
water struck went down.
The flood struck the lower dam at 80
and five minutes later the headquarters,
i've miles below, were swept away
Several persons were at both points
but Notwithstanding this the
number of men drowned at the first
point was over thirty, and those who
lid escape did so with only what they
had on their backs, many only in their
hight clothes.
Early on the evening of the 21st a |
courier was sent from the upper to the |
over dam to warn the residents at the |
after point that the former structure |
vas in danger of breaking, but owing to |
he storm and darkness the messenger
.ould not keep ahead Of the food and
ost his life in trying to cross the Has
ayhampa river within view of the survi-
rors Of the camp he had tried to save.
Charles Thompson, courier who ar.
lived here this afternoon from below
and who lost his ranch
bove she lower dam, reports th2t nine
'odies have been discovered at Wicken-
'urg and three above in addition to
hose already discovered.
Old historic Brill ranch, with all the
Their ranches along the river, have been
entirely swept away.
No Free Grains and Seeds for Canada.
OTTAWA, Ont, Feb. 26.-In the
louise of Commons, yesterday, Mr. Nc
I;lInn - n..... .,-o-ocod IL. |