Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-03-14
A MINING DAM BURSTS
Swept Away by the Weight ~
Water it Was Meant to Retain
Fearful Destruction of Life a.3
Property in Arizona.

The fine large storage dam built acro<, Has
savampa River by the Walnut Grove Wa.ar
Storage Company, of Prescott, Arr a.
cost of $500, 600 gave way under grea; pre-
sure of a heavy food and swept eyerv-htrr
before it. Forty persons are known % hav.
lost their lives. As the town OF Wick-nhu-y
thirty miles below the dam, was Oh thu AN,
stream, at the writing OF this report. E-.a.
fears were entertained for the safety %: TIA,
town, but there is no telegraph ~lr7-
municatiOn no news was obtainahle on. l-s
fate. The service dam of the CuTursrv
fifteen miles below the reservoirs, and .t..ag
miles of fiume just approaching comple'lun.
were also swept away, although the con.rs,.v
had spent over 500, 900 on the enterprl>- ~
steering the water. The hydraulic mining
machine had arrived and they exp tel =,
commence operations the next week
The dam which held the waters back w,s
10 feet long at the base and 800 feet a. n.
top. 1t was 40 feet thick at the ba~a and
ten feet at the top, forming lake three miles
in length by three-fourths OF mile wl'ir AMI
40 feet deep. Lieutenant Brodic. in rnar-,
of the work was absent AT Phoenix >upar,n-
tending the shipment of the machinery 10th.
works. and was saved. Among thOS" known
to have been drowned are: J. HaineS. wIE-
and four children; H Boone and daughters.
John Silby, Joseph Reynolds, Mrs. Mccarthy
S McMiller
Not the slightest doubt had been enter
tanned % the safety of the dam, and nuner-
Gus houses had been erected by miners A.
various places along the course of the stream
These were uplifted by the raging waters as
though they had been corks, :.nd hnatei
down stream until they were DASHED 70
pieces.
The first intimation of the appalling dlsas-
ter was a sound resembling thunder, and AZ
the same instant perpendicular wal OF
water fully fifty feet high came rushing
down the narrow valley with almost incred.
ible speed Fortunately there were but com
paratively few people living near the bottom
of the hillsdes, and of these a large number
were warned by the awful sound ami escaped
to higher ground
The valley widens above WickenburC and
much of the town lies upon the lOwlands
close to the course of the stream, and II i a.
most certain that the vast body Of water
which rushed out of the reservoir carried
away many houses at that place II was
believed at Prescott that fully as many pecr
pie were drowned there as Immediately below
the dam. The ruined dam is cut from the top
almost to the bottom, as though section
had been dragged out, and the water above
was only a few feet deep.
Heavy rains had fallen for several days,
and it was apparent that the water in The
lake was approaching the danger line. The
rain continued throughout the night and
early in the morning the waite" rose to the top
of the dam and cut small passage near tle
centre, which rapidly widened and deepensi
as the water poured over it. until in less than
twenty minutes the little stream had become
a roaring cataract.
The storage company is blamed for no.
having provided sufficient outlet for the
water in times Of danger. The only war NJ
letting off the water was through the tu-s
and this afforded no appreciate relief Tbs
is the first of the great storage reservoirs pro-
iected in the Territory and it is believed tn
disaster will operate to discourage the con-
structiOn of similar dams
No further news had reached Prescott y
the loss of life or the damage caused by the
break of the Walnut Grove dam. Arthur
Allen, formerly il the enterprise. and j in
Mcdonald owner of the Blue Dick
mine had just returned from the Doors
Divide, fourteen miles south Of the
town, from where view o. tho
dam could be had. Wash Waterway could
be plainly seen with their wOwerlul glaN>es
high upon the side Of the cliff, while the break
in the stone work of the dam also
pl;inlv seen.
1'he break in the dam is stopped t. the
eastward, leaving the impression that TIE
main break the east side No a"su-
rate estimate could be made of the loss ot
life of property, but the latter would
reach into the millions, while the loss Of life
would. no doubt, be great, as many oi the
families were living near the stream n III,
narrow canOns.