Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-03-05
ARlzoNA.s HORROR.

Some Ncws from the sceno of the wal
nut Grove Dam Disastcr-An Avalanche
OF watcr Ono Hundred Foet High Sweeps
Every Thing Before It--Sixty Persons
Drowned.
PREscoTT, A. r., Feb. 26.-J. j. Will
Jams, prominent mining superintend-
ent, and his brother Ben Williams, of
Bisbee, accompanied by Prof. James
Douglass, mining expert and capital
ist, arrived here at z o'clock Monday
night and related story told them by
two prospectors who had come direct
from the scene of tho Walnut Grove
dam disaster. His story was of such
nature as to show that the half had not
been told and that the awful disaster
was of more destructive nature than
at first reported.
Sheriff O'Neill, who left here Sunday
for the scene of the disaster, writes that
the desolation along the Hassayampa,
below the site of tho dam, beggars de-
scription. A tornado could not have
made such complete wreck. For
miles the waters, turned free by the
breaking of the dams, filled the bed of
the creek with dead bodies, enormous
bowlders, trees, cacti and every other
kind of debris. He gives list of thirty
one persons known to be drowned,
and says that besides these some twelve
or fifteen miners who were placer
mining between the upper and lower
dams, with number of ranchers along
the stream, are missing, and when all
the casualties are ascertained the en-
tire loss will probably be between fifty
and sixty lives The bodies thus
far discovered number about dozen,
many of which were found twenty or
thirty miles below the place where the
flood overlook them. All the remains
are more or less mutilated, while in sew
eral cases only fragments have been re-
covered. Many bodies are doubtless
buried in the sand, others torn in pieces
and others carried far south.
Those who saw the flood say that it
came down in an almost perpendicular
emily crushed down instead of sweeping
every thing before it. Immense bowl
ders weighing tons were thrown around
as child might toss ball. Enormous
trees were broken in two sections or torn
into shreds. Iron bands were broken and
twisted out of shape and an ordi-
nary flat-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 b. Row,
containing in the neighborhood of
$1,000, was swept away and no trace
has, after the most dilligent search,
been found of it. Whatever the water
struck went down.
The flood struck the lower dam at 1:50
o'clock n. m. Five minutes later the
headquarters, five miles below, were
swept away. Several persons were at
both points watching, but notwithstand
ing this the lost at the first point was
over thirty men, and those who
escaped did so with what they
had on their backs only, some
with their night clothes only. Early
in the evening of the 21st courier
was sent from the upper to the lower
dam to warn the residents at the latter
point that the former structure was in
danger of breaking, but owing to the
storm and darkness 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.
Charles Thompson, courier just in
from below Wickenberg above the
lower dam, reports that nine bodies
have been discovered at that place and
thrae ahova in oddi tion IN those olraadv
discovered. The old historic Brill
ranch, with all the ranches along the
river, has been swept away.