Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-24
HAVOC LET LOOSE.
A Mate to the Terrible Johns
town Deluge.
CALAMITY IMAM ARIZONA VALLEY

the Dam suoeumbs to the Weight BE
hind 10 and Death and Destruction Work
Their WiIi-Mesgre Particulars OF a
Probably FrightfnI Disaster.
DENVER, Colo, Feb. IA Prescott. A
T., special says that on Saturday night about
5 O'Clock courier arrived there from Wal
nut Grove, A T., bringing a dispatch an
nouncing that the large storage dam built
scross Ha-sayampa river two years ago by
the Walnut Water Storage company AZ a cost
Of hundreds Of thousands of dollars, had given
way Saturday morning, causing a loss OF
forty or fifty lives, and the d-st.uction of
great amount Of property. The cour-
ier left Immediately after daylight, ami
could give but little particulars further than
10 report the number missing Five bodies
- had been recovered and ideuti-
fed when he left. The distance %
the storage dam from Prescott by the short
est route Is forty miles, while the service
dam where the employees were located was
fifteen miles further down stream Imme-
distely on receipt Of news here Adjt Gen.
O'Neil started for the scene Of disaster with
| two surgeons to assist the wants OF the suf-
fsrers and superintend burial of the dead A
| representative of The Journal Miner, loca.
paper, accompanied the party and will send
| special courier with particulars, but il will
take twenty-four hours to make the round
| trip. Saturdays courier came from the
lower dam, and as the road does not come by
the upper dam it is only surmised that il had
II - 81
tity OF water. A more hopeful feeling ex-
| lists now.
Later-The Dam Undoubtedly Gone
A later special from Prescott says:
sArthur Allen, formerly interested in the en-
terprise, and John Mcdonald, an owner Of
the Blue Dick mine, have Just returned from
the Doesoris divide, fourteen miles south of
the town, from where a view of the dam
could b had, and report that it has gone
without doubt. The wash water way could
be plainly seen with their powerful glasses
high up on the side Of the cliff, while the
break in the stone work Of the dam was also
plainly seen. The break in the dam sloped
70 the eastward, leaving the impression that
the main break was on the east side There
can be no estimate Yet of the loss of life and
property, but the latter will reach into the
/ millions, and the loss of life no doubt will
be great, as many families are living near
streams in narrow canOns The confirma-
/ ton OF the news of the loss Of the big dam
has heightened the excitement, and more
definite news is now anxiously awaited
Pears for wickenbure.
II is feared that many lives have been lost
at Wickenburg, thirty miles below the dam
on the same stream. There is no telegraphie
communication, however, and the excite
ment at Prescott and other places is intense.
The service dam Of the company, located
fifteen miles below the reservoirs, ana fifteen
miles Of fiume just approaching completion,
we're also swept away.
Thirteen known Victims.
OF those known % be drowned the follow
ing Is a list J. HAines. Mrs J. Haines. four
children of Mr.. and Mrs Haines. H. Boone.
| two daughters Of n Boone John Silby. Jo-
ssph Reynolds, Mrs Mccarthy. and / Nc
MILAN.
Although the company had spent over
$soo,OO0 on the enterprise of storing water
the expensive works were swept away like
80 much chat, and nothing in the course OF
the torrent offered more than momentary
resistance
like the COnemaugh Calamity.
The courier who brought the news to
Prescott said that the first intimatiOn OF the
appalling disaster was n sound resembling
thunder, and at the same instant perpen-
dicular wall Of water fully fly feet high
came rushing down the narrow valley with
almost incredible speed Fortunately there
were but comparatively few people living
near the bottom Of the bill lsides, and Of these
a large number were warned by the awful
sound and escaped TO higher ground
Destruction of the Dam
The ruined dam Is cut from the top almost
10 the bottom, as though a section had been
sawed out, and the water above Is only a few
feet deep. Heavy rains have fallen for several
days, and Friday night it was apparent that
the water in the lake was approaching the
danger line The rain continued through
out the night, and early Saturday morning
the water rose to the top of the dam, and
cut a small passage near the center, which
rapidly widsned and deepened as the water
poured over it, until in less than twenty
minutes the little stream had become roar
ing cataract
Inflated Confidence.
The dam which held the waters back was
ITO feet long at the base and 4O0feet at the
top, and was Ito feet thick at the base and
~ AEtN ~ hhr Top a ldht luTtt Illltss
in length by three-fourths Of a mile wide and
ITO feet deep. Lieut. Brodie, in charge of
the work, was absent at Phoenix superin-
tending the shipment of machinery to the
works and was saved. Not the slightest
doubt had been entertained Of tn. safety of
the dam, and numerous houses had been
erected by miners at various places along the
course Of the stream. These were uplifted
by the raging waters as though they had been
corks, and nOated down stream until they
were dashed to pieces.
More Criminal Negligence.
SAN Francisco, Feb "a Luther Wagner
yesterday gave some details of the construc-
ton Of the great storage dam across Has
sayampa river which show that this dis
aster, like that at Johnstown, was, accord
ing to him, due TO carelessness and meanness
Of the New York corporation that built it
Wagner was called in 10 report on the dam
about year and a half ago. II was to have
been faced with stone fourteen feet thick at
the base and four feet at the top, and filed
with loose rock, and made water tight with
wooden sheathing. Ii was about half done
when Wagner inspected il, and he found the
stone had Teen filed in careless,y and was
high in the centre, making the structure
unstable The junction Of sheathing and bed
rock was intended to be secured by thick
layers Of Portland cement, but this work
was not well done because Of the cost of get
ting cement TO the works Thus a danger
Gus crevice was formed at the base of the
dam and leakage was heavy, being la
inches with seventy feet Of water In the dam
The iumDer used was also fun OF knotnoIes
Wagner advised the discharge Of contrac-
tors and engineers, as he regarded them as |
worthless, but this was not done The COM
pany, however, acting ON his advice, cut |