The Indianapolis journal., 1890-02-26
A Solid Body of Water Ninety Feet High Rushes
through a Narrow Canyon and Destroys
Everything and Everybody in Its Way.
Fifty or Sixty LaborerS and Mechanics
Suddenly Engulfed in the Flood.
Twenty-Five Bodies Recovered-Force Of the
Water Exemplified in Terrible Manner
Names of the Dead and Rescued.


of many that the news was exaggerated,
and that the horrible catastrophe was not
as bad as at first briefly reported.
Such hopes, however, were dispelled
last night about z o'clock, when j. j. Will
Jams, mining superintendent. accompanied
by his brother, Ben Williams. of Bisbee,
and Prof. James Douglas, mining expert
and capitalist, arrived from Copper basin
and related the brief story told them by
two prospectors direct from Walnut Grove
dam. Not only was all hope dis
PEELED, but their story went to show
that half had not been told. A short time
after the arrival of Professor Douglas and
the Williams brothers, Z. H. Beggs, State
agent, who took Sheriff O'Neil and DR..
Miller to the scene of the disaster, returned
and reported that messenger with full
particulars had been sent by Sheriff O'NeiL
1t was midnight. however. before this mes
senger arrived, giving list of the lost, as
far as known, and partial list of the sur
vivors. Sheriff O'Neil writes as follows:
l"RoUARK's RANCH, Monday, Feb "a.
''The scene of desolation along the Has
sayampa river below the sites of the dam is
complete. A tornado could not have made
such complete wreck. For miles the
waters turned free by the breaking of the
dams have filled the bed of the creek with
bodies and with enormous bolders trees.
and every other kind of debris. The fol-
lowing thirty-eight names are partial list
of the drowned
Hannah McCarty. maid to Miss Hanlan
and Miss Van Buren; Joe Reynolds, miner;
George Ebbetts. laborer: N. L. Nickel. Ia
borer; Alexander McMillen, coachman for
Mr.. Van Buren; E. G. Wheeler. laborer; one
Mexican, name unknown; G. L.
Cook. N. L. Cook. and N. L. White,
laborers; John Silsbe, visitor; Charles
King. blacksmith; Patrick Shay. Patrick
Barry. Charles Bracken, VIM. Flanagan,
Frederick Palmer and Casper Frsester,
Brown, engineer; S. Burlogie. laborer; L.
ID. Haynes, laborer, and child; Geo. Run
dell, laborer, and eight Cinnamon.
''Ar1ong thu survivors are Miss Mary
Hanlon, niece of 81. S. Van Buren,, president
of the Walnut Grove Water Storage Com
pany; James Reddington. hydraulic engin-
eer; Paul Ransing, book-keeper; Robert
Brown, merchant. and all his assistants:
Edmund Silsbee H. s. Van Buren, and
daughter. with Lieut.. A. N. Brodie, super
intendent, 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 ranchers along the
stream, are missing, and when all the
casualties are ascertained. the entire
loss will probably be between fifty
and sixty lives. The bodies thus far dis
covered are about dozen, many of which
were found twenty or thirty miles from
the place where the food overlook them
all. The remains are more or less mutt
lated, while in several cases only fragments
have been recovered, as the force of the
flood was terrific. Many bodies have
doubtless been buried in the sand and
others torn to pieces and carried far south.
"The impetus of the stream of water
when turned loose can hardly be appreci-
ated without going over the ground COW
cred by it. Those who saw it say that it
came down in an almost perpendicular
wall, ninety or one hundred feet high, and
apparently crushed down, instead of sweep
ing away every thing before it. Immense
powders, weighing TONS were thrown
around as a child might toss ball. Enor-
nous trees were broken in two or torn into
shreds. Iron bars were broken and twisted
out of shape, and ordinary fat iron was
picked up and carried five miles,
and then imbedded in the walls
of the canyon, eighty feet above
81, oy,f nf %he
safe belonging to Robert Brown. containing
in the neighborhood of $1,000. was swept
away, and not trace has been found of it.
Whatever the water struck went down.
1.-The food struck the lower dam at 1:5O,
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 men drowned at the first point
was over thirty, and those who did escape
did so with only what they had on their
backs, many only in their night-clothes.
early on the evening of the 21st a
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
could not keep ahead of the food, and lost
his life in trying to cross the Hassayam
river, within view of the survivors of the
camp he had tried to save.
Charles Thompson, courier who arrived
here this afternoon from below Wicken-
berg, and who lost his ranch above the
lower dam, reports that nine bodies have
been discovered at Wickenberg and three
above, in addition to those already discov-
cred. Old Histors Brill ranch, with all
the other ranches along the river, have
been entirely swept away"
Not even remnant of the dam exists.
The immense body of water, one-and- "a half
mile square and sixty feet deep. was
emptied in an hour. Up to Saturday even-
ing twenty-five bodies had been recovered.
Tho survivors were in the greatest desti-
tuition. having neither provisions nor
clothing. Coarse grain sacks were being
used in lien of clothing. The camp of
workmen engaged in building fiume hes
not been heard from at all.