Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-26
NOT EXAGGERATED.
The Earlier Reports of the Disaster
More Tn an COrr0bOrated.

NOT EXAGGERATED.
The Earlier Reports of the Disaster
More Than Corroborated.
PRESCOTT, A. T., February 25.-The
hope that the early reports of the disas-
ter at the Walnut Grove dam might
prove exaggerated were dispelled last
night when j. P Williams, mining
superintendent, accompanied by his
brother, Benjamin Williams, of Bisbee,
and Prof. james Douglas, a mining ex.
pert and capitalist, arrived from Copper
Basin and related the story told them by
two prospectors direct from the scene of
the catastrophe. Soon after the arrival
of these gentlemen the stage agent who
took Sheriff O'Neill and DR.. Mullen to
| Walnut Grove Saturday, returned with
the inform alton that the Sheriff had sent
a messenger to Prescott with full particu-
lars. 1t was midnight before this mes
senger arrived with list of the lost as
far as known, and partial list of the
survivors. Sheriff O'Neill writes that
the country along the Hassayampa river
below the dams presents
A SCENE OF DEsoLATIoN.
A toranado 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 creeks with
bodies and with enormous boulders,
trees and every other kind of debris.
Following is
PARTIAL LIST OF THE DRowNED:
Hannah Mccarthy, maid to Miss Van
Buren, and Miss Hanlon.
Joe Reynolds, miner.
George Ebbetts, laborer.
N. E. Nickel, laborer.
Alex Mcmillan, coachmau for Mrs.
Van Buren,.
E. q, Wheeler, laborer.
G. L. Cook, laborer.
N L. White, laborer.
John Sllsbee, visitor.
Charles King, blacksmith.
Patrick Shay, laborer.
Patrick Barry, laborer.
Charles BrackeD, laborer.
VIM. Flanagan, laborer.
Frederick Palmer, laborer.
Caspar Freelon, engineer.
John Brown, engineer,
Alex brown, engineer.
5. Burloigie, laporer.
l.. d. Haynes, laborer, and child.
George Rundell, labofer; one Mexi-
can, name unknown, and eight China.
men.
AMONG THE SURVIVORS ARE:
Miss Mary Hanlon, niece of Il. S. Van
BNren, president of the Walnut Grove
Wafer Storage Company; James Red
ing, hydraulic engineer; Paul Lansing,
bookkeeper; Robert Brow, merchant.
and all his assistants, and Edmund
Silsbee.
H. S. Van Buren, aud daughter, with
Lieut.. A; o' Dorodie, superintendent,
we're III -nenix, having left for there
AuSsday preceding.
MANY OTHER VICTIMS.
Besides the victims here mentioned,
were twelve or fifteen miners at work be-
tween the upper and lower dams, and
number OF ranchers sloag the stream are
missing, and when all the casualties are
ascerta ned, the entire list will be prob
ably between fifty aud sixty. The bodies
thus tar rec Svered number about dozen,
many of which were found twenty to
thirty miles below the place where the
h6od overlook them. All the remains
are more or less mutilatcd, while in
several cases Fragments have been re-
covered. Many bodies have doubtless
been buried in the sand, some were torn
to pieces and others carried Jar south.
THE FORCE OF THE WATER
Where it broke loose can hardly be ap-
preciated without going over the ground
covered by it. Those who cav it eay it
came down in an almost perpendicular
wall ninety or hundred feet high, and
apparently crushed down instead of
sweeping away everything before it.
Immense boulders weighing tons were
thrown around as child might toss
ball. Enormous trees swere broken in
two or torn into shreds. Iron bars were
broken or twisted ont OF shape, and an
ordinary fatiron was picked up and car.
ried five miles and then imbedded in the
walls of canon eighty feet above the
present level of the stream. A large cafe
belonging to Robert Brown, containing
81, 900, was swept away and no trace mas
been found of it yet.
IT'S TERRIFIC VELOCITY.
The flood struck the lower dam at l .5O
Saturday morning, and five minutes Later
the h. edo iarters, five miles below. were
swept away. Several persons were at
both points watching, but notwithstand.
ing this there were thirty men drowned
at the dam, and those who escaped did
SO only with what they had on their
backs--many only in their night cloth.
ing.
PAUL REvERE's LIFE SACRIFICED.
Early Friday evening courier Was
sent from the upper to the lower dam 10
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 Akafvi.
could not keep ahead of the flood, and
lost his life in trying to cross the Has