Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-02-27
FRIGHTFUL FLOOD.
Bursting Of q Dam and Outbreak
OF an Immense Reservoir.
Forty More Lives Thought to He Lost
The Disaster Thought TO Be
Duo to Criminal Mean

ness.
PKEscorr, A. T., Feb. 2.-The fine
large storage dam built across the
Hasayampe river by the Walnut Grove
Water Storage Company two years ago
at cost of $500, 600 gave way Saturday
morning under the pressure of heavy
food and swept every thing before it
Forty persons are known to have lost
their lives
As the town of Wickenburg, thirty
miles below the dam, was on the same
stream fears were entertained for the
safety of that town, but as there is no
telegraph communication no certain
news can be obtained at present
The service dam of the company, To-
Gated fifteen miles below the reservoirs
and fifteen miles of fume, just ap-
preaching completion were also swept
away, although the company had spent
over $500, 600 on the enterprise of storing
water. The hydraulic mining machine
had arrived, and they had expected to
commence operations next week.
The dam which held the water back
was ITO feet long at its base and forty
at the top. It was ITO feet thick at the
base and ten feet at the top, forming
lake three miles in length by three
fourths of mile wide and ITO feet deep.
Lieutenant Brodie. in charge of the
work, was absent at Phoenix superin-
tending the shipment of machinery to
the works and was saved
Those known to have been drowned
are j. Haines, wife and four children,
n. Boon and daughters, John Silby.
Joseph Reynolds, Mrs. Mccarthy and M.
Hands McMiller.
Arthur Allen, formerly in the enter
prise, and John Mcdonald, owner of the
Blue Lick mine, have just returned
from the Doxoris divide, fourteen miles
south of the town, from where view of
the dam could be had. The wash of the
water 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 is sloped to 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 or property, but the latter
will reach into millions, while the loss
of life will without doubt be great as
many of the families live near the stream
in the narrow canyons.
4AO CCAAI VI OdO hCWS VI tho
loss of the big dam has heightened the
excitement and more definite news is
anxiously awaited, but the wires are
now all down near Prescott Junction.
The courier who brought telegramsfor
the owners of the Walnut Grove dam
notifying them of their loss left imme-
diately after daylight yesterday morn
ing. He could give butlittle particulars
10 IN @1a 90
missing, five bodies having been re-
covered when he left. The distance
to the storage dam from Prescott by the
shortest route is forty miles, while the
service dam, where the employees were
located, is fifteen miles further down
the stream.
Immediately on receipt of the news
here Adjutant-Genera1 O'Neil started
for the scene of the disaster with two
surgeons to care for the sufferers and SUI
perintend the burying of the dead.
representative of the Journal-Miner, a
local paper, accompanied the party, and
will send special courier with particu-
lars, but it will take twenty-four hours
or longer to make the round trip. Satur-
days courier came from the lower
dam, and as the road does not come by
that it had given away on account of
the immense quantity Of water.
THE BUILDERS To BLAME.
SAN Francisco, Feb. 24.-Luther
Wagner yesterday gave some details of
the construction of the great storage
dam across Hasayampa river which
show that this disaster, like that at
Johnstown, was, according to him, due
70 nd me- of tho NaxU
York corporation that built it.
Wagner was called in to report on the
dam about a year and half ago. 1t
was to have been faced with stone four
teen feet thick at the base and four feet
at the top and filled with loose rock and
made water tight with wooden sheath
ing It was about half done when
Wagner inspected it and he found
that the stone had been filled in
carelessly and was high in the
center, making the structure unstab BILE.
The junction of sheathing and bed rock
was intended to be secured by thick
layers of Portland cement, but this
work was not we'll done because of the
cost of getting cement to the works.
Thus dangerous crevice was formed at
the base of the dam and the leakage
was heavy, being Ia inches with seven
feet of water in the dam. The lumber
used was also full of knotholes.
Wagner ordered the discharge of the
contractors and engineers, as he regard
ed them as worthless, but this was not
done. The company, however, acting
on his advice, cut large wasteway and
strengthened the weak places. Wagner
warned them the dam would be unsafe
unless some of the work was gone over
and rectified, but they would not listen
to him.
MI. GladstOnes Condition.
LONDON, Feb. 23.-Mr. Gladstone, who
is suffering from an attack of catarrh, is
much better to-day.
Clippings.
A Quebec agent of a London lumber
firm is defaulter to the amount of
about $3.50, 600 and has disappeared. He
has probably located in the United States
as a partial compensation to this coun-
try for the loss Of numerous American