Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-02-27
SCENE or DESOLATION.


pHEscorr, A. r., Feb. IA messen-
1cr Bringing further details of the Walnut
Grove reservoir disaster, arrived here
yesterday. lie brings letters and, Sheriff
'Ael, Who went to the scene Of the d-
S0ster, writes az follows:
Iho scene Of dissolution along the Has
savampa below the sites of the dams is
complete. For miles the water, turned
free by the breaking Of the dams, has
filled the bed Of the creek With bodies
aud enormous bouIders, trees and every
other kind Of debris. Following is q par
tlal list OF the drOW ned:
TIE DEAD.
Hannah Mccarthy, Joe Reynolds,
miner; George Ebbets, labOrer; Alexan-
der McAlilen, coachman for Van Ruren
Z. g. Wheeler, laborer; one Mexican
name unknown G. l., Cook, laborer \.
L. White, laborer; John SIsbee, Charles
! King, blacksmith; Patrick Shay, lab0rer
| Patrick Dairy, laborer; Charles Brocken,
| l&borer; William Flanagan. labOrer Fred.
erick Palmer, laborer; /. D. Hayner
iaborer and child; George Rundell, labor.
er, and eight Cinnamon.
SIXTY LIVES LOST.
Besides those mentioned some twelve
or fifteen miners, who were mining be-
tween the lower and upper dam, with Il
number OF ranchers along the stream, are
missing, and when the f1ll casualties are
asccrtained the entire loss will probably
be between fifty and sixty lives. A num-
uer OF bodies have been recovered, many
- ~, Il q,
miles from the places where the flood
overlook them.
All remains more or less mutlated,
while in several cases only fragments
have been recovered, many bodies doubt
less have been buried in the sand, others
torn to pieces and others are far south.
CRUSHED By THE WAFER.
The impetus OF the stream of water
when turned loose can hardly be appreci-
ated without going over the ground GOV
cred by It. Those who saw it say it came
down almost i'll a perpendicular wall,
ninety or hundred feet high, and appa-
rently crushed down instead OF sweeping
away everything before it,
The great body OF water one and half
miles square and sixty feet deep was emp
tied in an hour. Immense bOulders weigh
Ing tons were thrown down, trees broken
in two or torn into shreds, iron bars
broken and twisted out OF shape and an
ordinary tlatirOn picked up and carried
five miles and then embedded in the walls
OF the canon eighty feet above the present
level of the stream.
y large safe containing 81 600 was swept
away and no trace has been found Of it.
\ MILE A MINUTE.
The food struck the lower dam at 15
a. III, and five minutes later the head
quarters, five miles below, were swept
away. Several persons We're at both
points Watching, but Notwithstanding this
Il number We're drowned.
AT the first point there were over thirty,
and those who escapei did so with only
what they hat on their backs, many only
with their night clothes on.
The survivors are in great destitution,
having neither provisions nor clothing.
Many are using coarse grain sacks i'll lieu
OF clothing,
DEATH OF HERO.
Friday evening courier was sent from
the upper to the lower dam to warn the
residents that the former structure was
in danger Of breaking, but owing to the
storm the messenger lost his LIE in try
ing to cross the llaSsayampA within view
Of the survivors OF the camp he had tried
to save.
Charles Thompson, a courier who ar
rived this afternoon from below Wickens-
burg, reports that nine bodies have been
at Wlckensbur1 and three in
addition to those already discovered.
The old historic Brill ranch, with all
other ranches along the river, have been
irDl M. y