Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-02-28
PHENIX.
Details of thu Late Food
There.
RES0UNDING WATER.
Sal! River Climbs up and Spreads
Itself.
The Flood Reached II Feet Inches
Above the Nominal Height.
The Damage.
Phenix Herald. Feb. Iq.


Contrary to expectation yesterday af
ternoon the storm of three days past die
not clear, as sunshine streaming through
| riffs of dark and sullen clouds seemed
to promise in would. Rain poured
down harder and hoarser than ever
through the blackness of the night
which pale moon occasionally i!lum-
ined with a sickly pretense at coal oil
imitation.
At l o'clock this morning engineer
Davidson telegraphed from the Arizona
dam that the water had risen 16 feet
Fire Department Chief Zarnowski sound
ed a general alarm, and riders were
sent south of town, between 3 and
o'clock, to warn people of the possible
danger from flood. In their desire to
prevent all possible casualty the alarm
was possibly made too general, as people
SO far north of the river as jackson
street were reused up and told to dress
themselves. They did SO, but drowsy
males soon turned out of bed again, with
their boots on mutteriDg something
about blank nervousness, while the wo
men folks enjoyed the unusual sensation
of teeth's chattering gossip at o'clock
IN the morning. A little 5-year old girl
thought it was fine fun oshave her best
clothes put on then, as it would save her
being dressed in the morning.
At 7:30 a. m. today the rise at the dam
was reported to be IL feet ane inches,
or 515 feet higher than the food of
last year, when the Tempe bridge
and Walnut Grove dam was carried
away. The fine new gate house, IS feet
long and IA feet wide, built last sun CT
from California castings and Oregon
hard wood, followed the rushing Lor
rents, though the headgates themselve
stood firm.
When morning dawned a deep muir
muir as of some sullen sea could be
heard in town, the noise that proved
Salt river to be on its annual grand roll.
Trask's powder house, on an island half
a mile south of Lum Gray's, that sets
three feet above ground, was noticed to
SGduQ lCh6l Will Guc O6udUOT
Gray's place, however, was high and dry,
as its elevation is about that Of the
depot in town.
About 10 a. 10. the town ditch over
flowed on w. B. Lount's place, Van
Beuren street. Marshal Blankenship
quickly mustered a force of men who
tore down the dam that makes the falls
at the old swimming bath on Center
street, opposite the Variety Theatre
The overflow was thereby checked. and
various breaks in the ditch were border
ed up to prevent further flooding.
About IL a. m. the water at Arizona
dam was reported stationary, and it was
hoped the orst was passed. Only Ia
inches of rain were repo. ted TO have
fallen there during all the storm. IL so
a water spout must have broken some
where in the mountains to the north
ward.
Phenix lies q feet above ordinary
water mark in Salt river. Its chance of
destructive flooding, therefore, was and
s extremely small. Nevertheless great
credit is due to all parties who spread
he alarm in this mornings darkness
and driving tempest.
Col. tombstone, of the Gazette, was
jailed from his reportorial table in the
Assembly this afternoon, to fight the |
high water that was fast crawling to-
wards his residence on Cortez street, |
lear Jackson.
Ths road pass at Captain Norton's was |
wagon bottom high this afternoon.
By p. m. today water was reported |
Iround General Sherman's and Colonel
dasten's houses in the east Phenix. 1t |
lad reached the town ditch south of |
own and one man reported a rise of
we inches in four minutes there at that |
ime.
LATRR.-Up to 4 p. m. the waters had
cached Mnrphy's Addition east and
vas within half a block of jackson
treet, south Of PheniA. Westerly the
irand canal had run down to the old
una road.