The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-03-04
Reigns Supreme in the Flooded
Gila Valley.
HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST.
Inhabitants Driven by the Wild Waters
Into the Tree Tops.
FIFTY MILES OF WATER


Covers . Once Fertile Country-Exhaustsd
From Cold and Hunger, the People Fell
Easy Victims and Perlshed.
YUMA, Ariz., March 2. Over $50
houses are In ruins in this place and
about 1,4oo people are homeless 1t Is
feared that hundreds Of lives have been
lost in the Gila valley. No reliable re-
ports can be obtained from that local
ity, as the roads arc impossible and all
the wires are down. Above Yuma the
river is seven miles wide and below the
town the water covers the country in
one grand lake over fifty miles across.
Over 1000 persons are being fed daily
at the Southern Pacific depot and the
town has provisions sufficient for eight
days more. The blockade of westbound
trains, it is expected, will be raised in
about four days, but It will be at least
two weeks before they can go east.
Reports from Jakuno, $50 miles above
here, are to the effect that the flood
drove the people into tree tops. Many
became exhausted from cold and hunger
before the food abated and dropped
into the water and were drowned. 1t is
estimated that anywhere between 80
and 100 lives were lost in the valley.
Desolation reigns supreme all along the
valley.
Every house on the hills has been
thrown open to receive the homeless
and hundreds are quartered in tents and
in the old government buildings. The
merchants have opened their goods in
the streets in order TO help the sufferers.
The water is still high for 200 miles east
of this point, and as all of this must
pass here many fear that the worst is
yet TO come. The losses In this county
will foot up nearly $1,000, 900 and the
damage suffered by the railroad COM
pany will amount to more than $3.50, 900.
: The committee on loss has brought all
classes of citizens together and all have
worked with will, first in trying
to save the town by constructing
a rude levee, and when that effort
proved futile, in saving as much as pos
sible from the ruins The old town will
probably not be rebuilt, as both mer-
chants and residents will erect their
stores and houses on the hills in order
TO be out of reach Of any further dam
age.
In the city the ruin has been most
complete, the Catholic church being the
p only building left standing on the main
street. The convent and adjoining
school stood the wear of the waves foi
many hours, but finally crumbled int
ruins. The Yuma Sentinel moved it
Office four times Saturday, but finally
succeeded in getting out on the hill yes
terday. The Times was less fortunat,
and its Office and material went dowr
in the wreck. Fears were entertained
that the fine railroad bridge would b,
carried away, but fortunately the piers
stood the test and unless some extra
heavy wreckage should lodge on thC
superstructure and cause jam, it will
not be materially injured. The officers
of Fort Yuma have done everything in
their power 10 assist the sufferers, and
fortunately there was good supply oi
tents on hand and these were at once
placed at the disposal of the homeless
families and much suffering prevented
Should there be no further rainfall Il
is hoped that there will be little further
loss and that with the restoring Of com
munication with the west sufficient re
lief will be brought in from San Fran
cisco and Los Angeles TO prevent any
serious trouble. A boat which has ar
rived from Mohawk, sixty miles up the
Gila river, brings reports Of terrible
loss Of life, all the country being under
water. The greatest sufferers are the
poor Mexicans, whose entire possessions
have been swept away and who have nj
reserves TO fall back upon. There L
vet a vast stretch Of territory TO b,
heard from, and everyone fears tha
when full returns are in the loss Of lif'
will prove Of appalling magnitude.
Reports from the valley Of the Colo
RADIO below this place state that hun
dreds of the Cocopah Indians have beer
drowned. They are located about sixt,
miles Of here, and their tribe Is abou
5000 strong. The villages are all OF
low land and as there are no hills OF
which the Indians could take refuge, al
immense number Of them must hav,
been caught in the food and swep
away. The water rose six feet Il
twelve hours and came on them almoa