The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-10
WATERS WASTE.
The Town of Yuma Practically
Wiped Out by Floods.
The Damages Millions of Dollars
and Great Loss of Life Feared

Denver, Col, March "A special
from Yuma, Ariz., says that in that
town over $50 houses are in rufus
from the food, and l 400 people are
homeless, and not a single business
house remains standing, and it is
feared that hundreds of lives have been
lost in the ella valley. The telegraph
wires are down il the valley, and as
all the bridges are gone and roads
impossible. no reliable reports can be
had from there. The river alb we town
is seven miles wide, and below town
in places the water covers the country
in one grand lake over fifty miles
across. The railroad company will
not have the blockade raised for
west bourd trains for four days,
and it will be ten days or two weeks
before they can get East. The town
has provisions sufficient for eight
more days, and the Southern Pacific
Hotel is feeding a thousand people a
day. Reports from Jakuno, fifteen
miles above here, are to the effect that
the food drove the people into the
tree tops, and many becoming ex-
bausied from cold and hunger drop
ped into the water and were drowned.
Reports from reliable sources put the
loss Of life anywhere from thirty up
to 100. All along the valley for 200
miles everything is in desolation.
Costly houses aud barns have been
washed away like playrh;ng while
stock and fences have beep carried
down by the food, leaving the C .untry
as bare as a desert. Men who ten
days ago were wealthy are nov home
less and paupers. Eighty mics south
of here, where 5000 Cocopah Indians
live, the county is flooded for eighty
miles square, and as there are 10 hills
for refuge, it is reported that over 100
of them have drowned. The great
valley of the Colorado is one vast sea
of water as far as the eve can see in
every direction. The river has fallen
8 fe,t 6 inches in thirty-six hours, and
is now nearly at a standstill. The
weather is thick aud threatens heavy
rains. The loss in this county foots
up to over s2,000,0O0, of which the
rsiiroad company will have to suffer
to the extent of $3.50, 1000. Old Yuma
will never be rebuilt. Tue town will
SG h dsfg b M fha kart srauung
ruins. The adjoining school sto a
the wear of the waves tor many
hours, but finally crumbled into
ruins. The Yuma Sentinel moved
its office four times yesterday, but Il
nally succeeded in getting out on the
hill to-day. The Times was less for,
tunate, and its office and material
went down in the wreck. Fears were
entertained that the fine railroad
bridge would be carried away but fortu
nateiy, the piers stood the test, AND
unless some extra heavy wreckagt
should lodge on the superstructurt
and cause q dam it will not be IN
liured.
The officers of Fort Yuma hav
done everything in their power I
assist the sufferers, and tortunatei
there was a good supply of tents o
hand, and they were at once place
at the disposal of the homeless tan
lilies and much suffering thereby PR
vented. A boat which arrived we:
, terday from Mohawk, sixth up q
Gila river, brings reports of terrib
loss of life, ali through the count'
being under water. The create
q sufferers are the poor Mexicans, who
+ only houses have been swept avn
q and who have nothing to put on ths
e backs. The less will probably pro
n of appalling magnitude.