New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-02
AWFUL FLOODS IN ARIZONA.
THE TERRITORYAN INLANDSEA
FEARS THAT HUNDREDS OF LIVES HAVE
BEEN LOST IN THE GILA VALLEY.


YUMA ALMOST COMPLETE-PEofLE
CAMPING IN THE CEMETERIES
Yuma, A. T.. March 1-Yuma is a camp of dis
tress. Out OF $50 houses composing the town
only fifty remain The second high water OF the
Gila River on Thursday was more disastrous than
that of Sunday The canals have been washed
out, the ranches destroyed and the railroads are
under water The loss in Yuma is half million
The cemeteries are on high land, and many people
are camping in them. 1t is reported that Mexican
family, eight miles east, were drowned One
body, that of man. foated past the town. The
river here is fourteen miles wide. Many people
are believed to he drowned in the country. but
no particulars have been received.
No word has been received from further than
ten miles from town, and it is feared that hun
dreds of lives have been lost up the ella Valley.
which is 200 miles in length. Indian messengers
have been sent out but have not returned 1t Is
known that thousands of cattle, horses and mules
are drowned. The wires Gre all down east and
reparers could only get five miles east to-day.
Five miles of railroad are gone west of here, and
it is known that sixteen miles east of here are gone
and probably three times as much more. The
Southern Pacific will put every man obtainable at
work tomorrow Every house on the hills has
been thrown open TO receive the homeless, and hum
dreds are quartered in tents and old Government
buildings. The merchants have opened their goods
on 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, especially if there should
be any further rainfall The common loss
has brought all classes Of people to-
gether, and all have worked with a will,
first in trying to save the town by constructing
rude levee, and next, the first
proving futile, in saving as much as possible from
the ruins.
A boat which has just arrived from Mohawk
sixty miles up the Ga River, brings reports
of terrible loss of life all the country being under
water The greatest sufferers are the poor Mex
leans, whose entire possessions have been swept
away and who have no reserves TO fall back upon.
There Is yet vast stretch Of territory to be
heard from, and every one fears that when full
returns are in the loss of life will prove Of ap
palling magnitude In this city the ruin has
been most complete, the Catholic church being
the only building left standing on the main street
The convent and adjoining school stood the wear
of waves for many hours, but finally crumbled
into ruins "The Yuma Sentinel" moved its
office four times and finally succeeded in getting
out on time to-day. "The Times" was less for
tunate, and its office and material went down
in the wreck Fears were entertained that the
fine raiiroad bridge woulI he carried away. but
fortunately the piers stood the test, and, unless
some extra heavy wreckage should lodge on the
supersuuctuTe and cause a Jam. it will not be
materially injured.
From the first intimation of danger every one
Iok okn,oI ,,-;i1 70 4Ia hn
Indians working as they never worked before. For
hours they labored in water waist deep on the
levee and when It was too late TO save the town
they followed wreckage and towed it to place
Of safety When it was evident that the main
business portion of the town must go, men. women
and children busted themselves in moving stocks
of goods and household effects to the hills where
everything was left unguarded, the common dan
ger rendering caution supcrfuous. When the
water rose so high as to cut of further access to
houses and stores an effort was made TO erect
temporary shelters for the women and children. Dry
goods boxes were looked upon as miniature cot
tages and their possessors were deemed exceedingly
fortunate. ns most Of those driven hastily from
their homes were obliged 20 content themselves
with mere wnd-brcaks, made of old blankets and
carpets. In the rush of the waters the steamer
Moave was driven high and dry on the bank,
and a dozen families have taken refuge in her
cabins The officers of Fort Yuma have done
everything in their power to assist the sufferers,
and fortunately there was good supply OF tents
on hand and these were at once placed at the dis
p0sal of the homeless families, and much suffering
thereby prevented. Should there be no further
rainfall it is hoped that there will be little fur-
ther loss, and that with the restoration OF com
munication with the West sufficient relief Will
he brought in from San Francisco and Los Angeles
to prevent any serious trouble
The people of this city have already subscribed
over 50, 800 TO a relief fund and Los Angeles has
collected about SO 900 for the same purpose.
San Francisco merchants have subscribed lib
orally to the fund in that city, and dispatch
from there this evening states that relief train
will be sent through as soon the railroad is
repaired
Denver Col, March IA dispatch to The
Rocky Mountain News" from Yuma. Arizona, says
that in that town over $50 houses are in ruins
from the flood, and 400 people are homeless;
not single business house remains standing, and
it is feared that hundreds of lives have been lost
in the GiLa Valley The telegraph wires in the
valley are down, and as all bridges are gone and
roads impossible, no trustworthy reports can be
had from there The river above the town is
seven miles wide and below the 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 wcstbound
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 thousand people
day.
Reports from JalSuno, fifteen miles above, are
TO the effect that the food drove the people into
the tree-tops, and many becoming eXhauste> from
cold and hunger dropped into the water and
were drowned. Reports from trustworthy sources
put the loss of life in the valley anywhere from
80 to 100 All along the valley, for 200 miles,
everything is in desolation. Costly houses and
barns have been washed away like playthings,
while stock and fences have been carried down