Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-08-08
RAaINa MATErRs.
The Biggest Flood Ever Known Here
Came Down Last sunday Afternoon.

There have been but few days since
the commencement Of the rainy season
tins year that there has not been a flood
down the streets Of this city. Several Of
them have been as high az any flood
within the past ten years, excepting only
the big floods Of 1886 and the big flood
Of last year.
Last Sunday afternoon it commenced
TO rain in the mountains around Pinos
Altos about / o'clock and it rained stead
lily for about 2 hours. Between 3 aud 3
a little food came down Hudson and
Main streets but at that time there was
no indication that there would be a big
food. Il increased in size steadily and
in a short time a flood came down from
the direction Of Bear Mountain and this
started a food down Billiard street
From this time the water commenced to
rise rapidly until between 4 and 8 o'clock
such a food was running down these
streets as has not been seen before,b by
tho oldest inhabitants OF Silver City.
The big flood Of 1886 will be referred to
no more as the biggest flood Of recent
years, but the big flood Of August, 1893,
will be remembered for a long time by
the residents Of this place.
When the food was at It's height there
was an unbroken sheet Of water along
Ninth street from the west side Of Bull.
lard to the hide house on the east side Of
Hudson, a distance OF about 500 feet.
AT Seventh street the water was more
than two feet higher than 1t has been at
any time before this year.
From Seventh street to the lower end
of town, Billiard, Main and Hudson
streets were raging torrents carrying
more water in them than has over been
in them before. Most Of the buildings
on either side Of these streets we're more
or less protected by the ~breakwaters but
some were flooded. The breakwater at
the foot of Main street which was con-
structed a few weeks ago resisted the
flood for a time but when the sudden
rise came the force of the water was SO
great that the entire breakwater, with
the exception of one length, went down
with a crash and an increased volume
OF water went down the arroyo, causing
considerable damage below town.
A idea Of the immense volume Of
water which went down may be gathered
from the fact that the food, apparently
undiminished in size, reached below
Whitewater, sixteen miles below this
place.
Considering the height Of the flood
there was much less damage done than
might have been expected. Laizure
and Grade lost about 1900 feet Of lum-
Der from their planning mill on the fat
above town, and we're out yesterday
morning look for boards and skautlings
which had gone down in the flood.
No damage worth mentioning was
caused by the food TO any of the resi-
dents in the vicinity Of the planning mill
except TO Mrs. Endlich, whose cellar was
flooded and a large quantity OF clothing
and household goods we're ruined. The
breakwater around her house was car
ried away and other damage was done
to the premises. She sustained the great
est loss on household effects of any one
intown by the flood. The house at the cor
ner Of Ninth and Maine streets which was
Vacated only last week by George Potten
was flooded to a depth of more than a
foot just as the flood reached its height
the brick wall at the near Of the house,
which serves as a breakwater, broke and
the yard was flooded IN a moment. Only
a short time before the big food came
down there we're a number Of women
and children in the house looking at it
but a Mexican who was passing with q
load Of fruit brought them across the
flood. Had'the Mexican not happened
along at the right time they would have
been in the house until darkness came
on Sunday night as it would have been
impossible 20 have reached them.
The breakwater at the corner Of Bull
lard and ninth streets, on the property
belonging TO j. f. LANCER was washed
away and the yard was flooded. Two out
house were washed away from that cor
ner and the adjoining lot.
A log cabin on the block below hoated
down through town. This cabin was
unoccupied but was one of the land
marks Of that part Of town, having been
built many years ago. The rear wall Of
an adobe hut just below the hide house
fell in and the rest of the building was
being torn down yesterday.
Water ran into the fremont, Hin
mans furniture store, Cosgrove and
Brownell's store, the Thinner House
the Enterprise Office, Gurdon Bradley's
store and Gillett and Sons. A little
water came into the composing room Of
the SOUTHWEST SENTINEL and some 9th
er buildings in the business part Of town
we're more or less flooded. Considerable
damage was done by water in the Enter
prise Office to stock. A large quantity
Of paper was soaked by water which was
a foot deep in the room where the paper
is kept. The water in the composing
room was not quite so deep but the
floor was covered with mud from one to
three inches deep yesterday.
There was no damage done in any of
the other places which we're flooded ex-
ceeding s25, except at the Benton House
at the foot of Bullard street. The whole
house was flooded to a depth Of more