The morning call., 1894-06-01
PUEBLO SWEPT BY TORRENTS
The City Invaded and Thousands
Are Shelterless.
HOUSES FALL OR WASH AWAY.
From Both Sides of the Rockies
Come Additional Stories of
Terrible Disaster.

PUEBLO, Colo. May S1.-Pueblo was
visited last night by the worst food in its
history. Several thousand people were
| rendered homeless and property damaged
to the amount of probably S300.OO Four
breaks in the levee on the north side ana
| two on the south side flooded large dis
trict.
While the Arkansas River was thus
coursins on its mad career a great torrent
of water was coming down the mountain
| The east approach to the East Eighth
| street bridge was carried away and the
Waterman under FOurth-street bridge was
! destroyed. At $40 p. NJ. the fire-alarm
whistle by long and repeated blasts warned
residents on the lowlands to get out, and
they did so in hurry. some managing to
carry off portion of their belongings.
The first break was in the levee on the
north side, just west of Main-street
! bridge. The efforts Of a score of men to
repair the levee were as those of pigmies.
and wider grew the gap until it was seen
to be useless to strive further. The water
then rushed in torrents and flooded the en-
tire block from the river to Richmond
avenue. between Union avenue and Main
street.
| Meanwhile the dirt approach to the
! West FOurth-street viaduet on the north
side of the river had been slowly but
surely melting away, and by $50 O'Clock
a small stream was trickling down the
tracks and making its way east along
Fourth street. By 80 o'clock the
stream was hip deep and running madly
east on First street. carrying drftwood
and debris in a dangerous manner and
making 1t almost impossible to wade the
water. The water commenced pouring in
on the district between Sixth street and
! the river. west of Main street. and in a
very short time the water was three feet
deep, AID all the people in that vicinity
were forced to leave their homes or go up
in the second story.
| Women and children were taken to the
water works and put on hign ground. On
! South Union avenue small buildings south
of street fell in, and though there were
no passengers around the Union depot
two feet of water in the waiting-room
made it decidedly uncomfortable for en-
plOyes. About o'clock this morning the
water began slowly to recede aud it is
believed that all danger Is past. Hun
dreds OF peOpe-men, women and chill
dren-are cOngregated in the City Hall
and armory. waiting until the waters go
down so they can go to their homes, which
will be untenable for some days.
Mayor Strait issued a call for al! men
for whom it was possible to assemble at
the City Hall at o'clock this morning to
begin the work of repair. The disastrous
| flood was probably caused by the very ex-
tensive rains in the Arkansas Valley
above Pueblo which have been prevalent
for the last forty-eight hours.
A man was drowned at the lower end of
Santa Fe avenue to-day while attempting
TO cross the water at that point. 1t is
feared that several others have nerished.
Ali houses on Third, Fourth, Fifth and
Sixth streets are filed with water, varying
from two feet to the height OF the founda-
tions. Several houses made Of adobe col
lapsed to-day, caused by the walls being
washed out A few minutes before IL
o'clock the water commenced running
over Main street, and then a sudden rise
in Water street at about this time soon
made river four feet deep, running at
terrible rate from point above the new
Fourth-street viaducr to Tenderfoot Hill
below Front street.
The water at the corner of Front street
and Santa Fe avenue was nearly five feet
deep, and it was utterly impossible for
human being to stand up against the ter
rible current The basem ment of the opera
house block, Central block, Mechanics
building. Mccarthy block. Adee McMinn
block, Frank Pryor's, Cans, Wilson block,
| Chilcott Wells block and all the smaller
buildings in that vicinity were filled with
the muddy torrent of water.
At the water works the flood came up
and put out the fires under the boilers at
midnight, and to add to the dismal uncer-
tainty Of the hour. the street lights went
out about II 80 A. NJ. but came on again
about 2 o'clock. The basement of the
| City Railway power-house is brimful of
water. and repairs will take all of to-day
at any rate.
Grave fears were entertained for the
new levee on the south side of the river
from above the Santa Fe bridge to West
Fourteenth-street viaduct. Stag had been
put on il part way up, and Its top was the
danger line. This was soon reached, and
the earth began to crumble away. It's fall
was rapid. and practically the whole work
has disappeared. The water gained foot
hold, and when it was master of the situa-
! tion began its course, running east at a
furious pace. All the land west OF Vic
| toria avenue was soon a sea of water.
| Down all the cross streets it crept, filling
| cellars and Easements.
The Missouri Pacific tracks and the
street south were a great avenue for the
water in its further advances east, and
soon the lots cn both sides Of Main street
and east were under water. AT noon the
! food waters were gradually retreatng,
but nearly four square miles of the city
were still inundated, and the use of steam
pumps will be necessary to drain the
foundations of the buildings in this district.
Two fatalities have just come to light.
! The body of an unknown man was found
to-day two miles west of the city. About
10 o'clock Joseph Coppa, smelter laborer
with his wife ard five children attempted
to wade through four feet of water near
the Union Pacific depot. He became be-
wildered and stepped off into hole where
there was ten feet of water and was
drowned before assistance could reach
him. Other losses of life are believed to have
occurred and several prominent citizens