The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-08
WOULD MELT A HEART OF STONE
Sights and scenes in the Devastated
Districts.

WORST IDS QllIOuOlCh4S OONAA N<AEoA'
enced, however. for reports from upper
river points state that the flood is
steadily receding.
News has been received here of an
appalling landslide which occurred If
the vicinity of Ashcroft on Saturday
last. A track of 100 acres was carried
into the river A cloud burst is said TO
have been the immediate cause OF the
disaster 1t is now claimed by many
that he destruction OF farms in the
Fraser valley has not been as complete
as first reported, and that nearly all
Of the suffering ranchers will be able
10 raise crops this season.
a Roads ImpassabIe.
All the Canadian Pacific passengers
who left for the east Sunday returned
to the city last night, having found it
impossible TO get through the noun
tains There are half 4 dozen block
AIDES of a serious character along the
road and it cannot be opened for a
week. The more serious interruption
than any previously reported is due to
the cloud-burst in the vicinity Of Lyt-
ton.
The burst swept the railroad for nine
miles from the saw mills to Iytton,
where the approa ches to the govern
rlent suspension bridge on the old
Cariboo road were swept away. The
water also swept away the iron bridge
at Ashcroft, and the Canadian Pacific
railroads big bridge near Spence's sta
ton. The water tore down the noun
!. tqA gorges with incredible velocity
and sent the river leaping over its
banks in boiling. seething current.
This great volume Of water is yet to
be felt in the lower Fraser valley,
which it will not reach for another day.
AS further details Of the cloud burst
are received, the earlier reports of re-
~ I
points of the river are discredited How
ever. it is not believed the lower river
will rise much higher.
Death and Devastation.
Men who returned last night from
upper river points bring sad stories of
death, devastation and desola ton. Set
tiers may be seen at every station in
the journey, floating on huge RATS made
out of the wrecks of the farm buildings
on which they have their cattle and
their families The government steam
ers are rescuing these as rapidly as pos
Slble- One Of the RATS was relieved of
its burden by the steamer GLADYS to-
day On the raft were a man and his
wife and two children, one Of them an
snfant two years old, two horses and
three cows The horses and COWS con-
SANITY threatened to upset the raft,
for they were moving from side to side
constantly in search of food.
The child may die Of exposure
Some idea of the horrors Of the disas-
ter may be judged when it is sfated
that there are thousands Of families
similarly situated
At the Waves Mercy.
A newspaper correspondent. who "a
turned this morning from a trip above
Port Haney, on a rescue steamer. re-
ports a terrible state of affairs in the
upper river. Herds of half starved
cattle tied on RATS with no one to
guide the journey of the insecure craft.
were seen. Just above Raney some
desperate rancher had been playing
cards with fate and had bet his all to
win or lose on the last card by sending
mis- little stock adrift at the mercy of
the tide. Two houses tied to the sway
ing RATS glided by. Families were at
the doors with excited faces but ap-
parently safe.
A red handkerchief was furiously
waved a short distance off and the
steamer hands were soon lifting out OF
the boat al exhausted, starving farmer
and his wife. The woman had tainted
for want of food. A moment later the
steamer was again hailed A man
!. from shore called out that he had seen
raft with two bodies on it, But little
news has reached tie city yet and the
details of many tragedies will never
reach here.
Desperately Indifferent
At Hattie two houses and store