Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-01
PUEBLO TORRENT SWEPT
Loss of Life and Great Damage Caused
by the Storm.
Widespread Destruction and Much
Suffering I'm the Valley of the
Arkansas River.

The flood at Pueblo, Col, described in
yesterdays dispatches to The Star. has
caused many deaths and rendered wide
spread destruction. The work OF rescue had
just begun yesterday when a recurrence OF
the flood caused a suspension Of the work.
and 1t was feared last night that many
bodies were washed away under debris and
will never be recovered.
A company of California Coxeyites num-
bering sixty, who came from the west We'd
nesday and were camped on the river bank.
reported that five of their comrades were
missing. Grave fears were expressed for
twelve families Of sQuatters on an island
down the river.
The catastrophe. similar to the Johnstown
horror of five years ago. has FRUSTRATED the
citizens and peralyzed business.
Both the Arkansas and Fountain rivers
are rising rapidly and rain Is falling In tor
rents.
1t was o'clock yesterday morning before
the floods began to subside The scene was
then appalling. On every hand was de-
struction and ruin. The carcasses of horses
cows, sheep, dogs and other animals were
floating around in the water, and the cur
rent in many places could not be stemmed
on account of drifting debris. Cellars and
the first floors of business houses were COW
cred with from eighteen inches to three
feet of Shiny mud. The streets are yet i'm
passable. Street cars were found all over
town and In places where tracks had never
been laid Trees were uprooted and fences
swept away by the torrent, which bore on
its crest houses. barns and everything that
would float.
About three hundred houses were torn
from their foundations and many fioated
out of town. Only few unfortunates were
able to save any Of their household effects.
Most of the dwellings are only one story
and were entirely submerged or carried of
their foundations by the current. In the
city and for three miles up and down the
banks of the Arkansas river the water was
from three to fifteen feet deep.
Turned Into Nursery.
The summer garden. situated on the roof
of the Grand Opera House. has been trans
formed into an immense nursery. and some
one hundred and seventy-five babies and
their mothers are located in the large hall
The armory Of the second regiment has
been turned over to the citizens relief COM
mittee, who have put In all the cots and
beds that could be gathered This huge
dormitory is occupied by over three hundred
girls and women. The top floor of the city
hall has been turned over to fifty families,
who are cooking the provisions provided by
the citizens for all the sufferers. The town
hall at Bessener, where the smelters are
situated, contains about one hundred and
fifty families, who are cared for by the
neighbors. About seven hundred are quar-
tered in the small halls in the neighborhood
of the city hall
Inc SANTA ndu ABOUT lETec ItCl
of track washed out. and the damage. to-
gether with the loss of bridge, will reach
$4,000. The damage to the Missouri Pacific
is $4,000. While the Denver and Rio Grande
does not suffer any severe loss in the city,
the damages by washouts between there and
Colorado Springs and Canon City Will
amount to over $4,000. The Santa Fe sue
ceeded in putting a train through from Den
yer last night. No trains can be run over
any of the other roads for at least thirty
six hours. The motors Of the electric cars
were badly damaged by water, and at least
ten days will elapse before they can be
backed OUT and the road operated. The
damage to their tracks alone will be several
thousand dollars.
Rising n Foot an Hour.
Late yesterday afternoon, when the city
had begun to recover from Wednesday
nights catastrophe. the rain again began
coming down in sheets, the precipitation be-
ing heavier than that which preceded We'd
nesday nights cloudbursts. Reports came
in from Florence and Canon City about Z
o'clock to the effect that the rain storm
there last evening was terrific The water
in the Arkansas river began to rise at once.
and in one hour the gauge recorded rise
of one foot.
From Wigwam. fifteen miles north on the
Fountain river. came the news of a cloud
burst there about Z o'clock. The stream.
which is usually only from three TO five
inches deep and about ten feet wide at that
point, was swollen into rushing torrent
over a quarter OF a mile wide.
Excitement at Denver.
The whistle at the Denver paper mills be-
gan to blow shortly after IL o'clock last
night to warn the residents of the Platte
river bottoms to seek higher ground. The
river had been steadily rising at the rate of
from four to six inches an hour all day, and
at that hour il was outside its banks until
the water was ba cked up TO the Rio Grande
shops at Burnham. There was much ex-
element in the flooded districts.
Death Sentence Of Jesus Christ.
t. the rSi,o- Of tho Evening Star.