The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1894-06-01
ROARING TORRENTS.
Pueblo's Streets Turned Into Rivers and
Her Houses BECOME Wells.


Her Houses Become Wells.
PUEBLo, Colo, May 3l.-Pueblo was
visited last night by tho worst food in its
history. Several thousand people were
rendered homeless and property was
damaged to the amount probably of $780,.
600. Four breaks in the levees on the
north side and two on the south side
flooded large district.
While the Arkansas river was thus
coursing on its mad career, great tor
rent OF water was coming down the
mountain. The east approach to the
East Eiahths street bridge was carried
away and tho water main under the
Fourth street bridge was destroyed. At
$40 o'clock tho fire alarm whistle warned
the residents on the lowlands to get out
and they did so in o hurry. some man
aging TO carry of q portion OF their be-
longings. The first break was in tho
lcvec on the north side, just west OF the
Main street bridge.
The efforts Of q score Of men 10 repair
the ievee were as those OF piRmies, and
wider grew the gap until II was seen to be
useless to strive further. The water then
rushed In torrents and flooded the entire
block from the river to Richmond avenue,
between Union avenue and Main street.
Meanwhile the dirt approach TO the West
Fourth street viaduct on the north side of
tho river had been slowly but surely melt-
ing away, and by $3.50 o'clock n small
stream va, tricklinR down the tracks and
making It's way east along Fourth street.
BY II 80 O'Clock the stream was hip deep
and running madly east on First street,
carrying driftwood and debris in a danger
Gus manner and making It almost impos.
sible to wade the water.
The water commenced pouring
in on tho district between Sixth
and River streets, west Of Main
street, and in q short time it was three
feet deep and all the people in the vicin-
ity were forced to leave their homes or 60
up in the second story. The women and
children were taken to the water works
and put on high ground. On South Union
avenue the small bridges south of c street
fell In, and though there were no passen-
gers around the Union depot, the two feet
of water in the waiting room made ii de-
cidedly uncomfortable for the employees.
About 2 o'clock the water began slowly
to recede and il is believed all danger is
past. Hundreds of people, men, women
children, are congregated in the city hall
and armory waiting for the waters to go
down SO they can go to their homes, which
will be untenable for some days. Mayor
Strait issued q call for all the men for
whom it was possible to assemble at the
city hall at o'clock this morning to be-
gin the work Of repair.
The disastrous flood was probably
caused by very extensive rains In the Ar.
kansas valley above Pueblo which have
been prevalent for the last As hours. A
man was drowned at tho lower end OF
Santa Fe avenue to-day while attempting
to cross the water. II Is feared several
others have psrished. All tho houses on
Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets are
filled with water, varying from two feet to
the height Of the foundations. Several
houses made of adobe collapsed to-day.
A few minutes before II o'clock the
water commenced running over Main
street and the sudden rise in Water street
at about this tims soon made the river
three feet deep, running at terrible rate
from point above the new
Fourth street viaduct to Tenderfoot
hill. The water at the corner oi
Front street and Santa Fe avenue was
nearly five feet deep and II was utterly
impossible for human being to stand up
against the terrible current. The base.
ments of the opera house block, Central
block, Mechanics building, Mccarthy
block, Adee-NicMinn block, Frank Pryors
Cans and Wilson block, the Chilcott Wells