The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1895-04-06
A FLOOD OF WATER.
BIO DAM GIVES AWAY.
Storage Reservoir Below Now Castle
Breaks tho Dixie, and Sweeps Away
Bridges and Other Property-No Lives
Lost-Danger to Orchard, and Crops.

Denver, March 2S-The Republican
prints a special dispatch this morning
from New Castle, Colorado, giving de-
tails OF the breaking of the big dam be-
low that place yesterday.
A dam fifty feet high and holding
twenty-four feet of water three-ouarters
OF mile wide and nearly mile long be-
nind 1t, broke and let out 5000. 600 cubic
ieet OF water in the country below. The
loss Will be immense, as the dam WAS
the only source of water supply for the
many ranches and fruit orchards down
tne Grand River. A great deal of live
STOCK Is said to have been washed away
and ranches are covered with debris car
rled down by the food. The financial
loss Is roughly estimated at half . mil
Lon dollars.
So far as known no lives were lost,
Considerable railroad track and a num-
Der OF bridges are washed out.
AT the mouth of what is known as
aarvey's gap the Grass Valley Ditch
company, New York corporation, built
a reservoir originally seven feet high.
Last summer the dam was raised to a
neight or ffty-six feet, and the water
Since has been stored therein from Rife
Creek and the surrounding mountains,
Tor this summers use. The outlet of this
reservoir was Black Canon, at the mouth
Oh which irrigation bitches, running I'D
and down the Grand River Valley, have
Deen built. Under these bitches, cover
ing $1,000 acres Of land, numerous
ranches, covering about 10000 acres, had
Deen opened up, with no other water
supply than small ditch known as the
Cactus valley, in which the Grass Val
ley company were interested
A visit to the scene of the catastrophe
SHOWS that the huge dyke, wide enough
on top to make a race track, had been
broken through. A gap $50 feet wide at
the top and 80 feet at the bottom had
been made, and the current had worked
Itself channel ten feet below the orig
inal bed of the rivulet that flowed
through the place. A large boiler and
engine that had been used by the G. f.
q L. Co. at coal mine few rods be-
low this opening was carried away as
uShtly as straw, immense rocks were
tWlrled around and carried away like
pebbles. The lateral irrigation bitches
were filled even to the banks for
long distance and the supply for the
headgates are u to 20 feet below their
former level. Under these bitches are
over 800 orchards and numerous grain
ranches. Their owners had escaped
with their lives by timely warning from
runners and the frightful roar that pre-
coded the food.
s. NJ. MUMMY, who Is the resident
member and secretary Of the ditch
company, was seen tonight. He had
not yet visited the scene Of the disaster.
In response to inquiries he stated that
undoubtedly the company would take
immediate steps to repair the dam. His
engineer would be here In the morning,
and he believed that water enough
could be supplied by pipes and other
wise to save the orchards and possibly
the crops. He would make no estimate
of the damages.
The villages OF Antlers and Silt,
which come In the way Of the food,
were not materially injured. Word has
Just been received that bed and bed
springs were found In the torrent at
one of the lower bridges, these being
probably from two cabins that were
taken out near the mouth OF Black
Gulch.
The water Is falling now. No loss Of
life Is reported yet. Ranchers who
have come In during the night report
considerable loss of stock and much
moro loss Of property. Estimates OF
actual and prospective loss Is being
placed at half million dollars. The
track of the food is six miles long.
No cause for the disaster Is known.