The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-17
A WASTE OF WATERS.
Devastating Floods Around
San Diego.
HOMES ARD WASHED AHAi.
Narrow Escape Of the RancherS From
Being Drowned.
SOME LIVES WERE PROBABLY LOST.
Railroad Tracks and Bridges Washed
AWay-Damage by the Storm in
Other Sections.
SOME LIVES WERE PROBABLY LOST

TO any appreciate extent Until UO-udyj
when the overcharged watersheds and sod
den hills turned their whole catehment
into swollen streams and caused sudden
and unprecedented flood in all sections of
the county.
Tonight the waters of the San Diego,
Otny and Tia Juana rivers and the Sweet
water, Chollar, Cottonwood Pine and all
other creeks were higher than at any time
since the big floods of two years ago, and
in some instances higher than during the
floods of 1880.
In some instances the creeks that were
apparently dry this morning were raging
torrents at noon and ran away over their
banks at night.
San Diego tonight is completely cut off
from communication by rail with other
places, and the floods reported from outly-
ing towns are said to be of unprecedented
violence.
Nearly all the railroad culverts are gone
on the Southern California railroad be-
tween this city and San Juan Capistrano,
and the track in Mission Valley is COM
pletely submerged by the San Diego River.
Persons living farther up the valley near
the old mission were rescued in boats this
evening, while the County Hospital is
threatened with inundation.
The Sweet Water Reservoir is full and
the water is pouring over the top of
ninety-feet dam to a depth of twelve
inches The dam in course of construc-
ton at Lower Otay, now well up, is sub
merged the depth of water over the top
being reported as sixteen feet. Bridges
on the Guyamaca railroad are gone and
Cajon valley is flooded.
Streams which are ordinarily beds of
sand are overlooking their banks and i'm
passable. Tuesday morning the Tia Juana
River, which marks the boundary of
Lower California, was crossed with ease,
there being little but sand to indicate its
course. That evening horses were COM
PEELED to swim in crossing at the same
place.
1t is still raining, the rainfall hereabouts
ranging from two inches at San Diego to
ten along the mountains for the present
storm. During the height of thss evenings
downpour water ran in floods from curb to
curb in the streets of San Diego.
Though the San Diego river was quite
| high at noon to-day, there was no sign of
an unprecedented rise, and not much
alarm was felt in Mission Valley. At
o'clock Superintendent Duffy of the County
Hospital and Poor Farm, which is
situated in Mission Valley, at the foot
! of the grade running from
Upper Fifth street, returned to the hos
pital and found the river halfway up
| from the road to the hospital and rising
rapidly, threatening to reach the hospital
| itself. He telephoned to County Physi-
clan Gochenauer reporting the people at
| the hospital had discovered four persons
on the roof of house located north of the
hospital and in the very bed of the river.
| DR.. Gochenauer at once notified the
| Board of Supervisors, then in session, and
the board Immediately adjourned and its
members set to work personally to assist
| in rescuing the persons in danger and pro-
viding assistance in removing the inmates
of the hospital should it prove necessary.
Supervisors Mason and Jasper went at
once to Mission Valley, while others made
arrangements to provide for the Poor Farm
inmates, some fifty in number. Two four
horse omnibuses were sent to the hospital,
and L. A. Chandler of the San Diego boat
house was notified to be ready with his
boat A strong team was sent on gallop
to the foot of Fifth street.
The boat was loaded and in fifty minutes
Chandler and two assistants were at the
hospital ready for work. The boat was
launched in the turbulent, swift-running
river and in spite of gathering darkness
and the velocity of the current 1t made its
wav to the ranchhouse and took off four
persons who had gathered on the roof.
The persons rescued were John Walsh
and A. Morrison, two employees of Rancher
r. NJ. Boldick. Walsh and Morrison had
been at Escondido and were returning with
their blankets over their shoulders. They
tried to wade the river and got as far as the
ranch house, where they stopped to rest,
and were overtaken by the flood within
half an hour.
1t was also reported that Rancher Shank.
lin and his wife and six children were
caught at their house in the valley, but il
was afterward learned that they had made
their way to town.
Conductor Dolkins of the electric rail.
way company, who owns a ranch in the
valley was caught in the food, and started
to swim ashore in company with his broth
er-in-law.
The latter sank out of sight twice and
narrowly escaped drowning, managing tC
get ashore somehow. The ranch was swept
clean. The losses in Mission Valley al
ready reported are very great, though nc
close estimate can be made. Crops to q
large extent along the river are ruined
Fences have been carried away and MANY
houses.
The people at the hospital saw severa
buildings and other large objects floating
down the river at dusk The wreckage con
sisted of hancoops, pig-pens, haystacks
} barns, sheds and ranchhouses. On one
big object it was thought that human be
ings were seen, though the spectators wer,
not certain. Rancher Yost lost thirty
head of cattle and Rancher Bowdick 25l
head of hogs. The other ranchers lost il
the same proportion.
1t was impossible to learn of the condi
ton of things at the old Mission, but it i
certain that the olive orchards adjoinin,
| the lands are flooded, and probably mucl
. loss will result. j. P. Christensen ranol
was flooded, and almost everything is lost
A fine ranch near the old Mission wa
secured clean. and everything moyabl