Omaha daily bee., 1895-08-01
Trees and Soil Carried Away and De-
posted in the Valley,
CAMPERS CAUGHT BY THE AWFUL RUSH
People Sleeping in Tents 0vertaken by the
Resistless Uataclysm,
WAVE OF WATER FORTY FEET HIGI
Immense Torrent Pours over a popu-
lar Pleasure Ground, Drowning
Men, Women and Children
in Its Course.

III Its course.
CASPER, Wyo, July 91,-tSpecial Tele-
gram)-Last evening about O'Clock a terri
BILE cloudburst occurred on the northern strip
of Casper mountain near the head of Garden
creek and about six miles south Of the town
of Casper
The creek is about seven miles long from
mouth to source and is lined with campers.
Near the head Of the creek is a summer re-
sort freQuened by local picnic parties and is
credited with being one of the most beautiful
spots in Central Wyoming.
Just previous to the rush Of water down
the valley an eye witness says that he no.
ticed the cloud and it looked like great
hill suspended in the air with water running
out { he small end. The cloud seemed to
have burst close to the side of the mountain.
as the north side Of Garden creek canyon is
washed clean of soil ana trees.
FORTY FEET HIGH.
The first thing the terrible hood reached
was the pleasure resort at the head of Gar
den creek. At this point all the buildings
were crushed and swept away and the orig
inal site of the hotel at this point is buried
beneath debris twenty or more feet deep.
From here the water followed the course Of
the creek and demolished everything in its
path. Judging from water marks a volume of
water forty feet high and thirty rods wide
a,
miles from the mountain proper.
Without warning this great flood of water
in its rush down the side of the mountain
found many campers up and down the creek,
for the night
TERRIBLE RACE FOR LIFE.
S. Newly and his family had retired for
the night, when all at once they were sur
rounded with water and race for life COM
menced Newly says that he heard his wife
scream for help; he grabbed for her, but
missed and in the next second he was being
carried on by a great rush of water. That
was the last he saw of his wife and baby.
Newly grabbed the limbs of floating tree
and after floating about forty rods was thrown
on bank.
Mrs. Newly was found this morning be-
meath pile of debris twenty feet high. The
boy has not been found.
Newly came to this place last spring from
Longmont, Colo, and is engaged in the for
warding of freight. His wagon outfit is COM
pletely ruined. Near the Newly camp was
camped Samuel Harrison, lately of Alliance,
Neb. Harrson's two children were caught
in the great flood and carried away. The
bodies of the children were recovered this
morning. Ore OF the children was a boy
II years old and the other a girl 1G.
AID FOR THE DESTITUTE.
The bodies of the drowned were brought
to the town hall and will be buried in the
Cas.er cemetery. Some idea of the force
Of the torrent can be formed from the fact
that in the first two miles Of its course five
lodges Of rocks are to be found. These lodges
are twenty-five feet high. In the first lodge
are boulders torn from the mountain side
that will weigh fifty tons Trees two feet in
diameter were torn up and carried down the
stream. The tents and wagons Of all the
campers up and down the creek were de-
stroyed, and it is no, saying too much to
assert that at least fifty persons escaped with
nothing but their sleeping garments. Food
and clothing IS being sent to the unfortunate
by the citizens Of Casper today
BUFFALO IN THE FLOOD.
BUFFALO, Wyo., July 31.-Cspecial Tele-
gram )-Yesterday afternoon a cloudburst oc-
Cured about two miles from Buffalo be-
tween here and the mountains. In Hfteen
minutes after the creek had risen that many
feet, washing away five bridges in Buffalo.
the fire department house, number OF barns
and oubuildipgs aad filling to a depth Of
several feet many stores and the Occidental
hotel. TEEe were numerous narrow escapes
from drowning and several children were res-
cued with much difficulty The magnitude
| of the clouGburst was greater than ever be-
fore known in this section of the country.
The bridge across Rock creek, north Of Buff
fao, is washed out, and Dry creek, six miles
south Of Buffalo, which Is ordinarily dry, was
| filled to a depth of five feet for $50 feet in
width AS both Of these streams empty into
Clear creek it is feared that lower Clear
creek will suffer from a disastrous food The
loss in DuE'lo will reach $1,000. Within four
hours after the nood had reached its highest
point new foot bridge was built across the
creek on Main street. restoring communIca-
ton between North and South Buffalo. Tho
merchants have repaired the damages from
the cloulburst.
Rivers Flooded in New Mexico.
CATSKILL, n, NJ, July 3l.-Red river
was swollen to a higher point than It Lad
reached for years by the coudburst last
| night, causing much damage. Much Of tbs
track and many Of the bridges Of the Catskili
branch Of the Union Pacific Denver & Gulf
between this place and sopris, and also be-
tween Catskll and Vasquez, were washed
away. and Il will probably be ssyersl daya