The San Francisco call., 1895-08-01
HAVOC OF CLOUDBURSTS.
Two Suburbs of Socorro Swept
by Waves and Many Per-
sons PeriShed.
GREAT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
Adelaide, Mining Town, Also
Visited by a Series of Dlsas-
trouS foundations.

! SOCORRO, N. Mex, July 31.-Late yes
terday afternoon a heavy rain from the
east met cloud from the west near Snake
ranch, eight miles from Socorro. A wave
twenty feet high came down the arroyo
and submerged Chihuahua and Cuba, two
small suburbs, washing down houses and
rushing through Others. The arroyo also
broke at Spring street and in the north
part of town left women and children
struggling in the water. Several drowned
bodies, one man and six children, were re-
covered, with several more missing.
There were many narrow escapes. Mrs.
A. Mayer and mother were washed away
J by the waves, but were rescued. The fam
lily of H. Hilton and many others were
saved with difficulty. Forty houses are
down, with hundred more that will fall
and others badly damaged. The water is
three feet deep and all the principal streets
are strewn with furniture and large bowl
ders. Little damage was done to stores
except to cellars and foundations. Crops
and gardens were washed away, and from
| Povadera to Lemitar the low lands are
| flooded four feet deep. About mile of
track is damaged on the main line of the
Santa Fe road and eight miles on the Mag
dalena branch and several bridges are
washed away. The water main of the
Socorro Water Company is badly damaged
and no drinking water is to be had. Hun
dreds of people are in distress. The dam
age to the town is estimated at 100000.
| DENVER, Colo, July 31.-A telegram
to the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad
Office here to-day from Cripple Creek re-
ports a serious landslide and washout
along the line of the road between Russell
and Adelaide yesterday afternoon. A
freight train from Cripple Creek was
caught near Adelaide by the landslide
about o'clock in the afternoon and de-
rallied. In half an hour a succession OF
cloudbursts occurred near the head of
/ Eight-mile Creek, about fifteen miles
i away, and swept the track for six miles,
catching the train. Engineer Reuben
Love and Brakeman James DoIan were
drowned in the terrible rush of water along
the track The damage is reported at
$4,000 Reports from the Santa Fe and
Rio Grande from Canyon City, tell OF
serious washouts near that place.
DENVER, CoLo., July 31.-Adelaide, a
fourishing mining town on the line of the
Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad,
about seventy-fve miles from Cripple
Creek, was yesterday struck by a series
of cloudbursts that flooded the entire dis
| trjct and devastated over fifty houses. A
terrible rainstorm, accompanied by I'M
usual electrical disturbances, began fright
ening the residents about o'clock in the
afternoon, followed several hours later by
a doWnpour of water unprecedented in
this district. So far as is known, three
persons have been drowned and swept
away by the rush of water, and many mar
rowly escaped drowning to be rendered
homeless.
Those drowned were: R. M. Cove, Dick
Dolan, Frank Colwell.
Injured and likely to die: Mrs. Carr, pro-
prietress of the Adelaide II otel Lea Tracey,
waiter, and John Watson, cook.
The first rush of water occurred about 7
o'clock and came down Eight-mile Creek in
the shape of an immense wave. This re.
suited from cloudburst at the head of the
creek, fifteen miles north of the town. The
Adelaide Hotel was carried away before
the vast volume of water, guests scram-
bling amid their effects in a mad rush to
save themselves. Carried along in the
seething waters were timbers from cabins
on the creek, which tended to make the
work of rescue more dangerous.
| A prominent citizen named Hall saved
himself by clinging to his floating hencoop.
Two unknown men are reported missing.
but it is impossible to learn of any further
| loss of life throughout the valley. The
cloudburst was followed by second one,
and again another which raZed many
buildings to the ground, including stores
and residences. The damage to the town
will exceed 500, 600, and in the path of the
storm it will be days before an estimate Of
the damage can be made. Railroad and
telegraph communication have been cut
off from the town, and the tracks are
washed away for distance of four miles
on either side of the town.
Ell PASO, Tex, July 31.-A terrific
cloudburst last night at Magdalena n.
| Mex, the terminus of the Santa Fe mining
camp branch. twenty-seven miles from
Socorro, swept away the entire branch
with ten bridges. The Santa Fe main line
is torn up and through traffic delayed
twelve hours.
CASPER, WYo., July 31.-Four persons
lost their lives last night in the cloudburst
which rushed down Garden Creek Valley.
Their names are Mrs. s. Newby, her infant
child and two children of Samuel Harrison.
| The water demolished the hotel and build
| ings at the head of the creek. The people
drowned were campers and were swept
away before they could reach the hillside.
Harrison lived at Alliance, Nebr. The
/ force of the torrent was terrific.
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| Poputists of Tennessee.
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