Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-06-08
A RESERVOIR BREAK.
A Highly Volume Of Water Carries
Destruction 10 lis Path,
NEAR BRIGHAM CITY, UTAH.
Two Houses and their Contents Swept
Away and tho Loss OF Life
Narrowly Averied.

Special to the NEWS
EHIoiiAM CITY, Juno s.--All dsy
Yesterday the street leading 10 Three
Mile creek was lined with people on
bicycles, horses, on foot and In vehi.
Giles on their way 10 witness tho di,as.
ter caused by thc brepking OF the Three
Mile creek reservoir.
At ffleon minutes past Ave O'Clock
hunday morning the farmers living
about three miles south OF Brigham
CITY were startled by an unususl rum
bling and roaring coming from the
mountains east Of the small settlement.
Only about halt the people were up at
that early hour, anu an eye witness
said to your reporter: "Upon hearing
the sound 1 looked towards the canyon
and saw m immense dust cloud rush
Ing down the deep gorge about nifty or
soventy.fve feet high. Al first could
not make out what II was, but soon
I saw n huge wave OF water lust
behind tho Dust, rolling before II large
bouldcre, trees and other debris. 1
then realized the reservoir, situated
1000 fec, up Ia the very tops of tho
mouniains had ruthed out It's earth
front ana that mighty volume OF
wat CT was rushing down on W.
started on tho run anu notified three
or four families which were in the
most danger. The women and chill
dron seemed dnzsd and some had to
BIO hurried anu partly dragged out u
tho way onto high land In their night
olothss."
As soon a. tho raging torrent
reached tho foot hills II spread out,
covering tract about n quarter OF q
mile wide, carrying Destruction In its
mad rush towards the Lake. IL GOV.
cred lncern nclds and nne vegetable
CROP, probably 1850 acres OF frst-clnss
and worth 500 psr acre aud about M
much OF inferior lands.
The upper half Of the land Ia covered
with huge b0ulders and IL now worth
lees; the remainder may Ia time be
partially redeemed. Two houses be-
longing 10 X. Hendefson were carried
away and were totally destroyed. with
all thoir household goods. Richard
| Thorn lcten shout two thousand dollars,
Barnard White several thousand, a.
do also James Nielsen a Sons. This
| Ihofnn huu very pnrfoW Gao pe. thHy
r-rf,cruut doors when they Jaw lba
danger, but the force OF the water
burst the doors In and tho
occupants escaped into the orchard
and saved themselves by climbing
into this treef.i Here tho water divided,
making M isiand OF the Thorn farm,
all the family having escaped TO the
highland except old lady Thorn. who
was thought TO have been drowned
until the waters aomewhat sub,idec,
when n retcuing party forced their way
TO the orchard anu found Mrs. Thorn
up tres where she had been for over
two hour. A fifteen year old dAugh-
ter OF James Nielsen was only bali
dressed when sho saw the nood COM
ing. She rushed to tho granary, when
that began TO 10 down stream and
then she was caught Just ahead OF the
stream and rolled over several times, put
was rescued by n Mr.. Hhlton. rhr
Utah d Northern was WASHED out,
which delayed tho trains Tor nine
hours. IL IL thought the damnge 10
atout $4,000. This reservoir was
made OF earth ana wss probably de-
feotive, but the road for six miles IL 30
washer out that no ono can get up the
canyon. IL oest from 1900 TO $500,
and was built three year. ago. IL
covered i've acres and was from 10 "
30 feet deep, averaging 10 feet.