The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-29
V|ID WALL OF WATER.
CIMdburSt Leaves a Wake
Of COrpseS.
|GREAT HAVOC AT GUTHRIE.
Hundreds of Houses
Swept Away.
FL RENO ALSO ENCULFED.
cyclones Added TO the Awful
Visitation.

The storm Picks Ont the Canadian
Valley for It's COurse-TerribIe De-
struction to Life and Property In
aicted Wherever 1t Struck - The
Pronerty Loss Is Estimated In the
NeighborhOOd of 1;OOO,OOO-Rail-
road Traffic at StandstiII In
Every observation-disclosures of Human
Lives Sacrificed But the Exact
Number of the Dead Likely Not to
BE known for Weeks.
Guthrie, Okla, April 2S.-For miles to-
hight the Candian valley is a dreary
waste.
At sunrise this morning a mighty wall
bf water, from six to eight feet high and
mile wide, broke upon West Guthrie,
without warming, crushing houses, sweep
ng away property and drowning people
s BY the score.
Every movable thing was swept before
he wave. which passed on into the val
bey with resistless force, wreaking terri
ble destruction to life and property wher-
ever it reached.
Dozens of human lives are known to
have been sacrihced-how many may not
be ascertained for weeks.
Hundreds of houses were wrecked; for
miles farms were completely ruined,
BRIDGES and tracks were washed out and
abroad traffic in every direction is at a
ndstill.
& he efforts of rescuing parties have In
ny cases proved in vain. Many people
ted down the stream before they
ia be reached, and their fate is un-
'gn; others will pass the night in trees
mid stream. or perched on housetops.
be property loss is placed at some
ig near $1,OO0,OOO
billy two-thirds of the victims were COL
people.
asiness has been suspended all day in
hrie.
thorough an organization for relief
possible has been made but all aid has
necessarily retarded by the confused
iton of things. 1t will be impossible
xplore the houses until the water sub
s' as many of them are submerged.
darkness gathered many overturned
ses could be seen out in the flood, but
ould not be learned whether their oc-
ANTS escaped.
ne river is thirty feet above it's ordi-
level. A heavy rain began falling
afternoon.
threatening bank of clouds came up
the northwest and many persons
10 their tornado cellars, fearing that
other disaster was upon them. Luck
however, the damage was slight.
The Cottonwood river, a small stream
winds beneath steep banks, in West
'nrie' was bank fun from a heavy rain
S'erday and last night. About O'Clock
ler from a cloudburst above was added
the water, already nearly up TO the
vel OF the high bank, and the flood was
'epihg through West Guthrie, populated
ostiy by colored people.
PERSONS who saw the first column of wa
say II was about eight feet high,
''aulng entirely across the valley. The
ST wave was followed by others IN quick
'ceSsion' until the whole settled into a
'"A OF water from six to eight feet high.
ANY had already begun carrying their
'Senold goods to places OF safety, but
haa made more than one trip when
I Wy were forced to flee for their lives be-
raging, resistless torrent. The main
'p'y pipe Of the water works system
''' "here 1t crossed the Cottonwood, in
southern part Of the city, and all the
''' OK the reservoirs poured into the
es' oarns ana other effects began 10
Oo"h stream, each freighted with
or more human beings. Boats or
'not out here and there from the
''' ana desperate efforts were made to
'he people. Improvised rafts were
'nrown together and started out
'ne mad stream. Before many OF
~ ""' oeen propelled a couple OF yards
oie they We're twisted and driven
''' "alers, ana the wouid-be ressuers
W. mo the stream. Half dozen res.
'ie drowned even before those they
"..i 10 save had been reached.
'-''' business manager OF the