The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-29

PvwsrIsnI to Help Them.
GUTHRIE, Okla. April 2S-For miles
,,.p,rht the Canadian valley Is a
t,,ary waste and here people are over
s,st Win uloom. At sunrise this morn
Ing mighty wall OF water from six TO
zen, Zee, hlgh and a mile wide, broke
,,,n West Guthrie without warning.
r,,,,slps houses, sweeping away prop
s,ty and drowning people by the score.
Every movable thing was swept away
hs,ore the wave. which passed ON into
,ss valley with reslstlsss force, wreak-
isr terrible destruction to life and prop
s,;y wherever Il reached.
pozsns OF human lives are known to
have been sacrificed. how many may
"a, be known for weeks: hundreds OF
souses were wrecked: for miles farms
we're completely ruined, bridges and
,-asks were washed out and railway
,-afic in every direction is az a stand
sin The most complete chaos has pre-
vailed all day. The EFFORTS OF reseulng
par,les have IN many cases proved in
vain. Many people fioated down stream
before they could be reached and their
fate Is unknown; others will pass the
nigh, In trees in mid-Strcam or perched
On housetops. It is impossible to est-
r,ate the number Of the dead. The prop
NV loss IL placed at something near
million dollars.
TSilly tWo-thirds OF the victims were
rol6rPd people. Business has been sus-
panded all day IN Guthrie, the stores
and banks being closed. As thorough an
S-r4niEatIo for relief as Is possible has
besn made, but all aid has been neces-
sarily retarded by the confused condl-
ton ot things. II Will be impossible TO
explore the houses until the water snail
subslds. as many Of them are submeFS-
I'd
many overturned houses could be seen
far out in the flood, but It could not be
earned whether their occupants escap-
ed The river Is thirty feet above IT'S
ordinary level A heavy rain began
falling this afternoon. A threatening
hank OF clouds came up from the north
west and many persons He'd TO their
tornado cellars, fearing that another dis
nsyer was upon them. Luckily, hoWev-
sr, the damage vas slight.
CIoad Burst Caused Il.
The fiood Is supposed to have been
caused by n cloudburst supplemented
By heavy rains.
The Cottonwood river. ordinarily a
small stream that winds between steep
banks In West Guthrie, was bank fun,
from a heavy rain yesterday and last
night, but no alarm has been felt as the
river had been rising gradually DURING
The night, About six O'Clock. however,
waters from a cloudburst above had
added TO those already up 10 the level
OF the high 0ank5 and the Hood was
sweeping through West Guthrie a sec
sion populated mostly by colored pe"-
pie. Persons who saw the hrsi val OF
water said that II was about eighteen
feet high, spreading entirely across the
valley. There was no water In front OF
II save that In the Tlyer's channel The
hrs: wave was followed by others IN
quick succession until the whole set
tied into q bank OF water from SIX To
eight feet high. Many had already be-
gun carrying their household goods 10
places OF safety, but few had made
more than one trip when they were
forced to fee for their lives before q
raging, Tesistless torrent that no power
Of man could hope to stay.
The main supply pipe OF the water
works system burst where Il crossed the
Cottonwood IN the southern part OF the
cl,y and all the water In the reservoirs |
p0ured into the river.
In the southwestern part Of the city a
long arm OF land Is formed BY the wind
Ing OF the river. or this land lived |
hundreds Of negroes. DurinB the night
the bridge leading across the river To
the main section had been swept away.
The people were absorbed In watching |
the rising waters this morning. when
the goods from the reservoirs came
down in a solid wall aIN cut across the
arm os land near the mainland. cutting
N the people from escape. They Ned
from their homes 90 the higher portions
of the newly formed island. In half an
hour the mountain OF water had done
lis work and practically spent itseli.
When the Worst was over.
The air became hldeous with the
crashing Of houses and the cries for
help Of the unfortunates. When the
frs; shock OF the disaster was over. the
more fortunate ones on the island Inn
meillteIy began to help those nearest
them. while across In Guthrie proper
prompt steps were taken at rescue,
Tie houses. barns and other effects be-
rnn 20 drift down stream, each freight
rl With one OF more human belnHs.
Boats and RATS shot out here ana
there from the shore and Desperate ef-
forts were made to rescue the people.
lmprDyised RATS were quickly thrown
together aud started out Into the mad |
flream. Before many Of them had been
propelled a couple Of yards from shore |
they were twisted and broken by the |
waters and the wOuld-bH rescuers
thrown Into the stream. lldlt dozen
iasousrg were drowned even before |
those they had tried 10 save had been
reached
Gus Pl0tt business manager or the
Guthrie Leader and George Wits, u |
merchant tailor, swan the river at the
risk u' their lives and secured a boat, |
uv which a number 0f persons were
saved
A negro woman with a babe IN hcr
Grms desperately tried 10 strndy herSslt |
IN troo top. calling the while for help
81" was nnlliy rescued nnd said her
family ~ six had been lost
A woman wadinE from her home with
her blbg on her head WAS seen 10 20
under. md 4 mon swimming the chan |
mel 10 reach four women and baby IN |
4 tree was carried down stream. Two |
women and a child were carried away |
On a bridge further down stream. one
man and two women In plain sight oi
1grc were on house roof when II |
wrlt 90 pieces They all pcrlshed.
An Did negro woman was seen cling |
Ing To- q h1uFo-top rhe building soon |
turned over and she was drowned
Three men, Walter Olls, John Nandu- |
son and Eugene CHA, sought TO rescue |
Hn "ll man from q tree Thelr rnft |
t'fugk an uverhnuElnn tree and they
barely saved themselves by cl1mboring !