The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1897-05-01
SWEPT BY THE LELUGE.
DEATH. DESTRUCTION AND NIGHT
or TERROR AT GUTHRIE.
Farms ObiiterateA, Oecupnnts are
Drowned ana Reseaers Perish
An Heroic Enaeavors.

Guthrie. o. r.. AprfI 7s.--For miles the
Canadian valley h a dreary waste. ana
her people are overcast With gloom. Al
sunrise q mighty waif Or water from liz
20 eight feet high and a mile wide broke
uPon west Guthrie without warning.
crushing houses. sweeping away properry
and drowning people by the score, Every
movable thing was swept before the
wave, whlGh paused on into the valley
WITH Fesistiess force, wreaking terrible
aesirnetion 70 iite and property wherever
Fully two-thirds OF the victims were
coiored people BUSINESS has. been s,is-
pended all day In duthr5e the stores ana
banks being closed. As thorough an or
Summation ~ possible has been made. hut
al the aid has been necessarily retar,1,sa
" the eongested condition OF things, IL
VIII De Impossible TO explore the houses
uhli the water shall subside, as many az
lhesn are submerged. As darkness gath
sfed over tho scene many oVeFtuFnaI
houses could be seen far out in the Hood
occupants escaped
The Cottonwood river. ordinarily A small
stream that winds between steep bat.ks
N West Guthrie. was bank full from a
hsAsy rsin. but no alarm has been felt
ihe river had been rising gradually
nnsanK the night About O'clock. how.
ever. waters from q eioudlurst above
had added 10 those already nearly az 10
ths level OF the high hanks and The
Reed Was sweeping through West Guth-
re. section populated mostly by coli
nfea people. Persons who saw the first
wall Of water said that q was Il inehes
hiEh' spreading entirely across the valley
There VAS no water la front Of a. save
laAt N the river channel. The 1Fst wave
AAs followed quickly ~ others In quick
SUCCESSION nnsii this whole sweiied into
-
nigh. Many had already begun carrying
household Eoods.io places ~ safety, bias
lev hAd made more than one Trim when
thet we're forced TO nee for their lises b,s.
tsfs raging. rosisilens torrent shai no
poser % man could hope 20 stay.
impFoviNed rafts were quickly thro~o
together and started out into the mad
stream. Before many Of them had been
.pfopeiied couple Of yards from shore
they NrFc twisted and broken by he
waters. and the wonid.he rescuers thrown
into tho stream. Haif a dozen nescursS
NtFe drownnd even before those they nal
tSt-d 10 save had been reached
Gus Piasi business manager OF The
Guthrie Leader. and Go0rEr Willis, \
merchant tailor. swan the river Al the
fAsk OF their lives and secured : boat Ia
Which number Of persons were saved.
nFRro woman With baby in her arms
desperately tFisd TO steady herself IN a
tFeeioe. calling for help Ghs kreM ueak-
er and The baby Slipped into tho waler
and Aas drowned, She was hnaily res
rueh and said her family OF siR had Fns,-
cumb~d
woman 9AdInw from her home VITA
her eahy On her brad vas seen 10 20
undsr. and man swimming the channel
fythg 10 reach four Nomep and a baby
~ TREE was carried down the stream
Two women and = rhIid were carried
aNag, on bridge further down stream.
ahd ono man and tao Wonscn. In plain
ntEhi 81 nhnF0 we're on hpusc roof when
y went 10 Tleeea They ali pcrishei an
eid negro woman was seen riding hoase
top The building soon turned over lnd
she VAS drowned. Three men. Matter
pidRs Nnnd0Ncn and Eugene Gillian
sought to rescue an old man from A tree
nc raft struck an ovuVhAn ging tree an
tbeJ barciy saved ,hemseiv.,s ~ clausbs.r-
fesrusd on a rope aeht 10 them by means
o. a shotgun and cord.
Two men secured a small Hicrnwhasi
rlcasutc boat and started 10 the rcecar
81 han dozcn men and women lodged
ln q tree. Tho persona Were rescued
amid the cheers OF the spectators Tae
cahlc holding the craft fnaiiy broke anil
u Was carried down stream. but ul'i-
mstcly landed safely Adgutant General
Jainreon Of tho territorial militia barely
oscapesi with hts family. Tie WAS forced
70 wade and lead his horse with his fatn-
NY n buggy.
John Meta aged u. was capslsed ~asir
tying TO save n woman. who sank be-
fore he reached her. Metz himseif was
hasNiy rescued.
George Owens Attorney league RAY
and Dick Pearson were precipitatcd into
the water while trying 10 save some pro.
ple. and Owens was drowned. The wife
and fivc children % Wesley McGlli, sol.
oTed, were drowned IN their home,
Gus Piatt aud George Willis SWAIN
through The current. cut a fiatboAl from
Its tnoorinEH, and saved seven 9eaplc
making landing miles below tho city.
Tonight 70 or 70 people could he seen
ctakinE 10 trees and roofs Of busIdInRs
but could rot he reached. and will have
10 spend the night where they are.
The strength OF many Sili fail before
morning. u Il does, nothing bat watery
Rrave awaits them, The fate OF NAVY
others who are known to have been car
Tied down stream viii not he known until
daybreak. and perhaps not then. Il ~
the hundreds OF rescued people ON the
hlufs west OF the city, and those who
escaped are rushing frantica1ly about IN
search OF missing ones
For 10 days tho dust-parched people
had looked aloft with discouragen,snt
aud prayed for rain TO save their eropA
or Quench their thirst, an the case might
be. The Hood OF water that finally pour
cd from the skies and wiped their homea
and farms out OF existence. and In many
Instances swept away human lives prov1d
an answer TO their supplicationa that nj
most amounted TO punishment. The tinal
storm and flood came as n fitting climax
10 week OF unusually heavy rains and