San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-28
GUTHRIE PARTLY INUNDATED
AND HUNDREDS OF THE
d, PEOPLE DROWNED.
BurSted Reservoirs Add To The
HOrrOr-UnuSually Heavy
Rain And ClOudturStS
Cause The Deluge.
The Situation

territory yesterday and last night and
everything is being flooded All the
creeks are up to THE danger point and
some are out of their banks. South,
west of Waterloo, in this county, a
water spout occurred and a half doz-
en- farms were inundated.
Near Clifton, Lincoln county, scores
of farms have been swept of everything
| and many cattle and horses were
drowned.
Near Cushing, Hayne county, dozens
of people have been driven from their
homes by high water.
In Logan county several large bridg-
es on the Cimarron and Cottonwood
rivers have been abandoned and trains
in every direction are delayed by wash
outs.
The Rock Island railway bridge over
the North Canadian has been moved
several inches out of line, the water be-
ing uD to the rails.
No fatalities have been reported
from any point. The total rainfall
since Saturday noon amounts 119S in
ches and it, is still raining hard with
prospects of a continued heavy fall.
Kansas City, Mo-, April 2S.-At 1920
a. m. today a cyclone swept between
Abilene and Salina, Kansas, doing i'm
mense damage. All telegraph wires
on the main route to Denver are de-
stroyed.
Kansas City, Mo-, April 2S-A spe-
cial to the Star from Guthrie, Okla,
says: A terrible flood in the Cotton
wood river suddenly engulfad West
Guthrie shortly after sunrise this
morning. There is reason to believe
fully a score of persons were drowned.
Hundreds were driven from their
homes and many houses were swept
away. Owing to the intense excite
ment and lack of boats nothing can
be vouched for at present. The Cot
tonwOOd river is a small stream scarce
ly more than forty feet wide, that runs
through West Guthrie. a terrific rain
fell all yesterday afternoon and the
greater part of last night. The river
was already full from the heavy rain
of several days ago. No great alarm
was felt last night but about six
o'clock this morning the river began
rising as if by magic, jumping four
feet in thirty minutes. West Guthrie
is thickly populated, mostly by colored
people. Many began carrying their
household goods to places of safety
but they were forced to flee for their
lives as the river burst from it's banks
and raging sea of water half a mile
wide swept across the valley, carrying
houses, barns and fences before it.
To add to the horror the main supply
pipe of the waterworks system broke
where ii crossed the Cottonwood in the
southern part of the city and all the
water in the reservoirs poured into the
river.
In the southwestern part of the city
long arm of land was formed by the
widening of the river. On this land
lived hundreds of negroes. During
the night a bridge leading across the
river was swept away This morning
the flood from the reservoirs came
down in solid wall and cut off the
people from escape. They fled from
their homes to higher parts of the
nwely formed land. The river by
9 o'clock was thirty feet higher than
the usual level. 1t is believed there
was much loss of life in that part of
the city but the people are too bewil-
dered to ascertain the facts now.
The debris damned against the strong
bridge near Helms ice plant! The
bridge was torn from it's mornings and
carried away and horses, cows and
chickens soon dotted the river in all
directions. Men and women could be
seen in the houses, reckoning for help.
In many instances the water had
reached the caves of the houses. An
old negro man was seen on a floating
house. The house was overturned and
he sank from sight. Many persons
had clambered into trees but there
were no boats for rescuing and men
set about constructing RATS, but the
terrible swiftness of the current made
it impossible to manage the crude
crafts.
The Guthrie club quickly organized
a rescuing party and began the con-
struction of boats. Three daring RATS
men sought to rescue an old man from
tree. The raft struck the over
hanging limbs and the raftsmen were
knocked from their feet, but managed
to stay on the raft and i. went whirl-
ing toward the Cimmaron. Nothing
has since been heard of the men. Two
men secured a small sternwheel pleas
ure boat and heroically went to the
rescue of a number of men and women
lodged in trees. Many persons were
rescued amid the cheers of spectators.
The cable which held the boat sudden