, 1897-04-30
THE GUTHRIE FLOOD.
LATER DETAILS OF THE TERRI.
BILE CATASTROPHE IN OKLA
HOMA.
Many People are Missing and Their Rel
-Stives are Searching for Their
dreds Occupied Trees and House.
tops All Night Long.

Guthrie. OKLA, April 29.0Guthrie
proper is on a high plain and away ives
on a similar 'eminence stands the Catho.
tile valley. is a sea which overf1ows the
homes of n section Of the city. In the
interior of may OF these houses are the
bloated, u~nrecovered bodies of many
victims. while on the tops OF others and
perched high in the forks Of the fresh
green trees are others still living, but "a
hours without food and exhausted with
clinging, who. wet and chilled. stuck to
their unsteady perches the livelong
night-some with children in their arms
without sustenance and without sleep.
Across the silent water they cried out
for help, but they had to wait until the
first streak Of dawn enabled eager rescu-
ers to begin the work Of relief.
The water has gone down somewhat
and the spectacle this morning was a
remarkable choas Of mud, wrecks and
here and there a body left by the reced-
ing waters.
Daylight in the Cottonwood valley
found dozens Of people still clinging 70
the trees. overturned houses, or timbers,
in positions which they had sustained
all during the weary night. Here and
there positions known to have been occu-
pied when darkness came on last night.
were empty this morning, and the only
conclusion to be drawn was that the
luckless victims had dropped into the
river during the night. drowned and
their bodies washed down stream.
For miles along the scene Of devasta-
ton 1000 people. homeless, half ill from
exposure and hunger. passed a miser-
able night, and morning found most Of
them too weak to be Of much assistance
the night the water had receded rapidly
and the work Of rescue was more easy
this morning. When darkness stopped
further rescue last evening. every man
available vent busily to work 10 con-
struct rnf,s for use today, and when the
first light OF day broke. small parties
started U from different points and
began transporting the people from their
p~erilous positions to iand. The water
was not 30 high or swift as yesterday
and the rescuers madS eapid progress.
During the night organized relief. under
the direction of Guthrie police. was
pushed as rapidly as possible, and re-
newed efforts were put forth this morn
ing.
The scene Of the flooded district this
morning Is one Of desolation. The river
went down rapidly last night and when
the sun arose the awful extent Of the
damage to property could be The
river is still bank full, but the water has
receded from most Of the inundated dis
tricts.
This morning most of the missing peo-
pie have been found clinging to bushes
or driftwood down the stream on the
west bluffs, or scattered In farm houses
for miles, so it is believed that the death
10 80 sa. =. dno.,n IL ~. main
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49, md a,tv MOVIES we're wrecked. 20
..rsets devastated anal ruined. a thousand
neon,e ,re homeless and "a many more
dsst,tute pronertv damage exceed,
e,oo ~
sv.,..n,t,c ra,Ao, IA now being car
r,ed nm and ferries ara working across
tho river an that supnlies and clothips
o.n hs .ant n al, and many are beins
hr.,~ht n rho unframed mart Of he CITY
N no c.red ,or in nrivate homes.