Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-29
FLOOD AT GUTHRIE.
4 MIGHTY WAVE A MILE WIDE
SWEEPS DOWN on CITY.
SCORES OF PEOPLE DROWNED.
Many Others Believed to Have Per-
ished in the Wnters-HerOic At
tennis Mt Rescue-Mnny Narrow
Escapes-ThriIIingI Incidents.


GUTHRIE. OKLA. April 2s.-For miles
tonight the Canadian Valley Is a dreary
waste. At sunrise this morning mighiy
wall Of water. from to feet high. and
mile wide. broke upon West Guthrie
without warning, crushing houses sweep
ing away property and drowning people
| bv the score. Every movable thing was
| swept before the wave which passed OF
into the valley with resistless iorce'
wreaking terrible destruction to life ana
property wherever it reached. Dozens
of human lives are known to have been
lost-exactly how many may not De as
| certained for weeks-hundreds OF houses
were wrecked; for miles farms were
completely ruined. bridges and tracks
were washed away, and railway traihc
I'm every direction is at a standstill. Inc
efforts of rescuing parties have in many
cases proved in vain. Many people noat-
ed down the stream before they couid DC
rescued. and their fate is unknown
others will pass the night in trees IN
midstream. or perched on housetops.
The property loss is placed at something
| near million dollars. Fully two-thirds
| of the victims were coiored people.
business has been suspended all day
in Guthrie. AS thorough organization FOR
relief as possible has been made put
all aid Is necessarily retarded by the
confused condition of things. 1t Will be
impossible to explore the houses uhui
| tne water subsidies, as many OF thefh are
| submerged As darkness gatnereo MANY
| overturned houses could be seen lar ou.
in the flood. but it could not be learned
,,.totbor tbeir occupants escaped. The
river is 20 feet above its ordinary level
! 4 heavy rain began falling this afternoon
| A threatening bank of clouds came up
| from the northwest, and many persons
| Ga to their tornado-celars. fearing tha1
ano,bor disaster was upon them. Luckily
| however the damage was shght'
HOW THE WATERS CAME.
Tho Cottonwood river a small stream
that winds between steep pahhs III w.. 49,.
| Guthrie was bank-full from hed'y
rair yesterday. and last night. About
| a,aiocL water from cloud-burst above
odded 70 those already up TO the lever oi
tho hioh hanks. and the flood was sweep
| inc through West Guthrie, seclion poPu
Ioted mostly by colored people PERSONS
- cow the first wall Of water SAID thal
:, Vas about eighteen feet high. spread
| inc entirely across the valley me
nos no water in front of it, save 'hat III
| the rivers channel. The hrst wave Wa'
| followed by others in quick succesSioIi,
until the whole settled into pdllh Vi
water from six to eight feet hlgh' ' Man'
had already begun carrying men .oSo -
! n
nod made more than one trip, wheh they
80 forced TO fee for their aiveS Diore
| a raging, resistless torrent.
rbe main supply-plpe Of the water
works system burst where 1t crosse1 the
| Cottonwood in the southern part Vi tne
| o,ty and all the water in the reservoirs
poured into the river
In the southwestern part or the cry
LONG arm of land is formed by the winoins
| of the river On this land hVen nun
Srods of negroes During the night the
bridge leading across the ri'ei -, W ~
,aoin section was swept away. me peo-
,Ie were absorbed in watching the rising
r,.a+ars this morning. when floods from the
| ,asor,,oirs came down in a solid wall ana
ont across the arm of land near the main
land cutting off all escape. The people
eed from their homes to the higher poI-
tions of the newly-formed island. In han
on hour the mountain OF water had done
its work and practically spent itself. The
DIR hecame hideous with the crashlhg ol
bouses and the cries of the uniortuhates'
I When the first shock or the disaster ""a
over the more fortunate on the lsianu
began 10 help those nearest thenl' "nilo
across in Guthrie proper prompt steps
were taken at rescue. Inc houSeS' ~ ~
ard other effects began to drift down the
stream each freighted with one or more
hur,an beings. Boats and RATS shot out
hora and there from the shore, and ces-
,oro+a efforts were made to rescue the
roor,e Improvised RATS were quickly
thrown together and started out INTO 'he
- - .traom BEFORE many of them had
hoen nronelled a couple of yards from
shore they were twisted and broken py
the waters and the would-oe rescuers
thrown into the stream. Han uozeh
rescuers were drowned even before tnose
they had tried to save had peen reaclt u
Gus Platt business manager OF the ouln- yum
r;a Leader and George Willis, mer-
chant tailor, swan the river anu - secul eu
a boat by which a NUMBER Oh perSoi''
were saved.
HOW PEOPLE PERlsHED'
A r,on,an with a babe in her arms trled
10 steady herself in a tree-top. Gaining iol
helm She grew weak, and the papy Sllp
nod into the water and was dro"heu. 'ne
,yas finally rescued, and said her famlly oi
six had been lost. - Nth
woman wading from her home with
her baby on her head was seen 10 go "a.
der and a man swimming the chahhei "
reach four women and BABY IN tree
vas carried downstream. TWO women
cd a child were carried away OH d
hridee farther downstream, ana one man
and two women in plain sight OF snort
were on a house-roof when 1t went 10
pieces. They all pershed.
An old negro woman was seen ciingihg
to a house-top. The building soon turneu
over and she was drowned.
Three men-Walter Olds. John van
Dusen. and Eugene Gilla-sought TO rescue
on old man from a tree. Their ratt
struck an over-hanging tree ana they
barely saved themselves by clamDerihs
into another tree. They were nnaily
rescued on a rope sent to them by means
of shotgun and cord'
Two men secured a small stern-"heel
nleasure-boat and started TO the rescue
of a half-dozen men and women iods q
in a tree. These persons were rescued
amid the cheers of the spectators Inc
cable holding the craft finally broke, ana
II was carried down the stream. but uitl-
mately landed safely.
NARROW ESCAPES.
Acknowledgement Jameson, Of the Ter
ritorial militia. and his family. narrowly
ESCAPED. He was forced TO wade, and led
his horse with his family in the buggy.
Tohn Metz aged So, was capSiZed Wnlie