The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-29

Guthrie. O. T.. April 2S.-For miles
tonight the Canadian valley is a dreary
waste. and her people are overcast with
gloom.
At sunrise this morning a mighty
wall of water from six to eight feet
high and a mile wide broke upon west
Guthrie without warning, crushing
houses, sweeping away property and
| drowning people by the score.
EVERYTHING WENT.
Every movable thing was swept be-
fore the wave which passed on into
| the valley with resiStless force, Wreak-
ing terrible destruction to life and
property wherever it reached.
Dozens of human lives are known to
! have been sacrificed, how many may
not be known for weeks; hundreds of
houses Were wrecked in the twinkling
of an eve.
For miles farms were completely
ruined. bridges and tracks were washed
out, and railway traffic in every direc-
ton is left at a standstili. The most
complete chaos has prevailed all day.
The efforts of rescuinS parties have
in many cases proven in vain.
Many people f1oated down stream be-
fore thev could be reached and their
fate is unknown. Others will pass the
night in trees in midstream or perched
on house tops.
1t is impossible to estimate the dead.
The property loss is placed at some
thing near $1,000, 900.
TWO-THIRDs WE'RE COLORED.
h Fally two-thirds of the victims were
colored. people, Business has been sus-
pended all dav in Guthrie the stores
and banks being closed. As thorough
an organization for relief as is possible
has been made, but all aid has been
necessarily retarded by the confused
condition of things. 1t Will be impos-
sible TO explore the houses until the
water shall subside, as many of them
are submerged.
AS darkness gathered over the scene,
many overturned houses could be seen
far out in the flood. but it could not be
learned whether their occupants es-
capped.
The river is so feet above its ordinary
level. A heavy rain began falling this
afternoon. A threatening bank of
clouds came uD from the northwest,
and many persons fed to their tornado
collars, fearing that another wind dis
aster was upon them
WAS A CLOUDBURST.
Luckily. however. the damage was
slight
The food is supposed to have been
caused by a clOudburst. supplemented
by heavy rains. The Cottonwood river,
ordinarily a small stream that winds
between steep banks in West Guthrie,
was bankfull from a heavy rain yes
terday and last night, but no alarm
had been felt. as the river had been
rising gradually during the night At
about o'clock, however, waters from
cloudburst above had added to those
already nearly W to the level of the
high banks, and the flood was sweep
ing through West Guthrie, a section
populated mostly by cOlOred people
Persons who saw the first wall of water
said that it was about Is inches high,
spreading entirely across the valley.
There was no water in front of it save
that in the rivers channel. The first
wave was followed by others in quick
succession, until the whole swelled into
a bank of water from six to eight feet
high Many had already begun carry
ing their household goods to places Of
safety, but few had more than one trip
when they were forced TO flee for their
lives before a raging, resistless torrent
that no power of man could hope TO
staT.
SUPPLY PIPE BURSTS.
The main supply pipe of the water
works system burst where it 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 a long
arm of land is formed by the winding
of the river. On this land lived hun
dreds of negroes. During 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 when the food from the
came down in solid wall
and cut across the arm of land near the
main land, cutting off the people from
escape.
They fled from their homes to the
higher portions of the newly-formed
island. In half an hour the mountain
of water had done its work and prac-
tically scent itself.
HIDEOUs SOUNDS.
The air became hideous with the
crashing os houses and the cries for
help of the unfortunates. When the
first shock of the disaster was over, the
more fortunate on the island imme-
diately began to help those nearest to
them, while across in Guthrie prompt
steps were taken at rescue. The houses,
barns and other effects began to drift
down stream. each freighted with one
or more human beings; boats or rats
shot out here and there from the shore.
and desperate efforts were made 10
rescue the people. ImDrovised ra1tss
were quickly thrown together and
started out into the mad stream
Before many of them had been pro-
PEELED a couple of yards from shore
they were twisted and broken by the
waters, and the would-be rescuers