The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-06
.1A OKLAHOMA DISASTER.
Loss OF LIFE NOT so HEAVY.
MANY OF THE MISSING HAVE
M BEEN FOUND.
VALLEY PRESENTS A DREARY WASTE
covered With Wreckage-Daylir
yesterday Found any Pople Still
ohnsing to Trees and i'm
Other Perilous Positions.

f other PerilOus Positions.
Ggtnrie, Okla, April 29.-In the aood.
eeticken valley of the Cottonwood rive,
.ouay mas been one of heroic efforts to.
Marus the rescue of those unfortuna tes
Mnose ives We're still endangered and for
n;eht te y OF destitute and hungry. To.
i;f sn! IL seems certainty that the loss of
it'll IA yesterdays deluge will not exceed
vestar y. AL day missing people supposed
gesterGay TO have been drowned have
Deen found clinging to bushes or drift
wood down the stream. on the west bInffs
Ut scattered in farm houses for miles.
Durlng the greater part of YESTERDAY
le roaring torrent of water cut off com.
naunicati0n with the submerged district
ana IN the excitement the death LIST was
ssWeled 70 hundreds. The negroes who
nVed In the stricken section of the town
ead, IN their terror given up their missing
LIE OF reiatives as lost. and it was
Tue general belief that scores had per-
put when daylight came today the flood
mad subsidized and examinations of the
houses and cellars failed to confirm the
exaggerated reports of loss of life.
,Dayhght found dozens of people still
cnnglng to trees, overturned houses or
timber, in perilous positions, which thew
mad sustained all during the weary night
F0r miles along the scene of devastation
iooO people, homeless, half dead and I'll
from exposure and hunger, passed mis-
cradle night, and morning found most of
them too weak to give much assistance
either to themselves or otners.
The scene of the food-swept district
TINS morning was one of desolation. The
river fell rapidly during the night, and
When the sun rose the extent of the dam
age done to property could be seen. The
river is still bank full. but the water has
receded from the inundated districts.
There is confused mass of debris and
overturned and demolished houses, scat
tered over the valley where last night
was sea of water. The banks are lit
tered with the dead carcasses of farm
animals. Whole blocks where Yesterday
stood homes were stripped, and huge trees
torn up by their roots were scattered
everywhere
With the first ray of daylight the res
cuing and relief was taken up with will
I'd kept up with great energy. During
night men had been put to work in
lumber yards constructing boats. and
wn today witnessed dozen craft dart
tg out from all directions to the rescue of
the unfortunate. The work of the raft
one the people were transported from the
perilous positions to places of safety.
Every house, drift pile and tree was close
ly examined in search of the dead
The family of Wesley McGill reported
yesterday as drowned, was found safe.
The only bodies found during the day
were those of Mrs. Fannie Ruffin and
five children, all lodged in pile of drift
wood. These, with George w. Owen,
the butcher drowned while rescuing
others, Frank Meyers, Mrs. Jane Wall,
Mrs. Dennis and child and Mrs. Watson
are the only identified dead, though many
are still missing.
During the day systematic relief was |
perfected and carried on Ferries piled |
across the river, carrying provisions and |
clothing everywhere, and returning with |
injured Such were carefully cared for |
in private homes in Guthrie. By night |
fall ample arrangements had been made !
for the immediate care of the homeless, |
and there was an assurance OF no further ]
suffering, at least for the time being.
Five hundred homes were swept away |
and $50 houses were wrecked and TWEEN
ty stores were devastated, leaving 1000
people homeless, and half as many desti-
tute. The work of supplying shelter and
food for all these was by no means
small undertaking. But the people were
equal to the task, and tonight thousands
of dollars have been subscribed to aid the
afflicted.
The damage along the Cimarron river
is very extensive and hundreds of farms
have been devastated along Deep Fork,
in Lincoln county. Hundreds of men
worked all day rebuilding houses along
!, The damage to property will be in the
of 100000, while that sus-
famed in crops may equal or perhaps
Nonble that amount, ;xo,so
ecedpg food has has left rdr an m brdge
"a miles below the city. Search for the
aead was begun at that point this even,
nes' and when darkness put stop to the
work er the bodies of white man and
eolored baby had been recovered ?y re h. r,iss-
Eighty-two persons are said to DE HISS
ing, most of them being negroes