Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1897-05-07
SWEPT BY THE LELUGE.
DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND A NIGHT
OF TERROR AT GUTHRIE.
Farms Obliterated, Occupants are
Drowned and Rescuers Perish
in Heroic EndeavOrs.

Guthrie, ". l., April CT VI MINUS e'iS
Canadian valley IS a dreary waste. ana
her people are overcast with gloom. AT
sunrise mighty wall of water from six
to eight feet high and a mile wide broke
upon WesS Guthrie without warning,
crushing houses, sweeping away properly
and drowning people by the score. every
movable thing was swept before the
wave, which passed on into the valley
with resistless force, wreaking terrible
destruction to life and property wherever
1t reached.
Fully two-thirds of the victims were
colored people Business has been sus-
pended all day in Guthrie he stores and
banks being closed. AS thorough an or
ganization as possible has been made, but
all the aid has been necessarily retarded
by the congested condition of things. 1t
will be impossible to explore the houses
until the water shall subside, as many or
them are submerged. AS darkness gath
cred over the scene many overturned
houses could be seen far out in the flood
but it could not be learned whether their
occupants escaped.
The Cottonwood river, ordinarily small
stream that winds between steep banks
in West Guthrie, was bank full from
heavy rain, but no alarm has been felt,
as the river had been rising gradually
during the night. About o'clock, how
ever, waters from a cloudburst above
had added to those already nearly up 10
the level of the high banks, and the
flood was sweeping through West Guth-
rie a section populated mostly by col
ored people. Persons who saw the first
wall of water said that it was IS inches
high, spreading entirely across the valley.
There was no water in front of it, save
that in the river channel. The first wave
was followed quickly by others in quick
succession until the whole swelled into
bank of water from six to eight feet
high. Many had already begun carrying
household goods to places of safety, but
few had made more than one trip when
they were forced to flee for their lives be-
fore raging, resistless torrent that no
power of man could hope to stay.
Improvised RATS were quickly thrown
together and started out into the mad
stream. Before many of them had been
propelled a couple of yards from shore
they were twisted and broken by The
waters and the would-be rescuers thrown
into the stream. Half dozen rescuers
were drowned even before those they hal
tried to save had been reached.
| Gus Platt, business manager of the
Guthrie Leader, and George Willis, a
merchant tailor, swan the river at the
| risk of their lives and secured boat, by
which number of persons were saved
A negro woman with baby in her arms
| desperately tried to steady herself in 4
treetop calling for help, She grew weak
err and the baby slipped into the water
and was drowned She was finally res.
cued and said her family of six had sue
cumbed.
woman wading from her home witt
her baby on her head was seen to gc
under, and man swimming the channe
trying to reach four women and a baby
in tree was carried down the stream.
| Two women and child were carriet
away on bridge further down stream
| in MI tT
sight of shore were on a house roof wher
1t went to pieces. They all persisted. Al
old negro woman was seen riding a hous,
| top. The building soon turned over anC
she was drowned. Three men. Waiter
| Odds, Vandusen and Eugene Gillian
sought to rescue an old man from tree
| The raft struck an overhanging tree, an.
| they barely saved themselves by Chamber
| Ing into another tree. They were finall'
rescued on rope sent to them by mean
OF a shotgun and cord.
Two men secured a small sternwhee
pleasure boat and started to the rescu
of half dozen men and women lodge,
In tree. The persons were rescue,
amid the cheers of the spectators. TIL
cable holding the craft finally broke an.
1t was carried down stream, but ulti
mately landed safely. Adjutant Genera
Jameson of the territorial militia barrel,
escaped with his family. He was force;
to wade and lead his horse with his FAM
lily in buggy.
John Meta. aged SO, was capsized wnil
trying to save woman, who sank be
fore he reached her. Metz himself wa
barely rescued.
George Owens. Attorney league Ra,
and Dick Pearson were precipitated int
the water while trying to save some PEG
pie, and Owens was drowned. The wifi
and five children of Wesley McGill col
ored, were drowned in their home
Gus Platt and George Willis swan
through the current cut a fatboat from
Its mornings, and saved seven people
making landing miles below the city
Tonight 40 or so people could be seel
cenglng to trees and roofs of buildings
but could not be reached, and will hay
to spend the night where they are.
The strength of many will fail befor
morning. If 1t does, nothing but a water
grave awaits them. The fate of man,
others who are known to have been ca ?
ried down stream will not be known unti
daybreak, and perhaps not then. 1t i
impossible to get any definite news from
the hundreds of rescued people on tn
| pluns west of the city, and those VIII
escaped are rushing frantically about ii
search of missing ones.
For 10 days the dust-parched peonl
had looked aloft with discouragenien
and prayed for rain to save their crop
or quench their thirst, as the case Nigh
De. The flood of water that finally pour
ca from the skies and wiped their home
and farms out of existence and in man,
instances swept away human lives prova
an answer to their supplications that nj
most amounted to punishment The fina
storm and flood came as fitting china,
TO week of unusually heavy rains an
damaging floods.