The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-01
Heaps Of Debris Cover the Valley
of the Cimarron.
MORE DEAD BODIES DISCOVERED.
THE EXACT NUMBER OF THOSE
WHO PERrsHEb MAY NEVER BE
KNOWN. BUT THAT 1T IS LARGE
is CERTAIN FIFTEEN HUNDRED
PEOPLE LEFT DESTITUTE BY
THE FLooD-THE WORK OF RE.
LIEF HAS BEEN ORGANIZED. Il

Guthrie, o. r.. April 30.-In the flood
stricken valley of the Cottonwood river
to-day has been one of heroic effort to.
wards the rescue of those unfortunates
whose lives were still endangered and for
the relief of the hundreds of destitute
and hungry.
All day persons, supposed yesterday to
have been drowned, have been found
clinging to bushes or driftwood down the
stream, on the west blu As or scattered in
farm houses for miles.
During the greater part of Yesterday
the torrent cut of communication with
the submerged district and in the excite
nient the death list was swelled to hun
dreds.
Daylight found dozens of persons still
clinging to trees. overturned houses or
tnlbers in perilous positions. For miles
along the scene of devastation, 500 peo-
pie, homeless, half ill from exposure and
hunger, passed IL miserable night, and
morning found most of them Zoo weak to
help themselves or give assistance to 9th.
ers. The scene in the flood swept dis
tricts CHS morning was one of desoation.
The river fell rapidly during the night
and while it is still .banls-full the water
has receded from most OF the inundated
district.
There is confused mass of debris and
overturned and demolished houses scat
tered over the valley where last night was
n sen OF water. The banks are Uttered
with the carcasses or farm animals.
Whole blocks where stood home in
nearly every lot, were stripped, and huge
trees torn up b" the roots were scattered
everywhere.
With the first ray of daylight the work
OF rescue and reliefiwas begun with will
and kept up with tireless energy. Dur
ing last night men had been put to work
in lumber yards constructing boats and
dawn to-day witnessed dozen crafts
starting out from all directions to the
rescue of the unfortunates. The work of
the raftsmen proved most effective and
one by one persons were transported from
their perilous positions to places of safe
tY. Every house, drift pile and tree was
closely 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 Ruflin and five
children all lodged in a pile of driftwood
These with George Owen drowned while
rescuing others; Frank Meyers, Mrs Jane
Watt, Mrs. Francis Moore, Mrs Drum
mond 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 and returning with injured.
Such were carefully cared for in private
homes in Guthrie. BY nightfall ample
ARRANGEMENTS had been made for the i'm
mediate 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.
100 houses were wrecked and twenty
stores were devastated, leaving ,0C0 peo-
pie homeless and half as many destitute
The work of supplying shelter and food
for all these was by no means small I'm.
dertaking. But the Guthrietes were
equal to the task and to night thousands
of dollars have been subscribed to aid the
afflicted.
The receding flood has left an immense
pile of wrecBage at the railroad bridge,
six miles below the city. Search for the
dead has begun at that point this even
ing, and when darkness put II stop to the
work the bodies of white man and a col
ored baby had been recovered 1t is be-
lieved that several other bodies have been
sighted in the debris there.