The record-union., 1897-04-29
Four thousand dollars were raised in
Guthrie this afternoon for the relief of
the sufferers.
FLOOD AT Ell RENO.
Many Buildings Wrecked and Several
People Drowned.

Ell RENO %. To, April 2S.-For the
first time since the white man settled
in the Canadian Valley, twenty-nine
years ago, this mornings sun sent its
rays over an Oklahoma sea. For ten
years the dust-parched people had look
ed aloft with Encouragement and pray
ed for rain to save their crops or
quench their thirst, as the case might
be. The flood of water that finally
poured from the skies and wiped their
homes and farms out of existence, and
in many instances swept away human
lives, proved an answer to their sup
plications that almost amounted to
punishment.
The final storm and flood came as a
| fitting climax to a week of unusually
heavy rains and damaging floods.
The dry spell was broken Saturday,
when fierce storm that turned the
streets into torrents, washed away
| crossings, tore out sewers and moved
small buildings, broke upon the town.
1t washed the earth clean. Saturday
at midnight the people were frightened
nearly to distraction when a hurricane
blowing forty miles an hour drove
binding sheets of water through the
roofs of their poorly-built of badly
damaged houses. They were driven in
terror to their cellars and caves, and
spent the night in momemtary expec-
tation of being borne away by storm or
flood
Sunday morning shone bright and
clear and the gauge showed a fall of
81 inches since Saturday noon. The
haQn y1In
small buildings toppled over. and here
and there furniture and other house
hold effects f1oated about. The valley
OF the Canadian, which Saturday morn
ing had been a beautiful stretch of
farms and homes, on Sunday display
ed a long network of connected lakes
and Islands, dotted with half flooded
houses, and horses and cattle strug-
Cling for places of safety.
yesterday noon a heavy cloud swept
up from the west, and another deluge
spread over the town. The water fell
in perfect sheets, and by in the even
ing the gauge read $50 inches. A calm
about I o'clock brought attention to an
intensely black and monstrous cloud
moving toward the city from the west.
1t was a typical tornado. indicated nv
the peculiar whistle of the wind which
almost universally accompanies a.
''twister"
The cry Get under ground arose
on all sides and the streets were soon
hlled with running, shouting people,
seeking cave or cellar. Stores and
homes were deserted, and the people
huddled together awaiting the blow
Fortunately the center of the storm
passed over the southeastern corner of
the town, striking the hills across the
valley, wrecking all it touched.
With the tornado came the heaviest
fall of water ever recorded here in
like period, over two inches falling in
thirty minutes. All day the river had
been rising at frightful rate, reach
ing the sleepers of the railroad bridge.
and moving it out of line The wagon
bridge went out when the water
reached its floor and the bridge and
drift serving as an obstruction, forced
the water out over the bottoms, wash
ing out crops, moving houses and
drowning stock.
dam on the Ellison ranch gave way
to the torrent, and carried out bridge
on the Fort Reno road, swept the
grounds clean. and flooded the yards
of the Choctaw Railroad Rising to
the houses of the bottom, farmers were
obliged to desert their places and alone
endeavor to save their lives
The rescue of many families was
made at great danger to the rescuers'
I lives. party composed of A. E.
| Woodlieff, Pete Carr, Henry Schaeffer
Chas. Justin, James Tomkins, Rev
Father Hall, and others Immediately
set to work to rescue the unfortunates.
AT the home of Thomas Palmer the lat
ter's wife and several children were
rescued from the tops of bureaus. just
as the water was creeping up to their
feet They had been screaming for
/ help for some time, and it was with
great difficulty that they were removed
to the improvised RATS of the rescuers
and taken to dry land, The families
of Mrs. Hall, Tom Potter, Colonel Sew
cry and Mrs. Black were rescued from
their homes in a similar manner In
each instance the water had swept
through the windows and was grad
ually rising.
During the trip, raft of railroad ties
went to pieces on a submerged wire
fence, and the entire party was thrown
into the water. They were all mirac-
ulously saved. A little child of Frank
Holman fell into a washed out crossing,
and was drowned. Mr.. Bickford, a
milkman. nearly lost his life in trying
to save the little one.
The ice plant was flooded to a depth
of four feet and Harry Bradford was
awakened about l o'clock this morning
RI fr6 ell ~
bed. The bed turned when he tried
to rise, covered him with wet blankets.
sank and nearly drowned him.
Lightning played havoc, striking the
spire of the Presbyterian Church and
totally wrecking it. Mrs. McGrath,
wife of the cashier of the Stock Elk
change Bank, seated in her home
across the street, was knocked from her
chair and badly hurt. The school
house for colored children was struck
at o'clock in the afternoon. the
structure shattered, and about fifty pu-
pills more or less seriously hurt. Among
the more badly injured are Eva Claus
ton, Bertha Turner, Charles Waters and
Beulah Clauston. The latter was par
alyzed.
Several other houses were struck by
| lightning. but no one else was hurt.
Further west the lightning killed
much stock. The electric light wires
went down, and the town was in dark
ness last night.
Reports from surrounding towns are
meager, as telegraph wires are down.
and trains have all been stopped on
account of the washouts. 1t is known.
however that many houses have been
washed out in towns adjacent to Ell
Reno, and 1t is feared many lives have