The herald., 1897-04-30

were transferred by boats. Bet"eei
Guthrie and Seward fully six miles OF
track are gone. The Santa Fe ROAD Is
refusing shipments of livestock or per-
ishable freight. Bad waehouts have also
been experienced on the Choctaw rail-
road west of Oklahoma City.
TT is still impossible accurately to esti-
mate the loss to property ana crops
The damage to property will be IN the
neighborhood of 100000 while that sus-
tanned in crops MAJ be several times
greater.
The receding flood has left an immenee
nile of wreckage at the railroad bridge
two miles below the city. Search for the
dead was begun at that point TINS even
ing. and when darkness put stop 10 the
work the bodies of white man ana a
colored baby had been recovered. 1t is
claimed that several other hodles nave
been sighted in the debris there
An attempt was made to poll the resi-
dents of West Guthrie this afternoon,
but the count is not considered at all
accurate. 1t shows eighty-two persons
missing. most of them being negroes
PERCHED IN TREES
GUTHRIE. o. T.. April 29.-Daylight
in Cottonwood Valley found dozens OF
people etill clinging to trees, overturned
houses or timbers in positions whlch
they sustained all during the weary
night. Here and there positions known
TO have been occupied when darkness
came on last night were empty ihls
morning. Luckless victime had cropped
into the river, drowned. and their bodies
were swept down stream For miles
along the scene of devastation two thou-
sand people were homeless, half i'll from
exposure and hunger They passed a
miserable night Morning found most
of them too weak to give much assist
ance to either themselves or others.
During the night the water receded
rapidly, and the work of rescue was
more easy in the morning. When dark
ness stopped further rescue last evening
every man availa Bile went busily to work
to construct RATS for use today, and
when the first light of day broke parties
began transporting people from their
perilous positions to land. The water
was not so high or swift as yesterday,
and the rescuers made rapid progress.
During the night organized relief, under
the direction of Guthrie people. was
pushed as rapidly as possible, and re
newed efforts were put forth this morn
ing. No more reliable estimate of the
dead or property damage than was given
last night could be compiled this morn
ing. Hourly bodies left on the land by
the receding waters or found pocketed in
houses or piles are being brought to
light This is within a few miles of
Guthrie. What the damage to life and
t., ~, 4rx- -
will only be known when wire and rail-
way train communication is resumed.
AT Ell RENO
Ell RENO, o. T., April 29.-The flood
of the North Canadian river is falling
almost as rapidly as it rose and tonight
the water has 80 far receded from the
bottoms that farmers are returning to
their homes. All bridges have been
swept away however. and as the high
ways are practically impossible it vii
be some days before ordinary business
can be resumed. There has been no rail-
road traffic in or out Of this city since the
flood. 1t is believed that generally wheat
has not been injured by the excessive
rains, but corn will mostly have to be
replanted. Oats and potatoes are not
hurt. except in places where the flood
washed away the soil.
TRAFFIC BLOCKED
OKLAHOMA. April Glowing to
washouts and the destruction to bridges
by floods neither the Santa Fe nor Choc-
taw railroads have run any mail trains
into or out of this city during the past
eixty hours. Both roads pi omise to re-
sume traffic on Sunday next
IN MISSOURI
ST. LOUIS, April 29.-At Hannibal,
Mo-, the guage today registers twenty
feet, ten inches, the highest stage reach
ed since 1888, when the levee broke
Since midnight the river has been sta
tionary About half of South Hannibal
is under water. Streets are navigab BILE
by boats. 1t has been raining here all
day, and the levee cannot stand much
more pressure. In the Missouri bot
toms, few miles north of THE city. the
farms are submerged and people have
fled to the hills. People on Sny Island
are getting stock and goods off as fast
as possible, for the levee may break at
any hour.
RIVERS RISING
l-NDl>i i>4F Fl'l>ANNI4, hdl., April ~
Tonight it is reported that four feet of
water surrounds the depot at Elk City
and that the Verdlgris river has risen
there until the greater part of the town
is inundated.
Further west the Caney river is out OF
its banks between Peru and Caney and
at the stream is two miles wide.
The Verdigrts river is still rising slow
ly at this point
AT ST LOUIS
ST LOUIS, April 29.-The Mississippi
here has risen more than foot in twen-
ty-four hours, and is ticking off the
marks on the river gauge in a way that
threatens to send the water over the
danger point before morning. AT 10
o'clock this evening the gauge marked
29S. The official danger point is thirty
feet.
IN IOWA
KEOKUK. Ia, April 29-Both tho
Mississippi and the Des Moines rivers
are receding. The creVasse in the Hunt
levee below here is now 200 yards wide
and the water in the bottoms is level
with that outside. aMny houses which
were deserted in the rush for safe places
have been swept away.
- 60
Mrs. Craven's Case
SAN FRANCISCO. April 2a-Suit Of the
heirs and administrafors' Of James c.
t.f-