Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1897-05-01
SWEPT BY A FLOOD.
A Mighty Wall OF Water Sweeps
Down on Guthrie, Ok.
SCORE OF LIVES REPORTED LOST.
Hundreds Of Houses Wrecked, bridges and
Railroad Tracks Washed Away and
Farms Rulned-El Reno Dam
aged by Storm.

/
GUTHRIE, Ok, April 90. wi tn resist
less force, and without moments
warning, mighty wall Of water from
six to eight feet high and mile wide
swept down the Canadian valley ut
sunrise yesterday. Every movable
thing was carried before the wave.
Scores of lives are known to have been
sacrificed, how many will not be known
for weeks; hundreds of houses were
wrecked In the twinkling Of an eye;
for miles farms were completely ru-
incd, bridges and tracks were washed
away and railway traffic In every d.
rcction Is ut standstill. So fur rs now
known the list OF dead includes: Anna
Kaiser, school-teacher; George
Owens, butcher; Ella Dcmoss, Frank
Mayors, Wesley McGill, and family Of
eight; Dan Clemens, and family OF
seven; Henry Solomon and wife, Nor
ris Taylor and two children, Mrs.
Charles Watt, Charles Freeman, II. II.
Bockingcr, james Lilly, Mrs. Dumas,
Mrs. Harry Drummond, Mrs. Watson
and son, J. II. Calhoun, wife and child;
Charles Rufrncr and wife, Rastus Nc
Gill, Lena Burke, Mrs. Watt, John
Metz, Mrs James Montgomery and
Mrs. Dummins. This list numbers 45
and the recovery Of bodies has hardly
begun.
The most complete chaos prevailed
all day. The efforts Of rcscuing par.
ties have In many cases proven In vain.
Many people 1oated down stream be-
fore they could be reached and their
fate is unknown; others passed the
night in trees in midstream or perched
on housctops. 1t is impossible to esti-
mate the dead. The property loss Is
placed ut something near 81 1000, 900.
! Fully two-thirds of the victims were
colorcd people.
business was suspended all yester-
day in Guthrie, the stores and banks
being closed. As thorough an organ
ization for relief us is possible has been
made, but all hid has been necessarily
retarded by the confused condition of
things. 1t will be impossible to ex-
plore the houses until the water shall
subside, us many of them are sub
merged. As darkness gathered over
the scene many overturned houses
could be seen far out in the flood, but
1t could not be learned whether or not
their occupants escaped.
The flood is supposed to have been
caused by cloudburst, supplemented
by heavy rains. The Cottonwood river,
ordinarily q small stream that winds
between steep banks in West Guthrie,
was bank full from heavy rains, but
no alarm had been felt, us the river
had been rising gradually during the
night. About six o'clock, however,
waters from cloudburst above had
added to those already up to the level
of the high banks, and the flood was
sweeping through West Guthrie, sec
ton populated mostly by colored peo-
pie. At the first rush of the water the
Fifth street bridge left the banks. 1t
crashed into the Noble avenue bridge,
und all went down the river. There
were many people crossing the Noble
avenue bridge, frantically trying to
escape, when the Fifth street bridge
was seen coming. Two seconds later
the Harrison avenue bridge gave way
and went down with its load of human
freight.
In rs minutes after tho first deluge
West Guthrie was covered from two to
twenty feet by an angry, surging flood.
Over 1000 homes were washed away,
and temporary quarters have been
fitted up for the hundreds Of homeless.
Four Santa Fc bridges were washed
away, and all railroad business Is ut n
standstill. Thousand of people lined
the railroad tracks and edges OF the
flooded districts watching the devasta-
ton and applauding heroic rescues.
Ell RENO SUFFERS ALSO.
Ell RENO, Ok, April a9.-After O
week of almost incessant rains a calm
about seven o'clock Tuesday night
brought attention to an intensely
black and monstrous cloud moving to-
ward the city from the west The cry
"pct under ground" arose on all sides,
and the streets were soon filed with
running, shouting people, seeking cave
or cellar. Stores and homes were de-
serted, and the people huddled to-
gcther awaiting the blow. Fortunate
ly, the center Of the storm passed over
the southeastern corner of the town,
striking the hills across the valley,
wrecking all II touched. With the
tornado came the heaviest fall OF wa
ter ever recorded here in u like period,
over two inches falling in 30 minutes.
All day the river has been rising ut
frightful rate, reaching the sleepers OF
the railroad bridge and moving 1t out
Of line. The wagon bridge went out
when the water reached its floor and
the bridge and drift, serving Us IN OBJ
struction, forced the water out over
the bottoms, washing out crops, NOV
ing houses and drowning stock. a
dam ON the Ellison ranch gave way to
the torrent and carried out bridge on
the Fort Reno road, swept the fair
grounds clean, and flooded the yards
of the Choctaw railroad. Rising into
the houses of the bottom farmers 1t
compelled them to desert their places
and alone endeavor TO save their lives
-
Pattern Shop Burned.
SpRrSaFIELD, Ill, April s9.-The pat
tern shop ut the rolling mills OF the