Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-29

People Pray for Rain and Get
Flood.

l
People Pray for Rain and Get n
Flood.
Ell RENO, o. T., April 2y-For the
FIRST time sInce the white man settled
In the Canadian valley, twenty.nine
years ago, this morning's sun got Its
rays over an Oklahoma sea. For ten
days the dust-parched people had
looked aloft with encouragement and
| prayed for rain TO save their crops or
| quench their tuirsi, MS the case might
DC.
The dry spell was broken Saturday,
when fierce storm that turned the
| streets into torrents, washed away
crossings, tors out sewers ana moved
small buildings broke upon the town.
1t washed the earth clean.
| Saturday at midnight the people
were frightened nearly to distraction,
| ween a burrlcau blowing forty.six
miles an hour drove binding sheets OF
water through the roof Of their poorly
QUILT or already damaged houses and
threatened TO carry away their posses
stone. They were driven In terror to
their storm cellars and caves and spent
the night In momentary expectation
| OF tbeing borne away by storm
or houu. When Sunday morning
|
anu the gauge showed tall OF five
and one-tenth inches since Saturday
noon. The streete had been piowei
with gulches, small buildings toppled
| over and iurniture aud other house,
hold effects tiosted about. The valley
| OF the Cauadiau, which Saturday
morning had been beautiful stretch
OF farms and homes, Sunday display ed
a long network OF connected lakes AMI
Islands. and dotted with baif flooded
houses, ami horses and cattle strug-
Cling Tor place. OF safety. b.
| 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 O'Clock in the evening the gauge
reai $3.50 incnes. A calm about
| o'clock brought attention to al in.
tensely black and monstrous cloud
moving toward the city from the west.
Ii was u typical tornado, indicated by
the peculiar whistle Of the wind which
almost invariably accompanies IA
"twister.'
| The cry, "Ge. usder ground" arose
on all siues, and the streets were soon
filled with running and shouting PEG.
pie seeking cave or cellar. Stores a d
homes were deserted and the peoDlu
huIdled together awaiting the blow.
Fortunately, the center OF the storm
passed over the southwest corner OF
he town, striking the hills across the
valley, wrscking all IL touched.
With the tornado came the heaviest
fall OF wafer ever recorded here in "A
like periou, over two inches falling in
thirty minutes. All day the rivera hau
besn rising at frightlnl rate, reach-
l In "a al nj IN PA IF b
and moving II out OF line. The wagon
bridge went out when the water
reached it's floor, AMI the bridge anu
driit, serving az an obstructio 0, forced
the water out over the bottoms, wash.
Ing out crops, moving houses and
drowning stock.
| Rieing into the houses OF the bottom
farmers, is compelled them to desert
their places Gnu to endeavor to save
their lives.
The rescue OF mauy families was
made at great danger to the rescuers'
lives.
| AT the home OF Thomas Palmer, the
lstter'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 come time, anu 1t was with
difficulty that they we're removed to
the improvised RATS OF the rescuers
aud taken to dry lanu. The families o I
Mrs. Hall, Tom Peter, Col. Severy auu
MIe. Black were Rescued from their
homes In Ia similar manner. In each
Instance the water had swept through
the windows AMI was gradually rising.
During the trlp rat OF RAILROAD ties
went ~ pieces on submerged wire
fence, aud tho entire party was pre-.
cipitHted in the water. They were all
ssveu, however. A little child OF
Franz HOLMAN iell into IA washed.out
crossing anu was drowned. Mr.. Bick.
fora, n millman, nearly lost his own
Life in trying TO save the little one.
Lightning played havoc, striking
the spire OF the Presbyterian church
aud totally wreoking II. Hrs. Me.
Grath, vile of the cashier OF the Stock
Exchange bank, seated in her home,
acrJss the street, WINS knocked iros
her chair anu badly. hurt.
The schoolhOuse for C8iored children
was struck al Q O'Clock In the ailer.
noon, the structure shattered and
ABOUT nifty pupils more or less seriously
hurt.
Several other houses were struck by
IightAing, but no one else was hurt
Further west the lightning killed
much stock. Tho electric light wires
went down, and the town was In dark.
ness last night.
Reports rom surrounding towns are
meagre, as telegraph wires are down
and trains have ali been stopped on
Gcoount Of wash cute.
West OF here Frank Thompson and
the slxtesn-yeaf-old son OF Hiram Me-
Grfien were crowned.
Kansas hivsrs Rising.