Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-05-06

a SCORE OF LIVES LOST.
{cloudbNrst BrtnEs DevastatiOn and
Death to Guthrie, q. q.

/ cloudbnrst BrtnEs Determinations and
Death to Guthrie. O. Il.
Guthrie. O. T.. April 90 cloud.
burst 90 miles north of Guthrie at six
o'clock Wednesday morning turned the
already flooded valley of the Cotton
wood into q deluge and sent wave Of
water six feet high sweeping with ter
rife force toward Guthrie. The great
wave came down the valley like cat
aract and broke upon the sleeping city
without a moments warning. It came
with mighty roar. crushing houses
in it's path. and swept across the low
lands of West Guthrie. leaving death
and devastation. "a
The Cottonwood river is a small
stream scarcely more than 40 feet wide,
that winds in many curves between the
banks Of the West G uthrie, which lies in
the level valley of the river. About six
o'clock in the morning the river be+
gan to rise as if by magic. Higher and
higher it came. jumping four feet in.
30 minutes at seven O'clock. The first
wave was followed by others in quick
succession, until the whole swelled into
| bank of water from six to eight feet
high. Many had already begun carry
ing their household goods to places Of
safety, but few had made more than
one trip when they were forced to fee
for their lives before raging. resist
less torrent that no power of man could
hope to stay. -a%at az.
To add to the horror of the situation,
the main supply pipe of the water
works system burst where it crossed
the Cottonwood, in the southern part Of
the city, and all the water in the reser-
voir burst into the river. In the south
ern part of the city a long arm of land
is formed by the widening of the river
On this land lived hundreds of negroes.
During the night the bridge leading
across the river to the city had been
swept away. The people were alb
sorbed in watching the rising waters,
when the food came and the reservoir
came down in solid wall and cut
across the arm of land near the main
land, cutting off the people from es-
cape. They fed from their homes to
the higher portion of the newly-formed
island. In half an hour the noun
tain of water had done it's work and
practically spent itself. The air be-
came. hideous with the crashing of
houses and the cries for help of the I'M
fortunates.
Guthrie, O. T., April 30.-In the flood
stricken valley of the Cottonwood river
Thursday was devoted to heroic efforts
towards the rescue of those unfortu-
mates whose lives were still endangered
and for the relief of the hundreds of
destitute and hungry. It now seems
a certainty that the loss Of life in the
deluge will not exceed 20. All day
missing people, supposed to have been
drowned, have been found clinging to
bushes or driftwood down the, stream
on the west bluffs or scattered in farm
houses for miles.
The scene in the food-swept dis
trict was one of desolation. The river
fell rapidly during the night, and when
the sun rose the awful extent of the
damage done to property could be seen.
The river is still bank full, but the water
had receded from most of the mum
dated district. There was a confused
mass of debris and overturned and de-
:Iaolished houses scattered over the val
ley where Wednesday night was a sea
of water. The banks were Uttered with
the dead carcasses of horses, cattle, hogs
and chickens. Whole blocks where
stood home in nearly every lot were
stripped bare; huge trees, torn up by
their roots, were scattered everywhere;
great gulches had been washed out of
the streets, gardens were devastated,
fruit trees leveled, lawns and flower
beds cleared off level as a table and
fences completely gone.
Five hundred homes we're swept
away and the contents were ruined.
One hundred and fifty houses were
wrecked, 20 streets devastated and
ruined and 1000 people are homeless
and half as many more destitute. Prop
erty damage exceeds 100000. Sys-
tematic relief is now carried ON ami
river, SO that supplies can be sent to
all. and many were being brought to
the unframed part of the city, to be
cared for in private homes.
New Orleans, April 30.-Severe rain
and windstorms throughout the low
er Mississippi valley did great damage
to levees, causing ugly sloughs in many
of them and entailing great suffering
among those refugees camped on the
levee without shelter of any kind.
Appeals have poured in to the relief
committee from all quarters for tents,
and the relief committee has applied
to the war department for them. Near
" half the people in the overfowed Sec