Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-29
LIKE 4 THIEE-IN THE NIGHT AMountain ofWater Came Down
 the Valley
AND SWEPT ALL BEFORE 1T
Bolti Brave Men In Attempting Rescues Lose Their LVes-Few of the Dead Known Reservoir Contents Adds to Horror.

Guthrie, Okla, April 2S.-For miles to- nigh. the Canadian valley is a dreary waste. At sunrise this morning a mighty wall of water from six to eight feet nigh ard a mile wide broke upon West Gnth- rie without warning. crushing houses, sweeping away property and drowning people by the score Every moveaole thing was swep's before the wave, which passed on into the valley with resistless force wreaking terrible destruction to life and. pnoperNx,- wherever it reached.
 Dozens of humap lives are known to have been sacrificed, how many may not be asceiitainedt for weeks. Hundreds CT houssx g were wrecked; for miles farms were completely ruined; bridges anu tracks were washed out and railroad traffic fn every direction is at stand gdll The efforts of reSeulng partlsS have in many cases proved in vain. Many people ffcated down stream before they could, be reached and their fate is uif- known; othe.s will pass the nigh in mld- stream or perched on house tops. The property lSas ss placed at so'meoning near s1, ,000, eco. Fully two-a thirds of the vic tins wEre colorsd people. Business has been suspended all day in Guthrie. AS Ithor0ugTh- an organization TOT renel as possible Eas-4besns made, bu: all aid haS been necessarily retarded by the eofVfus.d corditiorJ of tf1ings. It will be impossible to explore the houses until the water s6Ibsbdss,, as many of them are SUD- merged. As darkn'sss gathered many overturned houses could be seen far out in he flood. but it could not be learned whether their occupants had escaped. The river is thinty feet above its ordi- rtary level A heavy rain began falling this afternoon. A threatening bank of clouds came up from the northeast and many persons fled 70 thsir tornado eel lars fearing that another disaster was upon uhsm. Luckily, however, the dam age ways slight. The Cottonwood river which winds between steep banks in West Guthrie, was bank full from a heavy rain yesterday and las; night About o'clock waters from a cloud burst above added to those already nearly up to the level of the high banks and the flood was sweeping through West Grth- rie, section popula ed mostly by col Ched psi9ple. '' P 5
 Persons who saw the first wall of. wa ter said that it was about eighteen feet high, spreading entirely across the val ley. There was no water in front of it save in the rivers chan nels. The first wave was followed by others in quick succession, until the whoae settled into a bank of water from six to eight feet high. Many had already begun carrying their household goods to places of safety, but few had made more than one trip when they were forced to flee for their lives before a raging, restless torrent. The main supply pipe of the water works system burst where it crossed the Cot to3WCCi in the southern part of the city and all the water in the reservoirs poured into the rivsr. The houses, barns and other effects began to drift down stream. each freighted with one or more human beings. Beats and rafts shot out here and there from the shore and desperate afT -t1 naFr)la ImprCyised. raftss were quickly thrown to- gether ard started out into midstredm. Before many Of them had been propelled q couple of yards from shore they wersi twisted and broken by the waters and the wcod-be rescuers. thrown into the stream. Half a dozen rescuers were drownad evsn before those they had tried tossaye had been reached. Gus Platt, the business manager of the Guthrie Leader, ard George Willis, a merchant tailor Swam the river ani1 secured a boat by which a number of persons were saved.
 A negro woman with a baby in her arms tried to steady herself in a tree top She grew weak and the baby slip ped into the water and was drowned She was finally rescued and said her fam fly of six had been lost.
 A woman wading from home with her baty on her head was seen to go under and a man swimming the channel to reach four women and a baby in tree
 
 and a child were carried away on a bridge further down stream and one man and two women in plain sight of shore were on house roof when it went to pieces. They all perishsd.
 An old negro woman was seen cling ing to a house top. The buildng was soon turne'd over and she was drowned.
 Three men, Walter Olds, John Van Dusen ard Eugene Gill sought to rescue an cid man from a tree. Their raft .n1r y.t,o ri,er trnA barely saved themselves by clambering into another tree. They were finally rescued by a rope sent to them by means Of a shot gun and a cord.
 Two men secured a small stern wheeler pleasure boat md started to the rsscue of half dozen men and women lodged in tree, The persons were rescued amid the cheers of the spectators. The cable holding the craft finally broke and 1t was carried down stream, but ultimately landed safely.
 John Metz, aged 55, was capsized while trying to save woman, who sank be- fore he reached her. Metz himself was barely rescued.
 George Owens, Attorney League Ray and Dick Pearson were precipitated into the water while trying to save some peo- pie and Owens was drowned.
 The wife and five children of Wesley McGill were drowned in aheir home.
 Tordghit forty or fifty people could be se5n clinging to trees and roofs of build irgs, but could not be reached and will have to spend the night where they are The strength of many may fail before morning. The fate of many others who are known 70 have been caIired down stream will net be known until daybreak and perhaps not@then.
 When the sun wengl down this evening but two bodies had been recovered, those of Annie KaisEr. a school teacher, and Frank Mayer. Others known to have been drowned are: GsEorge Owens, George Calhoun, wife and child Charlie Ruffner and wife; Rastus sMcGiIl. Lena Burke, Mrs Watt, Mrs. Wesley McGill and five children, John Metz, Mrs. H. J. Mont gomery, Mrs. Dnnmils. Jim Lilly, Mrs. Dumas H. H. BsclffngEr, Mrs. Frances Moore, John Beard, Mrs. Sue Wilson. Jennie Taylor, Sanmie Jackson, George Snithers.
 It is believed that great loss of life has also occurred south of Guthrie along the Cottonwood river. Many farm houses in that distric. are reported to have been swept away. Seven miles south of here, at Stewards. Hurts store and postofffce were destroyed.
 Four thousand dollars was raised in Gu hrie this afternoon for the relief of ha c1tff