The San Francisco call., 1897-04-29
Scenes of Death and DeSoIa-
ton in the Wake of the
Torrent.
MANY HEROIC ATTEMPTS AT
RESCUE.
The Loss of Life Cannot Yet Be
Estimated, but Is Known to
Be Appalling.

GUTHRIE. o. T., April 2S.-A great
food swept down Cottonwood River Val
ley this morning at daylight and toppled
over hundreds of dwellings like so many
card dboards. Two thousand homeless peo-
pie are shivering on the bluffs west OF the
city tonight or housed IN homes on the
high ground. A hundred or more persons
have been drowned and thousands nave
lost all.
The food swept through the residence
part of this city. From noon yesterday
till midnight last night there was an in
cessant downpour OF rain, and it was
feared that the Cottonwood River. al
ready very high, would do much damage.
But the watchers were surprised to see
the river go down, and by daylight it had
fallen ten feet. Just as they were about
to go off duty at o'clock they were
startled by terrific roar from the river
in the valley.
a fire alarm was given and policemen
and others rode all over town rousing
people and warning them to flee. Some
thought the roar was that OF cyclone
and sought the caves, only to perish a
few minutes later. Others stopped to
save things until it was too late, while
many climbed trees.
With mighty roar the food came
down the valley, mile wide and twenty
feet deep in the channel.
BY 8 clock the water was thirty feet
above the normal level OF the river, and
the once placid stream was a raging tor
rent across the entire valley. 1t seemed
that soon the people in trees and on the
roofs would be swept away.
GeOrpe Willis and n A plotf hotb
prominent young business men, stripped
ana Ieaped into the torrent. They swan
the main channel and secured an old flat
boat which they moored TO a tree.
With this they rescued six persons from
the trees, but were nearly swept away
themselves. With the boat they saved
over thirty people.
Eugene Gill and Walter Olds attempted
10 save family on raft, but we're car
ried away and barely escaped. George
Owen, q butcher, headed a rescue party in
hastily constructed hatboat. The boat
capsized and he died hero's death
Scores of men we're at work at the
lumber-yards constructing boats, and by
10 o'clock six scows had been launched.
Several capsized and were carried away,
and two of the men manning them per-
ished.
At 10 o'clock the food was at a stand
still, Half an hour later it began to re-
cede, and by dark it had gone down five
feet. Many negroes perished
In the valley running through the west
ern part of the city is much of the finest
residence part and a small business section
where there were about twenty stores,
several mills, warehouses, etc Less than
twenty minutes from the time the flood
struck the city this entire section was in
undated, and within an hour the water
was ten feet deep and hundreds of build
ings were floating away.
Not only the meaner structures but
fine residences, store buildings a large
cotton-gin and other structures collapsed
or tioated down the stream. On many of
the buildings were men, women and chill
dren. From hundreds of trees came pite-
Gus calls for help, and the air wa. hide
Gus with the struggles and screams of
domestic animals.
With the first rush went every bridge in
the city. The few boats were crushed or
carried away and nothing could be done
to help the many who fell or were swept
from places of refuge and drowned before
the eyes of the powerless specta tors.
This evening line was snot across with
a rocket and cable put up across the
channel.
Boats are now being ierried back and
forth and food being taken to hundreds
OF famished people on the west bluffs and
200 or 300 negroes in a large brick school
house.
1t is impossible to correctly estimate the
number of drowned, and the real facts
will not te known for days. Many were
seen to perish by falling from the trees or
being swept from trees or RATS.
Eight or ten went down with one bridge
and four with another, while some are
known to have been caught in their houses
and drowned. 1t is generally conceded
that the death list will reach 100.
Mrs. Ella Dumas fell from floating
house, and Frank Myers was crushed by
log. Daniel Clemmons and his family of
six were swept into the channel
Mrs. Wesley McGill and her four chill
dren were drowned in their home. Mrs.
Fannie Gruffin, m aged colored woman