Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-05-06
SWEPT BY A FLOOD.
A Mighty Wall Of Water Sweeps
Down on Guthrie, Ok.
SCORE OF LIVES REPORTED LOST.
Hundreds Of Houses Wrecked, Bridges snd
Railroad Tracks Washed Away and
Farms Ruined-El Reno Dam.
aged by Storm.

less force, and without moments
warning, mighty wall Of water from
six to eight feet high and mile wide
swept down the Canadian valley at
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-
ined, bridges and tracks were washed
away and railway traffic In every d.
rection Is at standstill. So far as now
known the list Of dead includes: Anna
Kaiser, school-teacher; George
Owens, butcher; Ella Demoss, 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.
Bockfnger, James Lilly, Mrs Dumas,
Mrs. Harry Drummond, Mrs. Watson
and son, J. II. Calhoun, wife and child;
Charles Ruffner and wife, Rastus Nc
Gul, Lena Burke, Mrs. Watt, John
Metz, Mrs. James Montgomery and
Mrs. Dummins. This list numbers As
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 foated down stream be-
fore they could be reached and their
fate Is unknown; others passed the
night in trees in midstream or perched
on housetops 1t is impossible to esti-
mate the dead. The property loss is
placed at something near 100000.
Fully two-thirds Of the victims were
colored people.
Business was suspended all yester-
day In Guthrie, the stores and banks
being closed. As thorough an organ.
ization for relief as is possible has been
made, but all aid 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 food, but
II could not be learned whether or not
their occupants escaped.
The flood Is supposed 70 have been
caused by cloudburst, supplemented
by heavy rains The Cottonwood river,
ordinarily small stream that winds
between steep banks in West Guthrie,
was bank full from heavy rains, but
no alarm had been felt, as 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 food was
sweeping through West Guthrie, a Sec
ton populated mostly by colorUd peo-
pie At the first rush of the water the
Fifth street bridge left the banks. 1t
crashed into the Noble avenue bridge,
and 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 25 minutes after the first deluge
West Guthrie was covered from two to
twenty feet by an angry, surging food.
Over 1000 homes were washed away,
and temporary quarters have been
fitted up for the hundreds of homeless.
-Four Santa Fe bridges were washed
away, and all railroad business is at a
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 20.-After a
week of almost incessant rains 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
get under ground arose on all sides,
and the streets We're soon filed with
running, shouting people, seeking cave
or cellar Stores and homes were de-
serted, and the people huddled to-
gether awaiting the blow. Fortunate
ly, the center Of the storm passed over
the southeastern corner of the town,
the hills across the valley,
wrecking all 1t touched With the
tornado came the heaviest fall of wa
ter ever recorded here in like period,
over two inches falling in 80 minutes.
All day the river has been rising at
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 as an 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 a bridge on
the Fort Reno road, swept the fair