The morning news., 1897-04-30
STORM CLOUD KILLEDAS SCORE
Loss OF LIFE IN OKLAHOMA LESS
HEAVY THAN FIRST FEARED.

Five Hundred Homes Swept Away
and 100 Houses Wrecked-Twenty
stores Devastated-A Thousand
Persons Left Homeless and Half as
Many Left Destitute - Dozens of
Persons Rescued From PeriIOus
Positions With the Dawning of the
Day-ReIicf Work in Progress.
Guthrie, Okla, April 29.-In the flood
stricken valley of the Cottonwood river to-
day has been one of heroic efforts toward
the rescue of those unfortunates whose
lives were still endangered, and for the
relief of the hundreds of destitute and
hungry
Tonight it seems a certainty that the
loss of life in yesterdays deluge will not
exceed twenty All day missing people,
supposed yesterday 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.
Daylight found dozens of people still
clinging to trees, overturned houses or
timbers in perilous positions, which they
had sustained all during the night.
For miles along the scene of devastation
1.5OO people homeless half i'll from expos
ure and hunger, passed a miserable night,
and morning found most of them too weak
to give much assistance either to them
selves or others.
The scene in the flood-swept district this
morning was one Of desolation. The river
fell rapidly during the night, and when
the sun rose the extent of the damage
done to property could be seen. The river
is still bank full, but the water had re-
ceded from most of the inundated dis
tricts.
There was confused mass of debris
and overturned and demolished houses
scattered over the valley where last night
was a sea of water. The banks were lit
tered with the carcasses of farm animals.
Whole blocks, where yesterday stood a
home in nearly every lot. were stripped
and huge trees, torn up by their roots,
were scattered everywhere.
With the first ray of daylight the work
Of rescuing and relief was taken up with
a will and kept up with a tireless energy.
During last night men had been put to
work in lumber yards constructing boats,
and dawn to-day witnessed a dozen craft
darting out from all directions to the
rescue of the unfortunates. The work of
the raftsmen proved most effective, and
one by one the people were transported
from their perilous positions to places of
safety on land. Every house, drift pile
and tree was closely examined in search
of the dead.
The family of Wesley McGill reported
yesterday as drowned, was found safe.
The only bodies found during the day
were those of Mrs. Fannie Ruffin and five
children, all lodged in a pile of driftwood.
These, with George owen, the butcher,
drowned while rescuing others, Frank Mey-
ers, MIS- Jane Wall, Mrs. Francis Moore,
Mrs Drummond, Mrs. Dennis and child,
and Mrs. Watson are the only identified
dead, though many are still missing.
During the day systematic relief was
perfected and carried on. Ferries piled
across the river, carrying provisions and
clothing everywhere and returning with
injured. Such were carefully cared for in
private homes in Guthrie. By nightfall,
ample arrangements had been made for
the immediate care of the homeless and
there was an assurance of no further suf-
fering, at least for the time being.
rive nu0nTeQ nOIueS were swept away
and $50 houses were wrecked and twenty
stores devastated. leaving 1000 people
homeless, and half as many destitute. The
work Of supplying shelter and food for all
these was by no means a small undertake
ing. But the Guthrieites were equal to the
task and tonight thousands of dollars
have been subscribed to aid the afflicted
The damage along the Cimarron river
east is very extensive, and hundreds of
farms have been devastated. In Lincoln
county to-day, hundreds of men worked
all day rebuilding houses
The damage to property will be in the
neighborhood of 100000 while that sus-
tanned in crops may equal or perhaps dou-
BILE that amount
The receding flood has left an immense
pile of wreckage at the railroad bridge,
six miles below the city. Search for the
dead was begun at that point this evening,
and when darkness put stop TO the work
the bodies of a white man and a colored
baby had been recovered. 1t is claimed
that several other bodies have been slight
ed in the debris there.
An attempt was made to poll the resi-
dents of West Guthrie this afternoon, but
the count taken is not considered at all ac-
curate. 1t shows eighty-two persons miss
ing, most of them being negroes.