Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-04-30
AN IMMENSE WALL OF WATER.
Wave Eighteen Feet High Lays
Waste the Entire Cana
; dian Valley.
Everything Movable Swept
Away by the Force Of
the Flood.


and her poop.e are overcast with
gloom. At sunrise a mighty wall OF
water from six to eight feet high and
mile wide broke upon West Guthrie
without warning, crushing houses,
sweeping away property and drowning
people by the score. Every movable
ching was swept before the wave,
which passed OH into the valley with
eesistless force.
The most complete chaos has pre-.
vailed all dny. The efforts of rescuing
parties have IN many cases proved in
vain. Many people foated down
stream before they could be reached
and their fate is unknown Others wall
lass tho Night in Trees
in midstream or perched on house.
tops. It is impossible to estimate the
number of the dead. The property
loss is placed at something near 3D..
DOO,OOO.
Business has Eeen suspended al! day
TN Guthrie, the stores and banks being
closed. AS thorough an organization
for relief as is possible has been made,
but all aid has been necessarily re.
tarded by the confused condition of
things. 1t will be impossible to OK
plore the houses until the water shall
subside, as many Of them are sub
merged. As darkness gathered over
the scene many overturned houses
could be seen far ont IN the flood, but
1t could not be- learned whether their
occupants escaped. The river is 30
feet above it's ordinary level.
Caussd by Clon,iburst.
= The food is supposed to have been
caused by cloudburst, supplemented
by heavy rains. The Cottonwood
river, ordinarily IL small stream that
winds between steep banks in West
Guthrie, was bank full. from a heavy
rain. but no alarm had been felt, as the
river had been rising gradually during
the night. About + a. M, however,
waters from a cloudburst above added
to the already high water, and the
flood was sweeping through West
Guthrie, a section populated mostly oy
colored people. Persons who saw the
first wall of water SAID that it was
about Is feet high,
Spreading Entirely Across the Valley.
The first wave was followed by others
in quick succession until the whole SET
tied into q bank OF water from six to
eight feet high. The main supply pipe
of the waterworks system burst where
it crossed the Cottonwood and all the
water in the reservoirs poured into the
river. In the southwestern part Of the
city O long arm of land is formed by
the winding Of the river. On the
island lived hundreds of negroes. Dur.
ing the night the bridge leading across
the river to the main section
Had lsseu Swept Away.
The people were absorbed in watching
the rising waters when the floods from
the reservoirs came down IN solid
wall and cut across the arm of land
near the main land, cutting of the
people from escape. They fed from
their homes to the higher portions Of
the newly formed island, but the
mountain Of water carried many away.
The air became hideous with the crash.
ing of houses and the cries for help of
the unfortunates.
When the first shock of the disaster
was over the more fortunate on the
island Immediately began to help those
nearest them, while across in Guthrie
proper prompt steps were taken at res.
cue. As the houses, barns and other
effects began to drift down stream, each
Frsighted with Human Bsings,
boats or RATS shot out here and there
from the shore and desperate efforts
were made to rescue the people. I'm
provised RATS were quickly thrown to.
Rether and started ont into the mad
stream. Before many of them had
been propelled a couple of yards from
shore they were twisted and broken by
the waters and half dozen rescuers
were drowned before those they had
tried to save had been reached. Forty
or 80 people could be seen clinging to
trees and roofs of buildings, but could
not be reached and will have to spend
the night where they are. The fate Of
many others who are known to have
been carried down stream will not be
known till daybreak and perhaps not
then. r. .sr
Estimated Loss Of Life.
When darkness settled over the city
che widest stories were afloat. Many.
were claiming that so lives had been
Host and not infrequently men were
heard claiming that fully 900 had per.
4shed. These wild estimates are un-
tquestionably exaggerated, but lives
klwere lost in the food In every direc.
zion in plain view of the few who were
hssoically carrying on the work Of res