Arizona republican., 1898-08-16
CHA BEND USED up.
The Sudden Distribution Of John
 praff-S Estate.

The storm at Gila Bend last week was much more destructive than the printed accounts of it described According to letter received at the probate office yesterday from U. S.. Sherman, there is little of Gila Bend left but the townsite and the railroad track. In order to fully understand Mr. Sherman's letter it should he stated that MT. Sherman is a trustee of tEat school district and admins trator of the estate of his brother-in- law, John Pratt, the druggist who was nuroered year ago. Not long go an order of distribution wa5 made fr he matter of this estate. According 10 MT. Sherman's letter the estate has hean pretty thoroughly distributed and disposed of, though rot in the manner contemplated by the court. the administrator ard the heirs M.
 'sEila Bend Aug. |,
 TO (. W. Grouse. Phoenix. Ariz:
 "Eear Sir: Last Wednesday, even 'rg about D. n. we had one Of the most destructive storms that I ever witnessed The school house is h'0wn down and c-erythiag in it de- moiished. 1 do not think there is g whole piece Of anything. The seats are all broken up; in fact. everything that was in the school house is de- strOyed. The lumber is scattered for several hundred yards and broken up feel that the task of attending to this school district is too great a one for .le ,as I am getting up in years, and there will be so much to look after that there ought to be a younger man to attend to it. I wish to resign as trustee of district "A, as I have SC much of my own affairs to look after since the storm. I cannot give it the attention it should have. I therefore ask 10 be relieved of the duties of trustee
 ''The drug store was blown from it's foundation and twisted out of shape so that it will have to be taken down The stock of drugs was in manner destroyed. There was not bottle left on the shelves. The whole thir 2 was thrown on the floor in a mass and the most of them broken so there is but very small part left of the es- tate of John Pratt
 "The big storehouse occupied by Mr. E. G. Caruthers was blown down, pr rather from it's foundation, leav- ing all the goods exposed to the rain, which damaged a great many goods. My daughter. clerking in the store was blown out into the street and was hurt in one of her knee joints very badly, but is doing well under the kind treatment of Mrs. Dora Rowley There were a great many other build ings blown down and badly injured; so much so that they will have to be taken down. The Bend is used up.
 Respectfully,
 'U. S. SHERMAN This is an almost fatal blow to ed ucation at Gila Bend In 1893 that district was bonded for $500 to. build the school house which has just beer destroyed. The bonds were to TUT for twenty years, and as they have not been paid the district cannot be bonded again. It probably could not be done anyhow, since thA taxable wealth of the district has dwindlet until there is left hardly a foundation Tor bond isste. The people of Gils Bend, however, are not discouraged They know that that whole regior will become garden spot with the operation of the Peoria canal, and mo- body doubts now that that will become a fact