Gilpin observer., 1902-07-03
STORM IN COLORADO
BIG BENEFIT AND SOME DAMAGE

Heavy Rainfall Extends Over Large
Portion Of the state-Loeai Hail
storms Do Considerable Damage.
Strawberry Crop Injured Near
Denver.
Denver, June 29.-The drought
which threatened to be the most severe
that Colorado has known for years,
has been broken by rain as general
in extent as u was copious in quant-
ty. Though the storm was in places
accompanied by hail which did much
damage, this loss Is but drop in the
bucket in comparison with the value
Of the crops that have been saved by
the rain.
For some unknown meteorological
reason, the usual spring and winter
storms in the mountains failed to ap-
pear this year and the streams which
should have had surplus of water dur
ing May and June shrunk to less than
their usual summer proportions. Hun
dreds Of thousands of acres of cult
waited land, usually well watered, has
been parching in an unusually rainless
spring.
This storm extends from the Arkan-
sas-Platte divide north into Wyoming
and from the continental divide east
into Kansas. The rain is also working
southwark, and will probably water
the Arkansas valley also. Forest fires
which were daily destroying thousands
of dollars worth of lumber in the
mountains, have been extinguished,
and tire ranges on which millions Of
head of live stock subsist have been
given a new start in growth.
Locally the storm was marked by a
hail furry of unusual violence which
was much worse south and west OF
Denver than in the city. In places the
trees were stripped Of leaves as COM
pletely as In winter, and growing crops
were driven into the ground In northern
Colorado many hundred head Of sheep
were killed by the hail storm which
swept across the country Friday night.
The streams are once more running
at their normal level, and water is be-
ing turned 'inIo the storage reservoirs
for use later in the season. Cherry
creek, whose bed has been a desert
waste for months. was carrying good
flow of water last night and trains Of
cars were run out on bridges across its
lower course. in fear of a flood TO keep
them from being washed away.
One of the severest and most wide
spread hail storms that has visited
Denver and vicinity in many years
swept over the western end of Arapa-
hoe and the eastern part of Jefferson
country yesterday at noon, doing dam
age estimated all the way from $4,000
to $4,000, most of II to gardens and
truck farms on the outskirts of this
city. Usually severe hail storm
moves in comparatively narrow limits,
but this swept all the country in a path
| ten miles wide and extending from the
foothills twenty miles out ON the
plains.
The storm was more severe between
Denver and Golden, in the Lakewood
region This vicinity is very largely
filled with vegetable gardens and
farms. Hailstones, conglomerates of
many smaller ones. fell as large as
baseballs. and the battering of the icy
missiles fairly hammered all small
vegetation into the ground. The loss
to the strawberry growers is especially
severe The crop was just at its prime,
above 5000 in value above the cost of
gathering. and in many fields there
will be no berries worth picking for
the rest OF the season
The storm will work havoc with a
large number OF men and women who
were making goOu wages berry pick
ing. Other small fruits suffered also.
The crop of currants and raspberries
will be much reduced and even apples
and pears We're stripped from the
trees. The damage to alfalfa and 9TH
er Held crops was not so severe. except
In eases where the crop was partly cut.