The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1903-06-20
OVER 500 WERE DROWNED
BY A cLouoBuRsT AT AEPPNER,
OREGON.


lone. Ore, June I6.-An appalline
horror. uneQualed in the west, occurred
at $50 Sunday night at Heppner, Nor
row county. blotting out 800 lives in q
few moments
A cloudburst. which broke over VII
low Greek canyon. less than half a mile
from the town, was responsible for the
cataclysm. About two thirds OF the
town is completely destroyed. leaving
a portion OF the business section. The
town is built almost entirely in the
narrow Willow creek bottom. and when
the wall of water, 20 feet deep, poured
down. nothing could be saved.
Grave oiggers Need Help.
About 260 bodies Of men. women and
children, muddy, wet and MANNED. and
with all the varying emotions on their
dead faces that come with an instan.
taneous calamity like this, were drag
ged from among the slime and debris
last night and today. They lay every
where, and one Of the principal needs
of Heppner tonight is help to bury
corpses. Tonight there are dozens OF
unidentified or missing dead and the
confusion is still so great that it is
impossible to get an accurate list.
The food came down Willow creek
so suddenly that few persons had time
to get over the short intervening dis
lance TO the hillsides. The food start
ed with a heavy rain and brilliant dis.
play of lightning and heavy thunder.
No one left his house.
Suddenly a jam OF water. coming so
swiftly that it was considerably high
er in the center than the sides, came
down the middle bottom carrying all
before it.
As the houses foated right side up
down stream women and children
might be seen waving their hands
frantically from the upstairs windows
and calling for assistance. Some who
stepped outdoors into the food were
drowned. J. n. Herman, o. R & N
operator, was drowned in trying to
get to a place OF refuge. Had he re-
manned in the depot he would have
been saved
One woman was seen to wave her
arms from a second story two or three
times and fall dead. The noise Of the
swirling waters and shrieks OF horri-
fed inhabitants and unwonted uproar
formed a scene simply indescribable,
to Survivors, who still shud.
der and turn away when asked for
description.
Matloek a Hero.
In that hour were many unknown
heroes who performed daring rescues
or lost their lives in attempting. One
stands above all others. Leslie Mat
lock, stockman. rushed to a horse he
found tied beyond the torrents reach
and raced at mad gallop ahead OF the
food, which began to slacken speed
after it passed the narrow walls around
Heppner. For IS miles he rode at
Dreakneck speed through Lexington to
lone, warning the people. AS a result
every one in Lexington escaped, while
he town was almost completely wash
I'd away. The people of lone fed to
he hills. The water flooded the town
1nly few inches deep.
Most Of Heppner was built in VIII
ow creek bottom. The town was
Wealthy and had many fine structures
rbe east side OF the main business
itreet was RACED completely. Some
houses from the upper end of town in
coming down were thrown against the
Palace hotel and other buildings and
Icted as a breakwater. Such protected
structures were saved All others
vent
Late this evening 25O bodies had
been recovered and 300 are missing.
Jorpses are scattered down the creek !
POTION for miles. Some are buried I'M
Ter debris.
For hours the outside world knew
nothing Of Heppner's calamity. Tele- |
1hone wires are still down to beyond |
one, II miles north Of Heppner. All |
r & n. bridges are down between /
ieppner and lone, and much track is /
washed out. Telegraph wires are all
Town and man has to ride II miles 4
,efore he can get communication.
When the food abated Heppner was
temporarily paralyzed. Men stood and |
vailed like scared children and women
ore their hair. Others acted as II in
! trance, while some almost lost their
minds. Mothers had been separated
rom children, and husbands from
wives In one instance a man and
wife were in the upper story Of a
louse. The house split and one was
arried away in each side. The man
vas saved, but the wife drowned.
Help Arrives.
Cooler heads started the rescue
york at once pulling bodies from the
wrecked houses and helping others
rom the heaps Of mud and debris. II
vas a sleepless night in Heppner.
York with lanterns progressed stead.
". and at daylight over 100 bodies had
cen found. This forenoon help began
D come in from neighboring ranches. II
nd couriers were sent to wire to out
lde towns. All day people from Nor
ow, Gillian and Umatilla counties
ave been arriving and there Is an i'm
lense crowd tonight and pIentv NJ