The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-06-19

The Dalles, Ore. June Ia tele-
Iphone message from lone states that
THE latest find IN the ruins of Heppner
Indicates that the loss of life will be
much greater han at first supposed.
THE casualty list will foot u five hun-
ldred and many of the bodies Will never
Ibe recovered.
The property loss and destruction of
buildings alone Will aggregate probably
a million dollars. This is regarded as
ia conservative m One hundred
land fifty of the best resiGe~~~- were
swept from the earth. The debris is
lpiled along the railroad track TO the
height of freight cars. The relief work
is progressing at a satisfactory pace.
lone. Ore. Jun 16.-The names OF
i1S9 persons whose bodies la been re-
lowered. or who are missing and believ-
led TO be dead rs a result of the Hepp-
Iner flood. have been obtained. In adj
tdition the bodies of seven Chinese, three
Japanese and t~wenty-one strangers ard
babies. names unknown, go to swell
1.-THE list.
Elias Conner, q stock raiser. Of lone,
returned from Eeppner at = o'clock last
might.
1T is known said Mr.. Conner, that
lat least 275 or 300 """"le were drown
led, 115 corpses have been hastily buried
lin wooden boxes and some were merely
IWranDed in lanketS There were still
several wagon loads of dead on their
WAY to the cemetery when | left. Hepp-
, |ner itself has now been pretty wei.
searched except in piles Of debris,
lWhere it is thought great numbers OF
, bodies will be found.
Between lone II Heppner.' said
, MIR. COnnOr, there are great piles of
, debris, but the 1ood passed so quickly
: that the roads have not been seriously
damaged. 1t looks strange to see the
heavy steel rails benz INC twisted like
cork srews and the heavy timbers splin-
: tered like m~atchWood.
+ I'm Heppner itself the flood sweep
la clean path a mile long and two blocks
= wide through the town, following gen
lerally the course OF Willow Creek"
: Pendleton, Ore. June 16.-Three mer
! who survived the flood at Heppner. r
ID. Ball. J. J. Kelly and \. P. Brad
? bury, have arrived here after having
witnessed the destruction OF the town
land assisted in the work of rescue. Mr.
Kelly said:
The rain was not falling in Heppner
but could be seen some distance away
iSharp flashes of lightning We're ac-
Icompanied by the bowling of thunder
lThen. suddenly. the thunder dice
away, and a low noise was heard. verJ
faint at first, but growing louder. Tht
lefty is situated on Willow Creek
&c (which makes a shar" urn above tn.
e lefty. AS the noise grew louder anC
louder, the people became frantic. Thel
" lin a N the van of the flood burs
into view around the curve Of tn
Icreek. carrying on it's crest the cabin!
> land hO1JSpS which stood in IFS nat
= The people made a rush to the hills. bu
jWere too late. The flood was upon them
/ The little river IN five minutes va
1r transformed into a roaring torrent 40
: feet wide and twenty feet deep. PEG
- Iple were caught in their homes an
/ forced to crawl out on the roof. The
y as the house moved down the stream
they caught onto the trees and hum
III there until morning when they We're res
ar lcued."
"a Portland. Ore. June ia special t
- THE OregOnian from lone. Ore, says:
&c David McAtee, a business man o
re Heppner. whose residence is on a bencl
re Iabove HenDner, was IN eve witness o
81 the disaster. In company with Franz
in ISpaulding he left Heppner about 1913
O'Clock Sunday night on horse back.
O Sunday afternoon" said Mr.. Nc
Ate there had been a severe rain
lStLfn, accompanied with much win
ST and lightning. 1 was standing in from
Iof the house and noticed that q clOu
TT lof remarkable density approached tn
1e top IF the hill or the east side of tn
Icanyon. l turned for a moment whe
iS a roar caused me to look again at tn
al hill. / saw d wall of water the dept
- of which / would be afraid to guag
3 rushing down the mountain, carryin
re immense trees and timberS on it's ores
re and tearing the very rocks from tn
m foundations. The terrific storm struc
or the upper part of the town first. Tn
&c residence of Thomas Howard was tn
- first to fall n his entire family wa
=, drowned. In the Krug home, also
III Ievery person was drowned. as was tn
t lease in the Hale and Sailing residences
re All of these houses We're about four o
Sc five blocks above the business center
IN The house Of Abraham Hamsick wa
- l~entirely demolished. The Palace Hote
~ was he first building to stem the It'd
and all the guests We're saved. but tn
houses below that structure We're blow
IOut into the street, overturned an,
- wrecked. The residence Of G.. a. Rhet
:. was carried away and the entire fam
III lily, consisting of wife and three daugh
IN tiers and Miss Adkins, a cousin. Wer
Id lost.
as &C. E. Redfeld. whose residence wa
\ completely destroyed. was absent. blu
c his wife and baby were drowned.
A. c. Gieger's house was carriec
away and Mr.. Gieger was drowned. Hi
family is in the east.
ID George Consor's house was reached
+ next, but the family succeeded in say
ling their lives by rushing to the uppe
I%stories. the house being carried dow
the creek three quarters of a mile
lRescuers found that the house he
lbeen cut in two and Mr.. Censor wa:
standing in water up to his neck hold
ling his wife upon, the roof with hi!
Ioutstretched arms and urging her no
to slip. Mr.. A. w. Ayres' family. wht