The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-06-27
THE HEPPNER DISASTER
Remarkable Effects Of the Ore.
gon Cloudburst.
STRANGE INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE

Girl saved From the Flood by Cling
Ing 20 a Horses Tan-safe That
weighed One Thousand Pounds
FIoated one Mile-Mother Rescued
Another's Child ana Lost Her own.
Dogs Pathetic Devotion.
A survey Of the scene Of the terrible
eloudburst at Heppner, Ore, gives i'm
pressiyeness to this brief legend, which
the Indians Of this section have repeat
eddy told the white inhabitants, says
the New York Herald's special CORE.
spondent. Many years ago big flood
he come, and he on whole valley" That
legend is regarded now as having been
an UNDECIDED warning. The big food
came again, and It made the valley one /
Of death.
Heppner is east Of the Cascade noun
tains and In a district where a small
amount of rain falls during the sum
mer. For three months it had been
very dry; then suddenly on Sunday
afternoon, June IA, heavy cloud was
seen hanging over the hills few miles
away from the town. There was a ter
rible roar, and down came mighty
avalanche OF water that pushed before
1t houses, trees, persons everything.
AS one stands on top of the Hill above
the town and gazes over the valley Of
Willow creek below there lies before
him a scene OF devastation. Crushed
like eggshells are the dwellings of the
former inhabitants Hundreds of men
have been clearing away the debris.
Beneath piles of wreckage were dug
out the beloved victims fathers, wives.
children. Sometimes child was found
at one place and one or ten miles below
were picked up the bodies Of the par
ents.
Some say the rushing water was If
teen feet high, others that it was fifty.
Fields it laid waste cattle It destroyed;
but. saddest Of all 1t took away be-
tween 200 and 800 human lives
The singular thing about this cloud
burst was that the flood tide moved
more slowly than would he expected.
The horrible rush lasted about an hour
In passing a given point and II re-
CURED twelve hours for it TO travel
thirty one miles.
The water did not flow but rolled.
Friction held the bottom Of the current
back. AS the food rolled along it
picked up dust, fences, everything, and
ere it had proceeded very far 1t was
q stream Of liquid mud mixed with
debris
In some places it curIed In eddies and
: its force was terrific. A safe weighing
. 1000 pounds was floated for mile.
o The water stripped the bodies Of
n clothes. Only two buildings We're able
j to withstand the terrific force of the
\ food
q The most striking evidence Of the
4 strength Of the flowing stream was its
Il effect upon the railway tracks The
a food picked up the heavy steel rails
= and bent them as a boy would a pin.
L one Of the rails was hurled like jaTe-
= lin into a bank of earth and only two
+ feet of 1t remained protruding from the
s ground. Another section Of the rail
\ way track was contorted until il
> formed almost a perfect figure s. Some
+ rails were bent in the middle and 9th
n ers We're turned at the ends so that
Il they resembled fishhooks.
i There were many narrow escapes
i from death, A young girl chung to the
= tail of a horse and was saved. a chilli
il rested all night on a heap Of debris
: 4 cat complaeently floated down tn
stream for a mile and was unhurt
One mother lost her own babe an,
saved that belonging to another.
Near where the steel rails were twist
y ed was found the side Of a house Will
~ the window glass in ii unbroken.
y house was turned upon its side and q
the top Of it lay a galvanized wash tn
unscarred
Two Of the dead were recovered in
singular way A dog standing on
- pile Of debris was barking wildly. Th
~ rescuers wondered why and, tearin
~ away the heap, they discovered til
rs body Of the dogs master, When til
= body was removed the dog would nc
leave. Continuing their search, th
,4,,t., eas.,d +ha 1acte fniGtrpSg