The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-16
CLOUDBURST KILLS MANY.
7HO OREGON TOWNS SWEPT ny
4 wan or WATER.
AtAHeppncr los Bottles Have Been Ne.
covered AMI NJ Lexington the Loss "
Life II iIeaYy-S0lne Victims Caught
In Churches, Which Crinbied Hef0re
I the Flood hundreds Lett iiO,meicss.

PORTLAND, Ore, June l5-Heppner. a
town Of about 5000 population in eastern
Oregon, and Lexington, u village OF 300
population, ten miles north of Heppner,
were destroyed last evening by flood
which resulted from q clOudburst. BE-
tween $50 and 800 lives were lost ut Hepp-
rer, where los bodies have already been
found The number OF lives lost AT leSing-
ton is unknown. butit il said that the town
has bssn depopulated.
Tia situation at Heppner il now critical.
The, people. who escaped with their lives,
arc homeless and great suffering vii follow
Thus far the only definite information
zones from lone messenger, who rode to
Arlington from Lexington. arriving early
this morning at the latter place, Up TO
l clock this morning los bodies had been
recovered. and only q small part OF the
territory devastated had been gone over.
Those escaping death by drowning, are
i'll a pitiable plight, many being without
clothing, food or shelter.
Relief trains have been sent from Airing
ton and The Dalles, and workmen are
already engaged in repairing the rail-
road line and in building corduroy track
in order that help may he taken in at the
EARLIEST possible moment.
Physicians have bcen sent and clothing
10 being collected at The Dalles and other
points for distribution to the sufferers.
All telegraph and telephone wires are down,
and it will be impossible for anything like
authentic reports to be received from the
scene Of the food before tomorrow.
From the meagre details gathered from
every part Of Morrow county. where the
damage occurred it appears that giant
wall OF water, almost house-top high bear
ing on its crest trees, timbers and rocks.
descended upon Heppner, the town farthest
up the valley. Many people were AT even
ing service in the churches and others were
in their homes.
There was NO warning, buildings crumbled
before the terrible deluge, and human beings
were crushed and torn to he submerged
and strangled at last beneath mighty
river flowing along a course where ten
minutes before hardly a trout brook could
be found. Gathering breadth as 1t pro-
dressed the water rushed on down the
valley. sweeping everything before it.
Lexington was almost entirely sub
merged, and the loss OF life there lis sup
posed to have been greater than at Hepp-
neg, the first town visited by the deluge.
At lone the waters Of Wilson Creek were
augmented by a mighty volume Of muddy
water which came down from the hills
above. twenty-five miles OF rich and
prosperous country, thickly populated and
laid of into squares OF wheat land. Just
turning from green to gold. and dotted
with farmhouses, il now pathleas. WORTH
less and almost lifeless waste.
The bodies found and identified so far
are as follows:
Thomas Howard and family, - Krug and
family. James Jones and children, DR..
McSworcis. family OF C. A. Rhea, Mr.. Cars
family, Mrs Chase Andrews and children.
Mrs Robert Baird and children, Wells. Sr.
and family; Jules Matlock, cx-Sherf OF
Morrow county: Tom Matlock's family.
Dr. James Higg and family; Miss Elliot;
Mrs. Elder; Bill Cohen and family; Herbert
Barthoomew's family: c. f. Redhelds and
family; John Ayres; Ben Patterson, drug
gist, and wife; George Noble and family;
Bob Kinds and family; Mr.. and Mrs. Daw-
on; occupants Of the Heppner Hotel: Mrs
harl"s Curtis: Mrs. Iinsley. wife and child;
n A Rovd's family; Ms. W. II. Berg;
Chris ". Ashbaugh; Carl Jones and family;
George Swaddard; John NJ herman and
rifoc. F.. Matfield ami family; Bert Cabots
aud family Ben Patterson and family;
Il e. Ge"7er and family; Thomas Howard
ard family, The daughters OF James
Ma,'ock and cf Herbert Bartholomew are
attending school in Portland
H~ppncr is the county scat OF Morrow,
has population Of 100 and is the centre
II a great wool growing industry. /, is
The terminus Of tho Oregon Railroad and
Nayig alton Company's Heppncr branch,