The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1903-06-11
UnpreCedented Disaster

residence were flooded to the depth OF
three feet, but the walls do not seem
to be greatly damaged. The inside OF
the church was a sad sight.
The Union restaurant. Jim Seng,
proprietor, was badly wrecked, but Jim
i all right and as cheerful as ever.
Holguin's jewelry store and Elem
ing's plumbing establishment were
wrecked.
NJ. Balin's plumbing shop, tools and
stock were lost. Mr. Balm devoted
his time to saving Mrs. RabnOwitz and
Mildrew. who were in an adjoining
building. He succeeded in getting
them away before the building col
lapsed.
]. Rackstein lost about $500 in
jewelry and gold filigree.
The building occupied by Hildredth's
saddlery store collapsed. The Messrs.
! Hildreth had a hard time to save
7 themselve. and little girl, daughter
Of the elder Hildreth, who was in the
store at the time.
ne lNOlnltF DAAAul O1NA HAtL -
J. J. Martin "a a saloon, was flooded and
badly damaged, and the furniture and
stock badly wrecked.
The Cascarelli building adjoining,
which was occupied by Elbie Smith,
was flooded and much damage done to
the stock. The first room was occu-
! pied as "A warehouse and was full of
goods. The front doors were forced in
and the flood rushed through the build
| ing to a depth of four feet, running all
OF the goods. The adjoining room,
occupied as retail business, was
not so badly treated, but also sus stained
much loss
a barber shop on the opposite side
OF the street was ruined.
Justice BOyles Office building was
pushed back from the street, but es-
capped with slight damage.
Next on this side came the brick
building, occupied by Dunn's Drug
store, and the Blue Store. The store
rooms were high above the ground,
anu cSCdpcu WlJuOuG ScIlOuS udiha5C'
Mr.. Dunn had considerable amount
Of goods in the basement which were
ruined.
A low frame building occupied by
A mbroze Spiza came next. The build
ing still stands but the inside is Il sad
sight. a large safe was picked up by
the flood and carried to the other end
of the room.
On the opposite side of the street,
near the Cascarelli building, was Il
small stone building occupied is
saloon and restaurant. The water
struck the building to the top of the
door, and of course the interior was
wrecked. and the building itself made
unsafe.
The Manila Hotel, a large brick
building, came next. The storeroom
was occupied by Becker-4S Meyer, with
stock of ~Dry GOODS and clotus.SS.
Water came into the building to the
depth OF about four feet, and of course
caused the firm a heavy loss.
Mrs. Mccormick, who owns the
building, had received the warning
and was closing the outside doors. She
had just reached the hallway door
when the water came. She was strug-
Cling with the door when a drowning
man was thrown against it by the
waters. Mrs. Mccormick opened the
door and pulled him in and saved his
life, for certain death awaited him had
he not been rescued at that time. The
lower rooms OF the hotel, all well
furnished, were llOode d, and their con-
tents were a complete loss, which is
quite heavy.
The Manila hotel was struck by
water from two streets, and is built on
an angle with Copper Avenue, which
caused the flood to sheer across to the
opposite side OF the street, striking
the Hoffman Cafe, large frame build
ing. also owned by Mrs. Mccormick,
with terrific force, which was soon torn
to pieces and all in the building lost.
The cook and one waitress had just
been to see Mrs. Mccormick and when
they left she told them 10 close the
place and return to the hotel. but they
disregarded her advice and continued
business. There were two or three
men taking their meals when the flood
first came, and it is thought they all
escaped. w. a. Bishop, a railrOadcr.
was one of them. He insisted that the
waitress accompany him, but she re-
fused to go. He even grabbed hold OF
her and tried TO drag her out OF harms
way, but she struggled to remain, and
he leaped away from her just in time
to save his own life. This young girl,
only Is years OF age, had only been in
town a few days from her home on the
Blue. Her body was recovered as was
also the body of a middle-aged woman,
who acted as dishwasher. The cook,
Louis Jacques, made a hard struggle
for his life, leaping from one piesc of
wreckage to another, and just missing
safety by few inches. He kept up
the despairing effort in the midst OF the
whirliug mass of water and wreckage
for about five hundred feet and went
down in the awful jam of wreckage