Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1903-06-17
OVER 500 WERE DROWNED
By A CLOUDBURST At HEPPNER,
OREGON.
Without the Least Warning a Torrent
Of Water 20 Feet Deep Swept Down
on the Town and Took Everything
With 1900 Bodies Recovered
Houses Turned Into Morques.

lone, Ore, June 16-An appalling
horror, unequaled in the west, occurred
at $3.50 Sunday night at Heppner, Nor
row county, blotting out 800 lives in 6
few moments.
A cloudburst, which broke over vii
low Creek canyon, less than half mile
from the town, was responsible for the
cataclysm. About two thirds of the
town is completely destroyed, leaving
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 Disgers 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
tance to the hillsides. The flood 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
from the upstairs windows
and calling for assistance. Some who
stepped outdoors into the food were
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 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,
according to survivors, who still shud.
der and turn away when asked for
description.
Matlock 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
flood, which began to slacken speed
after it passed the narrow walls around
Heppner. For 18 miles he rode at
breakneck speed through Lexington to
lone, warning the people. AS a result
every one in Lexington escaped, while
the town was almost completely wash
ed away. The people of lone fed to
the hills. The water flooded the town
only few inches deep.
Most of Heppner was built in Will
low creek bottom. The town was
and had many fine structures.
The east side of the main business
street was razed completely. Some
houses from the upper end Of town in
coming down were thrown against the
Palace hotel and other buildings and
acted as breakwater. Such protected
were saved. All others
went.
Late this evening $50 bodies had
been recovered and 300 are missing.
Corpses are scattered down the creek
bottom for miles. Some are buried un-
der debris.
For hours the outside world knew
nothing of Heppner's calamity. Tele-
phone wires are still down to beyond
lone, II miles north Of Heppner. All
o. R & N. bridges are down between
Heppner and lone, and much track is
washed out. Telegraph wires are all
down and a man has to ride II miles
before he can get communication.
When the flood abated Heppner was
temporarily paralyzed. Men stood and
walled like scared children and women
tore their hair. Others acted as II in
a trance, while some almost lost their
minds. Mothers had been separated
from children, and husbands from
wives. In one instance q man and
wife were in the upper story Of q
house. The house split and one was
carried away in each side. The man
was saved, but the wife drowned.
Help Arrives.
Cooler heads started the rescue
work at once, pulling bodies from the
wrecked houses and helping others
from the heaps of mud and debris. It
was a sleepless night in Heppner.
Work with lanterns progressed stead
lily, and at daylight over 100 bodies had
been found. This forenoon help began
to come in from neighboring ranches.
and couriers were sent to wire to out
side towns. All day people from Nor
row, Gillian and Umatilla counties
have been arriving and there is an i'm
mense crowd tonight and plenty Of
helpers.