The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-06-17
HORROR AT HEPPNER
Graphic, Description by aAMan Who
Witnessed Same.
WAS AWE INSPIRING.
Residences We're Swept From Their
Locations as if They Were Mere
Atoms and Hundreds Of
Occupants Drowned.

Portland, Ore. June ia special to
the Oregonian from lone, Ore. says:
David McAlee, business man of Hepp-
ner, whose residence is on a branch
above Heppner, was an eye witness to
Sundays cloudburst.. In company with
Frank Spaulding he left Heppner about
1870 o'clock Sunday night on horseback.
"On Sunday afternoon" said Mr.. Nc
Alec, there had been a severe rain
storm, accompanied by much wind and
lightning. was standing in my house
and noticed that a cloud of remarkable
denseness approached the top of the hill
on the east side of the canyon. ! turned
to look again at the hill. / saw a
wall of water, whose height ! would be
afraid to gauge, rushing down the
mountain, carrying immense trees and
timbers on its crest and tearing every
rock from it's foundation. This terrific
storm struck the upper part of town
first. The residence of Thomas Howard
was the first to fall, and his entire
family was drowned. In the Krug home
also every person was drowned, as was
the case at d. Hale's and Stilling's
home. These houses were about four
blocks from the business center. The
house Of Abraham Hamsick was COM
pletely demolished. The Palace hotel
was the first building to stem the tide
and all it's guests were saved, but all
houses below the Palace hotel were
blown out into the street, overturned
and wrecked. The residence of G. A.
Rhea was carried away and his en-
tire family, consisting of his wife. three
da ugh .ers and Miss Adkins, cousin.
was lost. Mr.. Rhea himself was absent
at Portland attending the Masonic con-
vention. C. E. Redfield, whose house
was completely destroyed. was also.
absent with Mr.. Rhea. Mr.. Redfield's!
wife and baby were drowned. The body
Of Mrs. Redfield has been recovered. A.
C. Giegers residence was carried away
and Mrs. Gieger drowned. His family
is in the east. George Conser's house
was next, but his family succeeded in
saving their lives by rushing to the up-
per stories, the house being carried
l. J.
mile. When reached by rescuers, they
found the house had been cut in two
and Mr.. Conser standing in water up
to his neck, holding his wife upon the
roof and keeping her from slipping with
outstretched arms. DIR. McSward and
]. Ayres, who were living in the same
residence, were drowned. Oscar Miners
house was next demolished and Mrs.
l.ax Re 90,
succeeded in saving their lives by cling
ing to the roof. All of the Wells family
but two were lost and the house was
carried away. With the Wells residence
went the house of George Swaggert. |
were drowned, with their five children.
The Mallory house was carried $50
yards and found lodged against store
and Mallory, crippled old man, was
found safe, holding the baby. Jim
Matiock's' house was next. Mr.. Mat
lock was drowned but his family was
saved. DIR. Higgs' house also went
Here one child was drowned, but the
rest of the family escaped. Mrs. Elder
was drowned In her residence The
houses of Mr.. Boyd and Mr. Walton
We're also destroyed and both families |
lost.
Perhaps the greatest loss OF life oc-
CURED in the Heppner hotel. This |
house, which is run under the manage
ment Of Jones & Ashbaugh. was car
ried away. 1t is supposed there were
about sixty guests in the hotel, all of |
whom are reported to be lost. The |
proprietors themselves were saved, but |
their families are among the dead.
The houses of Ben Patterson, Mr..
Dunn and Mr.. Noble were entirely de-
molished. All persons in these three |
families were drowned. as were the |
families of James Jones and Henry |
Blair. The barn of DIR. Swfneburn and |
the big livery stable of Whites & /
Meadows were entirely destroyed. e. J.
Farnsworth and Philip Cohen were also /
drowned
The entire residence portion OF Hepp- /
ner was destroyed, but the business
houses, being on higher ground and |
being generally built Of brick and stone,
was not SO badly damaged. The school /
house and courthouse, which stand on T
the side Of a hill, We're saved, but two
churches, Methodist and Presbyterian,
were completely wrecked.
Around the depot the rising water
left great heaps of driftWood piled
higher than the roof of the station and
parties were forced to demol-
ish these pyramids by dynamite in or
der to extricate persons who were
buried underneath. Many drowned
bodies We're carried by the rushing wa.
ter down the valley
i No systematic effort has yet been
made to find the dead, who are I'M
doubtedly strewn along the canyon.
Every available man from radius of
sixty-five miles has been pressed into
service at Heppner itself. Gangs OF
men are at work clearing away the
piles Of debris, rocks and timbers which
lie piled in heaps in Heppner's streets.
and taking out corpses which are thus
concealed. Owing to the entire abenee
Df proper facilities for caring for the
dead victims progress Is slow.
TOLD BY TOOKER.