The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-05-25
A HUGE CLOUDBURST.
CAUSES A DISASTROUS FLOOD
IN COLORADO.
Houses Float Among Trees, and
People Cry for Help-Several
Towns Inundated-People
and Stock Have Been
Drowned River
Mile Wide.

Denver, May 20.-A cloudburst
at the head of the Cache la Poudre
river caused that stream to over
flow it's banks, and meager reports
received here indicate that great
damage has been caused by the
food and several lives lost. The
rush of the flood caused the dam
which holds the water of Living
ston Lake, 65 miles above Fort Col
Inns, to break, and this added vol.
umes of water to the food which
swept down the Cache Poudre.
At Fort Collins the river is now
over mile wide, and already a
number of the frame dwellings of
the residents of the Russian colony
sof 600 have been swept from their
foundation. About one-half of the
people succeeded in getting out of
their houses before the food was
upon them. The remainder are, how
ever, tonight in perilous position.
Their houses can plainly be seen
floating among the trees, and
shouts AMI other signals of distress
seen and heard. A few of the hous-
les hove entered the current of the
river and been swept down stream,
and perhaps shattered or sunk and
their occupants drowned.
! Rescue parties are in readiness to
leave Fort Colin with the first
break of day. The foods in the
each la Poudre and other streams
are due to heavy rains today.
Livermore, Belleview, La Porte,
| Wellington and a portion of Fort
Collins are under four to five feet
of water, and in some cases the wa.
ter reaches to the caves of the hous
es. Five iron wagon bridges and
two railroad bridges in the vicinity
of Fort Collins have been swept
away and two miles of the Colorado
& Southern tracks washed out
Several thousands acres of beets
and vegetables have been destroyed
and hundreds of head of livestock
drowned. The water system of the
city of Fort Collins has been seri.
ously damaged, and all of the irri'
cation canals and bitches badly
washed. Twelve big reservoirs a
long the Cachela la Poudre are threat
ened with destruction. A foot O
water covers the floor of the sugsi
: factory. Wreckage of houses, house
hold goods and carcasses of deaC
animals are being carried by For1
Collins.
From Greeley, about 25 miles
east of Fort Collins, comes the in
formation that number Of wagor
bridges between there and For
:, Collins have been washed away
and the Colorado d Southern rail
way bridge at Timnath, about mid
way between the two towns il
wrecked. No trains were sent ou
6 on that line tonight.
!, The Bache la Poudre river rum
through one of the most thickly.set
tied and richest-agricultural dis
! tricts of Colorado. A large portion
of the northern part of the state i
= irrigated from this stream, and
. number of immense reservoirs hav
!. been constructed for the purpose Q
storing the water. Should the fore
of the waters rush weaken thes
sufficiently to cause a break and re
! lease the stored water, the resul
could be nothing but disastrous
= Wire communication with the foo
. section is ftful, and all the town
. | along the upper river have been er
:. tirely cut off.
Denver, May 20.-A telephor
!, message to the Associated PREF
, from its correspondent at Cheyenn
Wyo., says that the crow rive
which runs through Cheyenne,
t. running full as a result of heav
d rains today. Eight to IL miles
,e the main line of the Union Pacif
r. railway and several miles of tt
,e roadbed of the Colorado & Southel
a. railroad have been washed ou
y. The river in Cheyenne has spres
a. out over the lower sections, NO
ID flooding the dwellings and busine
houses.
SIX persons are known to ha'
hoe,, drounad