The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-21
Sudden Rise in Streams Does
Great Damage to Property.
CHEYENNE is FLOODED.
Eight Hundred Families Driven
from Home at Ft. Collins.
Storm Takes the Form Of Hail
at Pueblo.

-GANEts MAY ia EADuLDuESA at LklE
head of the Cache La Poudre river
caused that stream to overflow its
banks and meager reports received here
indicate that great damage has been
caused by the flood. The rush OF the
flood caused the dam which holds the
water Of Livingston lake. 65 miles
above Fort Collins to break and this
added volume of water swept down the
Cache La Poudre, practically wipins
out the towns of Livermore and La
Porte, respectively IA and three miles
above Fort Collins. It is reported that
one person was drowned at the former
place. At Fort Collins the river which
normally is about the width of the av-
erage mountain rivers, is now over
mile wide and the Russian settlement
consisting of about 800 families is in
undated. Already a number of the
frame dwellings of these people have
been swept from their foundations and
sent swirling along with the flood In
several instances the occupants We're
unable to make their escape and were
carried along. IL has not yet been
learned whether there was any loss OF
life at Fort Collins but it seems safe
TO predict that there has BEEN Wreck
age of houses, household goods and
carcasses of dead animals are being
carried by Fort Collins by the flood
11ElUEES NANAAEn away
From Greeley. about % miles east Of
Fort Collins, comes the information
that i number of wagon bridges De
tween there and Fort Collins have been
washed away and the Colorado and
Southern railroad bridge at Timnath.
about midway between the two towns
is wrecked. The Colorado & Southern
from Fort Collins to Greeley Is q
branch line. Although the crest of the
Hood had not yet reached Greeley
ranchmen and other dweAers along the
bottoms are moving TO the hgh
grounds. The Cache la POudre river
runs through one OF the most thickly
settled and richest agriculture districts
lot Colorado. "A large portion Of the
I northern part Of ethe state is irrigated
from this stream and a NUMBER OF res
ervoirs have been constructed for the
purpose of storing the water. Should
the force of the waters rush weaken
! these sufficient to cause break and
released the stored water the result
could be nothing but disastrous.
/ Wire communication with the flood
section is fitful and all the towns along
the upper La Poudre have been enIire-
/ ly cut off
Towns Under Water.
The towns of Livermore, BelIeview,
lLaPorte, Wellington and a portion of
Fort Collins are under from to feet
of water and in some cases the water
reaches to the caves of the houses
Five iron wagon bridges and two rail-
road bridges in the vicinity or Fort
Collins have been swept away and two
mile of the Colorado and Southern
| tracks washed out. Several thousand
acres of beets and vegetables have
1 been destroyed and hundreds OF heaG
of live stock drowned. The water syS-
/ tenn of the city of Fort Collins has
! been seriously damaged and all Of the
1 irrigation canals and bitches badly
i washed. Twelve big reservoirs along
the Cache La Poudre are threatened
with destruction. A foot of water Gov
/ ers the floor of the sugar factory. The
/ Russian colony at Fort Collins consist
ed of 500 people. About half Of them
succeeded in getting out Of their
/ houses before the flood was upon
/ them. The remainder, however, are III
a perilous position. Their houses can
J plainly be seen floating about among
/ the trees. and shouts and other signals
of distress seen and heard A few OF
I the houses have entered the current
/ of the river and been swept down
/ stream, and perhaps shattered or SUNK
and their occupants drowned II is
definitely known that two lives nave
\ been lost, one a man at Porte ana q
Il Russian child at Fort Collins fears
are entertained for the safety Of Chris
| Mason. his wife and five children who
/ live in the bottoms a half a mile above
! Fort Collins Their place must be sur
rounded by water and perhaps SUD-
merged.
Flood at Cheyenne.
| Denver, Colo. May 21--A tele-
nbone message to the Associated
/ Press from its correspondent at Chey-
| enne. Wvo. at 1880 o'clock last night
Says that the Crow river, which runs
7 through Cheyenne, is running ban-
Z full as result of heavy rains From
I eight to twelve miles of the main line
of the Union Pacific railway and sew
4 eral miles of the roadbed of the Colo
RADIO e. Southern road have been
4 washed out Several lives are report
ed to have been lost among the ranch
ers living along the Crow The river
in Cheyenne has spread out over the
| lower section. flooding the dwellings
and business houses Telegraph wires
between Denver and Cheyenne are
disabled.
a News special from Cheyenne re-
cefved by telephone says that six
persons are known to have bean
drowned. namely: Two Clayton chill
dren. Private Hughes of the Thir-
teenth artillery, and two men, wo-
man and a child, whose names have
not been learned. Besides these many
persons are missing. The Union Pa
cific tracks at Buford, 26 miles west
of Chevenne are washed away in
many places. Two of that company $
bridges have gone out and its tracks
have been weakened on the line be-
tween Cheyenne and Greeley. Colo.
In the city of Cheyenne the lengthy
ennbankment on which runs the Union
Pacific tracks has been pierced in two
places. This embanknent is holding
1.-THE flood and water has accumulated
| to a depth of twenty feet and extend
ing over a space two miles wide and
several miles in length. The opening
enough to carry or the water and the
pressure against the embank1seHt Is
: liable to cause other breaks