Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-30
Eye Witness
From WatrouS

que division, who was at Watrous last
night and was a participant In the
stirring scenes In connection with the
great flood, came down on the fast
work train and gave The Optic the
following graphic account of the dis
aster in the Mora valley,
THE town Of Watrous was awaken
ed at 1880 this morning by the track
walker who became alarmed at the
rapid rise of the water and fired his
revolver as a warning 10 the people.
The water by that time had risen
within n hundred feet of the Lange &
Upton store. All the Mexican fami-
lies along the Watrous side of the
river had escaped with very little clio
thing and zone Of their household
goods and were up On the mesa about
500 feet above the level of the water.
Rev. La Britton, the Methodist minis
ter, carried his family out through the
rushing waters. Mrs. Laird's ranch
house, a mile below the town. was
completely washed away, and of the
occupants l.. w. Brown and family
and j.. Reyes and family escaped or
were rescued.
"The two children of J. E. Stevens
were drowned as they lay In their
beds. DR.. Rolls, Messrs. LANCE and
Upton and myself were able to get
Mr.. and Mrs. Stevens out alive but
they are dying now at the hotel in
Watrous.
A Pitiable Scene.
THE track walker notified us Of
the danger of the people at the Laird
ranch, but 1t was almost daybreak be-
fore we were able to approach any
where near them. Before the day
dawned, we could hear their pitiful
cries and screams for help. We had
to go through about two hundred
yards of water which had backed up
from the river. The water was four
or five feet deep and We had to swim
our horses. The Brown family, con-
sisting of the father, mother and two
children, were hanging in a big cotton
wood tree. Brown had carried his
wife and two children to the roof of
the house when the waters began
their rapid rise, and when that began
to give way, by a wonderful effort
got them into a cottonwood tree. We
swan our horses over to them and
carried them to safety. Jack Reyes
had been able to get his wife to high
ground. After rescuing his wife he
swan back in the hope of assisting
the other occupants of the house, but
found it impossible to get within sew
enty-five yards of the house. Mr..
Stevens and wife who were living in
another part of the Laird house, were
both sick with typhoid fever, and
their two children had recently been
taken sick with the same disease.
When the waters began 10 rise they
were helpless to escape and attempt
ed to save themselves by climbing up
On tables in the middle of the DON
A most pitable sight met our gaze
when we reached them in the norm
ing. The roof was gone from the
house; two tables were set one upon
another in the room and on the top
table with their heads barely above
the water, the family were lying. The
two children were dead already and
the mother and father were barely
conscioas. The water was then run.
ming owe the top table but without
sufficient force t. dislodge them.
1--WE carried them out on horseback
and waded to higher ground. Mr..
Woodbury., the liyeryman, va ready
with a conveyance and carried the
stricken father and mother to the
Frye hospital where they were given
every possible attention by DR.. Rolls.
"The Pond family, whose rAnch is
five miles from Watrous up the river,
were awakened about 2:30 by the
rushing of the waters which had even
then surrounded their house. Pond
waded across to the guest house and
awakened Mr.. and Mrs. Scottan. who
were alone there. and together they
nut a team to the wagon. The waters
by this time had not reached the barn.
Mr.. Pond carried his wife and baby
to the wagon in their night clothes.
To get to Watrous he was compelled
by the high waters TO take a very
roundabout route and they did not
reach town till $50 this morning.
They lost everything but the big
brick house and its contents"
Mr., Sullivan gave a vivid descrip-