The Greeley tribune., 1904-07-07
WORST IN YEARS VISITS
WELD COUNTY.
Hundreds of Farmers Lose deav-
ilv and a Strip Ten Miles
Wide Is Devastated
by Its Fury.


we're bail storm which lasted lor
thirty minutes. This was followed
by a rain that soon flooded streets
and roadways 1he storm had been
threatening for over an hour and
when it did break, all felt, from
the drop in temperature that II was
accompanied by hail. The storm
was west by north and so far as can
be lear ned at this writing il gathered
in the hills above Fort Collins and
followed the Poudre. 1t was reported
Tuesday night that hail TO { depth
of one foot had fallen in Laporte,
and in Windsor stones the size OF
hens eggs were picked up. The
largest hail in Greeley was about the
size of a small English walnut.
The result OF the storm to the
west OF this city washed into ditch
No. 3 (city ditch) and few min.
utes after O'Clock that waterway
was overfowing its banks. The
escaping water flowed down Eleventh
street and as it gained head it rushed
into the heart OF the residence dis.
urict. creating dismay, for some SEN
sationalist had started the story that
the ditch had broken in several
places and the city was in danger.
After flowing down Eleventh street
for some distance the course was
changed to the southeast and at 5
O'Clock water on the sidewalk corner
of Twelfth street and Ninth avenue
was foot deep, but in E. j. Deck
er's backyard. Tenth avenue between
Eleventh and Twelfth street, at :
O'Clock it was so deep that he could
not reach the stable to milk his COW.
1t was impossible to get telephone
communications with the majority
Of farmers in this district yesterday,
SO but a very meager account OF loss
and damage in the various precincts
could be obtained. H. NJ. Devote
reported that his information led
him to believe the damage In Wind.
sor, Severance, LAGRANGE and con-
tiguous territory was quite severe.
Evans was flooded to depth Of two
feet In the streets, while the dam
age by hail to neighboring farmers
was quite severe. In Pleasant val.
ley, C. q. Bliss estimated his DAM
age to crops at not to exceed ten
per cent, and he thought that would
be the limit among his neishbo,s.
1t was reported, but not con-
frmed. that the Morse & Cuyler,
Charles Mulford and George Howard
ranches were stripped OF crop by the
hail, sugar heets being the only crop
that was thought not TO be damaged
beyond recovery.
The rainfall in Greeley was heavy.
A. l. Evans, weather man at the
State Normal school, reports that
flon $3.50 Tuesday evening to $40
Wednesday morning, l.40 inches fell.
iL Hazelton district, southwest Of
Greeley, the inhabitants think a
clou1buIst was the cause Of 50 much
rain In that ighborhood. An
empty farm wagon standing IN Geo.
W!negar's yard was flooded, the wa
ter flowing over the bottom OF the
box. and that meaGs at least three
feet OF water. Il is reported that
the rauch OF viii C. Levis was de-
yastated by hail. In Greeley the
water rushed into the cellar of Mrs.
L. W Rassett's residence and forced
in one of the basement walls. There
were several feet OF water in the
First National bank basement, that
came in the opening on the vest
side. where they are excaVatiug to
put IN the deposit boxes. But two
men with pump cleared it away
after several hours work. All the
SKY lights in II. NJ Williams new
building on Ninth street were
broken, also the skylight over Mrs.
Scott's bakery. but next door, the
Greeley club. only one pane OF glass
in Its skylighu was broken.
While The Tribune is unable to
udhe dU eSlludle vi iOSs III ldl ulels
and gardeners IN Weld county.
enough is known to justify the belief
that it will be enormous, measured
by dollars and cents. The general
tenor among farmers is that it was
one Of the worst storms In magni-
tude that ever assailed the Poudre
valley. w. NJ. Morse, farmer firm
OF Morse & Cuyler, stated yesterday
that the hal cleaned their farm OF
100 acres in potatoes. 20 acres IN
small grain and so acres in .alfal ia. :.
slick and clean. Everything is
pounded into the earth and they look
upon the crops as total loss. And
this is but one instance OF total loss