The Ordway new era., 1904-05-27
SERIOUS FLOOD.
IN CACHE Ia povoRE VALLEY
Hjahest Water Since ts6a.-Many Fam
lilies Driven from Home.-losses
VIII Be Very Heavy.

Denver, May PA Republican spc-
cial from Fort Collins last night says
A wild. roaring. surging HOOD Is
sweeping down through the Cache Ia
Poudre valley tonight doing incaicu'
liable damage TO property. Houses
barns. sheds. fences. bridges and head
gates have been swept away ana
thousands OF acres of the rtchest Ianu
In the valley devastated. Old timers
say IL is the worst flood that has oc
CURED since the terrible HOODS Oh
1864. II Is far more disastrous than
rhat food was. as there were but iew
here then.
Scores OF families have been driven
from their homes. the most OF them
taking nothing but the clothes on
their backs. Cattle. horses. hogs ana
chickens were caught in the s~irnhg
waters and carried to destruction.
There is but one bridge standing De
tween the canon and Greeley. anu
that is the bridge at the foot OF Shesp
nut street. near the Lindell mllls.
The water covers all the bottom
lands from blun TO blum. and the river
NJ this point is more than mile wide.
On tnt DOtlpHl
ows and growing crops have been IRE
trievably damaged and many buildings
and their contents swept away.
The flood came without warning.
barely giving occupants OF homes near
the river time to escape with their
lives. II is feared that the damage
near Greeley is greater than II is here
for the reason that the valley Is Wild
er there.
A wall OF water ten to twelve feet
high burst out OF the canon. between 3
and O'Clock this afternoon. and.
spreading out over the bottom lands
and farms. carried destruction with II.
The wooden bridge at Ships. above
Bellevue. went down with crash. and
its timbers. floating down stream,
lodged against the steel bridge at
Bellevue. causing that to give way.
The wooden bridges at La Porte and
Crossing were next to fall
into thes rushing water. These were
followed by the College avenue bridge
In this city and the railroad bridge OF
the Wellington branch OF the Colorado
& Southern railway.
The approaches to the Linden street
bridge are washed away. and the
bridge itself, a handsome new steel
structure. Is tottering on its founda.
lions. The Chestnut street bridge Is
the only bridge standing, and 1t is use
less, for the water Is four feet deep on
the roadway Immediately east OF the
eastern approach. All communication
between the north and south sides OF
the river Is entirely cut off.
The Russian village near the sugar
factory is under water and the factory
itself stands in n lake. The employees
at the factory were unable to reach
their nomes on the south side OF the
river and had to wade through two
feet OF water to a farm house on bluff
north of the factory. The pavilion In
the grove on the north bank OF tho
river was crushed like an egg shell
and the fragments foated down the
stream. Chris. Mason and family. who
live but few feet away. were rescued
in boats.
The village OF La Porte. FIVE miles
west OF Fort Collins. is reported to be
under two feet OF water. and the town
of Wellington in the Box Elder valley.
twelve miles northeast OF this city. Is
also reported under water.
A mile of track on the Wellington
branch OF the Colorado & Southern
railway has been washed away and all
the bridges and culverts on that Branch
in the Box Elder valley have been car
ried away.