Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-05-28
GREAT DAMAGE
BY C"LOUDBURST
Torrsntiai Rains Throughout
Colorado and Wyoming Flood
Much Property.
GENERAL LIVES ARE LOST
Railway Tracks and Bridges Have Bees
Washed Away and Traffic Is
ParaIyzed-Towns Under
Water.

btIlNCIV way Sos-<h
head of the Cache Ia Poudre river
| caused that stream to overflow It's
banks, and meager reports received
here indicate hat great damage mas
been caused by the flood. The rush OF
the food caused the dam which holds
| the water of Livingston lake, sixty
five miles above Fort Collins, 10 break,
and his added volume OF water swept
down the Cache la Poudre river. prac-
tically wiping out the towns or Liver,
| more and Laporte. respectively four
| teen and three miles above Fort Col
| Inns. II is reported that one person was
drowned at the former place. At Fort
| Collins the river, which normally Is
| about the width OF the average noun
tain river, Is now over a mile wide, ana
| the Russian settlement, consisting or
/ about 800 families, is inundated. AL
ready a number of the frame dwellings,
| Of these people ave been swept from
their foundation and sent WhirllnS
along with the food. In several IN
stances the occupants were unable TO
make their escape and were carried
along.
1t has not yet beeen learned whether
| there was any loss Of life at Fort Col
/ Inns. but II seems safe to predict that
| there has been. Wreckage OF houses,
household goods and carcasses or dead
animals are being carried by Fort Col
Inns by the flood.
Many Bridges Destroyed.
From Greedy, about twenty-five
miles east of Fort Collins, comes the
Information that a number of wagon
bridges between there and Fort Col
Inns have been washed away and the
/ Colorado and Southern railroad bridge
at Timnath, about midway between
the two towns, wrecked. No trains Will
be sent out on hat line today. Inc
Colorado and Southern from Fort Col
Inns to Greedy is a branch line. AL
though the crest Of the flood has not
yet reached Greeley, n is not eX-
pected until midnight. ranchmen n
other dwellers along the bottoms are
moving to the high ground.
The Cache la Poudre river runs
through one Of the most thickly settled
and richest agricultural districts or
Colorado. a large portion of the north
ern part of the state is irrigated from
this stream, and n number OF immense
reservoirs have been constructed for
the purpose OF storing the water.
Should the force Of the waters rush
weaken these sufficiently to cause a
break and release the stored water the
result could be nothing but disastrous:
Wire communication with the Hood
section is interrupted.
Towns Badly Flooded.
The towns Of Livermore, Bellview,
Laporte, Wellington and a portion OF
Fort Collins are unde from three TO
four feet Of water, and In some cases
the water reaches the caves OF the
houses. Five iron bridges and two rail-
broad bridges in the vicinity of Fort
HCollins have been swept away, n two
bmiles OF the Colorado n Southern
Btracks washed out. Several thousand
Hacres OF beets and vegetables have been
udestroyed and hundreds of head of live
FstoCk were drowned. The water sys-
tenn Of the city OF Fort Collins has been
seriously damaged, n all or the lrrl-
CATION bitches and canals badly washed
ITwelve big reservoirs along the Cache
de Poudre are threatened with destruc-
ton. A foot of water covers the floors
of the sugar factory. The Russian
colony at Fort Collins consisted of SOC
persons. About half of them succeeded
i'm getting out of their houses before
the water was upon them.
People in Peril.
The remainder, however, are tonight
Hin a perilous position. Their houses
Vcan plainly be seen floating abou
namong the trees, and shouts and other
signals OF distress are heard. A rev
of the houses have entered the current
hof the river and ave been swept away
Wand perhaps shattered or sun and thell
Eoccupants drowned. 1t is definitely
HK Ill III WV ifNS
pa man at Laporte and a Russian chile
Eat Fort Collins. Fears are entertainec
flor the safety Of Chris Mason, his VIII
Hand five children, who live in the bot
ltoms half q mile o Fort Collins
ITheir place must be pS
lwater. and perhaps submerged Rescue
lparties are in readiness TO leave For
COLLINS with the first break OF day.
a IN message to the Asso
ciated Press from It's correspondent a
~ECheyenne Wyo., says that the Grow
/ river, which runs through Cheyenne,
I running bank full as a result or heaV!
rains. From eight to twelve miles o
The main line of the Union Pacific rail
road and several miles of the roadbet
Of the colorado and Southern road hav
heen washed out. Several lives are re
norted TO have been lost among tn
ranchers living along the Crow. TIL
river in Cheyenne has spread out owe
the lower sections, flooding the dwell
ings and business houses. Telegrap
wires between Denver and Cheyenn
are disabled.
Six Lives Known TO Be Lost.
I A News special from Cheyenne, Wyo
II received by telephone, says that ST
II persons are known to have bee
drowned. Besides these many person
are missing. The Union Pacific track
i at Buford, twenty-siX miles west Q
cheyenne, are washed away In man
Il places. Two OF hat company's bridge
have gone out and the track is weak
i med on the line between Cheyenne an
Greeley, Colo. In the city OF Chey
Il enne the lengthy embankment on whic
runs the Union Pacific tracks has bee
MERGED in two places. This embanh
ment is holding the flood and water ha
i accumulated to a depth Of twenty fee
. L and extending over a space two mile
wide and several miles in length. tn
: I opening in the embankment Is not lars
I enough to carry off the water, and tn
pressure against the embankment
I'll ILL.,. a. nn.,an nthar hreaka