Arizona republican., 1905-01-11
IA MIXED BLESSING
Unusually Heavy PreCipita
 tiOn in Arizona
Rains of InCalCulabIe Benefit, bat
 Floods Do Some Damsge-Ranches
 Inundated-NervOus People Scared.

! were lively showers at intervals. At ? o'clock yesterday, Tuesday, alter noon, the total precipitation for the two days totalled 2.64 inches Between that hour and dark last night there were several pretty vigorous showers so that the total fall to date may be approximately estimated at inches. That is more than half the rainfall here for the entire year 1904, which l only amounted to 5.57 inches.
 What a rain like that means to Ari- zona, especially when it is general as this one seems to be, can be fully appreciated and understood only by those who have lived in this coun try some time and have witnessed the wet and dry spells and the good effect of even a little bit of rain at the right time There has been heavy rainfall all the way between here and Prescotts and the report re- | ceived from Flagstaff yesterday morn ing by the weather bureau office was that 16.6 inches of snow had fallen in the preceding twenty-four hours If it continued to snow yesterday the amount may be doubled by this time. The snowfall may be reduced to water calculations by dividing by 10, as it takes ten inches of snow to make one inch of rain, according to the weather bureau estimates. This news is practical assurance that the storm area has included the northern water shed from which this valley receives a large amount of its water supply. ! That the rain has also extended over southern and eastern Arizona is also established. Up to 5:30 o'clock ! yesterday morning the precipitation at , Yuma was .68 and the eastOound Southern Pacific trains were held up by washouts somewhere between Yu- ma and Maricopa. It was known that several minor washouts had occurred. East of here the rains seem to have extended clear into New Mexico. Re ports last night from Clifton were to the effect that all of the bridges there about were washed out.
 The Agua Fria, Salt and Gila rivers are all swollen, but so far there has been little damage reported from them except at the Kelvin bridge There was trihing damage to the temporary switch -rua by the NJ cSsTo. down hito the Salt river bed at Tempe to facili- tate the construction of it's new steel bridge.
 There were many and exaggerated reports current on the strets during the day as to the damage sustained by the railroads. From authentic sour ces it was learned that while the heav- lest rain for seven years in Central Arizona. the losses to the railroads comprised nothing but minor washouts, so far as had been reported late last night The situation was much bet ter than would have been the case if the precipitation had been of the midsummer, torrential character. On the Phoenix & Eastern the Gila river was booming and several bents were lost from the temporary structure which spans the river at the Buttes and near Kelvin. Two bents went out from the temporary bridge across Min erai creek, also. There was also minor damage to the track in several other places. Trains are running regularly as far as Florence, but not east of 1 there. On the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix 9 small washout near Wick enburg occurred early yesterday morn . ing and the northbound train was de- Iayed about six hours. The rain was still falling in some sections when the southbound train reached Pres colt last night, and it was decided to ! hold the train until this morning in order to complete the run to Phoenix by daylight. the rains between here and Prescott having been unusually heavy during the day. While no trouble had developed, it was thought best to be on the safe side and take no chances.
 l For the same reason the northbound train will not leave Phoenix until 70 | this morning.
 All of the northside canals of the valley were full yesterday, and some of them more so. That is, the banks were broken and the water was sweeping across the country, making the area northwest of Phoenix vast lake.
 At noon yesterday two feet of water was passing over the Arizona canal l dam twenty-five miles up the river.
 The Cave creek flood that may al- ways be depended upon at the slight est provocation, materialized during the day, breaking the Arizona banks | and sweeping across the country to | Glendale, which was inundated as 1t 1 has been several times before. Tele- | phone messages received from Glen | dale last evening said the streets were 1 a foot or two under water, the eel i lars were full and only those houses which had good high foundations were | safe from the flood.
 Further east and at a point nearly north of Phoenix there was another break in the Arizona canal, which in addition to carrying the canal water has to take care of the rainfall that runs off the Phoenix mountains on the southern slope. This overflow added to the water that fell directly on the untitled area between the Arizona and the Grand canals, swept southerly to the Grand, the banks of which were also broken. Continuing south the banks of the Salt River Valley canal suffered likewise and most of the coun- try west of the Black cayon road, and as far west as Glendale became huge lake. Forcing its way south the flood crossed Grand avenue near the Rum ney, before dark, surrounding all tine houses in that suburb with water.
 NA.J 1