The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-06
Little Is Left Of Town of
Clifton as a Result Of
Bursting of Reservoir
EIGHTEEN LIVES ARE
REPORTED LOST
Gila River Is Doing Much
Damage and Globe Is
in State of Isolation


soLoMoNvILLE, A. t.. Dec. 5.-As
the result of thirty hours steady rain
over Southern Arizona, the mining
town Of Clifton. with 5000 population,
has been swept by terrific food and
hundreds Of people have fed to the
mountains for safety. Owing to dis
abled wires details are hard to obtain.
hut the known death list reaches
eighteen and will doubtless be much
larger The greater portion of the
population are the MeXicans and
Italians who live in squaHd huts. now
inundated. The town is built in three
sections, Chase Creek and North and
South Clifton.
The catastrophe commenced with the
breaking of a big reservoir in the
mountains above. precipitating a vast
food upon the Chase Creek section.
The principal street is near the bed
Of the stream and was completely de-
stroyed. It was there that the fatali-
ties occurred, as the flood came in
head seven feet high and enguIfed
the people without warning. The dead
are mostly foreigners. whose names
cannot be learned. Two Americans are
known TO have perished, one being
caught in a pile of wreckage and
drowned.
HOUSES WASHED AWAY
North and South Clifton are swept
by the san Francisco River A new
school building and scores of houses
were washed away. The railway bridge
is tottering- All information is sent
out from telephone Office surrounded
by water.
The great smelling works of the
Arizona Copper Works are located at
Clifton and the company's loss will
be heavy. The Arizona and New
Mexico Railway Company will also
be a heavy loser. as its yards and
shops are inundated.
The river is receding rapidly, the
weather has cleared and no further
damage is apprehended.
Two bodies were recovered from the
wreckage along Chase Creek Joe
Throm, who was rescued from the
food and whose wife was lost, was
taken to the hospital in critical
condition from bruises received, but
probably will recover. Three Mexicans
caught in the act of looting refused to
surrender TO officers and were shot and
fatally wounded.
OvTv one brsssrasS
Creek escaped damage and many were
entirely destroyed. The Becker-Franz
Mercantile Company in North Clifton
in that section was damaged to the
extent of $4,000. The Coronado rail-
road suffered damage all the way from
Clifton to Metcalf and it will be sew
eral weeks before trains can pass
over its lines
PEOPLE ARE ROoFLEss
So many restaurants and hotels have
been destroyed that it is almost i'm
possible to find place to sleep or eat
IN the towns, but there will be no
shortage of provisions, as many stores
have escaped the floods
The railroad bridges are so badly
damaged that it will be impossible to
use them for some time The Herald
building was swept away and the Era
has been put out of business for
couple OF weeks. The Era building
was flooded TO a depth of six feet and
the plant was greatly damaged.
The ella River is carrying tremen-
TO farming lands. The railway bridge
at San Carlos is destroyed and the
town OF Globe is thereby cut off from
all travel and mail facilities.