The Elbert County tribune., 1911-10-13
FLOOD DISTRICT
SHORT ON FOOD
PEOPLE ARE ON HALF NATIONS.
ALL MEANS OF TRANseoaTA-
TON HAS BEEN CUT OFF.
NO RELIEF IN SIGHT
ss,ooo,ooo LOSS IN SAN JUAN, s4,-
100000 IN NEW MEXICO; IN
DIAN SCHOOL RUINED.
western Newspaper Union Now. Service.

age WIouSHL Dy tue DEVASTATING Wa
ters, but they are engaged in once
more placing the stricken city in rum
ming order they are faced with men
ace of greater suffering than that
the food supply.
While it has not reached the famine
point as yet, the supply q flour and
potatoes is growing slim and sugar
has become almost an unknown
quantity. There is n large flour mill
here, but the total absence of wheat
renders it OF no assistance now. The
grain must be brought from the. San
Luis valley and until the railroads
resume traffic this Will be practically
an impossibility.
Dealers have not raised the prices
on their wares. but have issued
warnings 10 the people to econo-
mize.
Pack trains can bring in limited
amount OF supplies. but the difficult
| ties encountered would make the
prices prohibitive for many of the
people.
The Denver & Rio Grande is now
building spur of track from its line
down through one of the principal
streets of the city to the river in or
der to recover two box cars that
We're ON the bridge when II was
swept away.
The Rio Grande Southern succeed
ed in getting u train from here to
Mancos. thirty-one miles. The COM
pany expects to get to Dolores,
twelve miles farther, within TWO or
three days. A combination train car
rying passengers. mail. baggage aud
freight, viii be run from here east as
far as the washout at La Baca
1t is reported in Durango that one OF
the rescuers was drowned in Telluride
His body has not been recovered. on
the Pennington branch OF the Rio
Grande. during the progress of the
flood. bridge after bridge went ont att
er the last train had passed
AS reports continue to come in from
the flooded district 1t is evident thas
the destruction VIII be greater than
anticipated The most conservative
estimateh now place the loss at 81,
100000 in the San Juan valley
During the height of the Hood on
the Animas river, a section man on
the Pennington branch OF the Rio
Grande at Bindad reported seeing
cabin containing man and a dog
floating down the stream. Both were
lost The idendity of the man has not
been ascertained.
A stage line has been established
between Durango and lockwood, a
distance of eighteen miles From Rock
wood the travellers take saddle horses
to Silyerton and from there to Ouray
to the railroad. The famous Red
Mountain toll road from Silyerton to
Ouray is so badly damaged that it is
impossible except on horseback.
Trains now can operate from Dem
YER to Lumberton. n NJ. seventy-five
| miles east of Durango, and from Du-
range east distance OF thirty-onc
miles, leaving gap of forty-one miles
| over which trains can not cross.
| Alamosa, Colo. The Shiprock
agency of the Navajo Indians, thirty
five miles west OF Pennington. N. NJ.
was destroyed totally and the build
ings erected by the government at a
| cost of 100000 carried away by the
flood and probably score OF the In
dians drowned. according to reports
that reached here. 1t has so far been
impossible to make count OF the In
dians to learn the exact number that
perished. but it is declared that the
number viii not be less than twenty
II is estimated that the total dam
age done by the flood In the devas-
tated district, comprising an area 100
miles north and south by seventy-fiye
miles east and west, will reach a to-
tai of $4.500.000. Ii will require be-
tween 100000 and 100000 to repair
the Denver Rio Grande narrow
gauge from Durango to Silverton
and the time required in making the
repairs will necessitate the closing OF
the Durango smelter several months
Durango is connected with the out
side world by telegraph. the Western
Union sending messages by telephone
to Ouray. where they were placed on
the companys wire.
The principal towns and cities that
are entirely cut off from railroad COM
munication with the outside world are
Durango. Silyerton. Pennington. Rico
Telluride, Pagosa Springs and Aztec
Indications are that all lines in Colo
rado. with the exception of the branch
from Durango to Silverton. Will bs
opened this week or early next week.
As further information Is gained ol
the damage wrought by the flood. the
railroad situation grows more serious
and il is now stated there will be NJ
through train from Denver inside o
two weeks.