Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-15
Only Timely Telephone Warn.
ing Saved City Many
More Deaths
Railroad Service and 1e|e.
graph Lines Are Also
Badly Wrecked
Big City Auditorium IS Now
Refugee Camp for the
Hungry Hundreds

+ I" I" 9 = = . 9 . 9 Q = q E?
: DENVER, July 15.-Practicaliy =
: the entire residence district from :
!. Broadway east to the city limits :
I: for blocks on each side, and :
! !. from Broadway TO the Platte riv. +
er between 18th street and 7th +
: avenue, was two foot deep In wa. =
!: ter today. The area is about :
!: miles Of residence and business =
:: district.
4 : : = Z: + : = + = + = = : = q
MAYOR DIRECTED RELIEF.
At least 600 men, women and chill
dren are homeless and number Of
deaths are rumored and $500, 900
worth Of property 10 In ruins here to-
day as a result Of cloudbursts which
resulted In the overflow Of the shallow
bed Of Cherry creek, through this
city, from 10 o'clock until midnight.
The big city auditorium today was
a refugee camp at dawn, 500 Of home
less having gathered there, and are
fed by the city. Twenty-Five children
from six months to six years old,
whose parents may have been lost,
are in care Of the city matron. After
directing the relief and rescue work
all night Mayor Arnold organized re-
lief parties at daylight to begin the
search Of the course Of the flood In
which a trail Of wrecked buildings
and other debris are heape1 i. ::as
current Of the south Platte river. The
Chamber Of Commerce opened relief
subscription this morning. The flood
10 without parallel in the history Of
the city.
WARNING WAS TIMELY.
Had it not been for note Of warm
ing sounded over the telephone from
an unknown source to the city hall
Just before the crest Of the flood
reached the city, many could not have
escaped death. Scores fled In their
night clothes. That many were caught
in the flood while sleeping Is the gen
eraI belief. The crest Of the cloud
burst was preceded by storm wind,
blowing at 48 miles an hour at five
o'clock yesterday afternoon. In two
hours hard rains, the street and sew
ers had flooded the tramway lines
out Of commission. Hundreds were
nnarooned in parks around the city,
and fifty miles Of the city roadway
was destroyed. Then came a lull for
four hours, during which car lines
were returning to schedule. At about
9:30 last night cry Of warning OF
the coming flood reached the city hall.
Within thirty minutes wall Of water
many feet high descended upon the
city from Cherry Greek, which flows
through the Country Club grounds,
passing within five blocks Of the city
hall, the county hospital and the west
side Of the courthouse out to South
Platte five miles distant.
RAILROAD YARDS FLOODED.
Il ripped out concrete walls that
confined Il for two miles, destroyed
bridges and hundreds Of small dwell
Ing, driving the occupants from their
homes, or to their roofs from whore
they were rescued by members Of the
police and fire departments. Reach-
Ina the union station the flood spread
three feet In depth through the yard,
putting locomotive fires out, maroon
Ing several hundred passengers, and
closing the city to incoming or out
aolna traffic In half an hour. Miles
o. tramway lines were put out OF com.
mission, while the sewer undermined,
broke and flooded the capital hill, the
aristoeratIc section Of the city.
IContinued on pare 81