The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1912-08-02
CLOUDBURST
Cheerful and Humorous Account
of the Flood Near Lakeside
Thursday, July zSth

The following letter from Guy
Maltby to his folks in Culbertson
gives an interesting and cheerful
account of the cloudburst that oc-
CURED in the vicinity Of Lakeside
on Thursday of last week that we
publish it in full, with permission
of the Maltby brothers. We un-
derstand that about 100 feet OF
track of the G. N. Railway was
torn up and other damage done:
Farmstead, Bainville
July a6. 1914
Dear Folks Well. no doubt you are
anxious to hear from us. SO here goes.
A cloud broke on us here yesterday and
nearly cleaned us out but we saved all the
stock and the house except three chickens
which went with the flood.
All our wood and fence posts, out house.
the fence around the house and barn are
gone completely. The garden around the
house is completely destroyed. The potato
patch. also rutabaggas. turnips. squash.
melons and carrots. a small quantity OF
each are all right because they were on
high ground. 1t started to rain about 10
a. m and at IL m. the cloud broke and wa
ter came spin regular jumps and finally
we seen we had to go SO l got out and
worked my way by aid of the fence posts
to the pig and sheep pen and threw them
over the side and they got to high ground
o. X. Then I caught Bell and rode back
to the house and got Mable on her back
and out we went just in time to get clear
of the fence before il broke loose and let in
another foo; of water which it was holding
back by weeds. boards and brush caught
on it.
We had presence of mind enough to put
everything off the floor of the house on the
table and bed except Mable's trunk. Il
was a sight to behold as the water came uI
a foot deep in the house and foot highe1
outside. We staid on the hill nearby ane
watched the stuff 60 which only lasted unit
4 about go p. m. Then it went down 81
we could let the water out of the house ant
scrub out which was job Tor the mud wa
about an inch all over the floor.
We have been all day cleaning up an
are now pretty we'll settled again. w
thought the water was high last spring bu
il was only a small creek beside this for
takes some water to make a 10 foot creek
quarter of a mile wide. To give you a
J idea, our ladder is crosswise the top OF on
of Billideau's highest trees and our ou
house is in his flax field about three
fourths of a mile from home. We had n
wind to speak of which was a good thin
and luckily Mable did not see the DANCE
for herself until it was all over. All sh
thought of was the stuff in the house.
Bergseth's house was half under wate
but thev got out in the first part OF it. Ge'
nus house was struck by lightning an
badly damaged but no one hurt. coul
write all night and you. wouldn't realiz
what it was. d have gwen horse for
! kodak long enough to get a few pictures
} Faithful old Bell was as careful as coul
be and came into a current of water s
, swift she could hardly buck il but never
1 move without orders. Maybe il pays
J break horse right9
)l Sheepherder Albert. the musician.
/. herding sheep out here and part of h
4 camp came down here and guess some I
: it is at ST Louis by this time.
Oh yes. lot of our best hay was cut an
=. punched alonged the valley and now
I adorns the tree tops from here to the Mi,
! souri,. Our well has an ample supply
} mud and grass now. for the water vi
about six feet deep over the top Of il a,
the curb is all washed in.
II will take me about week to fix d
I fences and haul home what stuff have ;
I ready located and don't suppose Ill ev
( find all OF il.
DI Well. we will tell you the rest when '
D see you. for the present we are all rig
4 and feeling good. so we'll close with love
all from Mable and Guy Maltby.