Gilpin observer., 1914-08-06
MIDSUMMER FLOOD
MUSES. UP CENTRAL CITY AND
BLACK HAWK AND THROWS A
SCARE INTO THE PoPULAcE.

Thursday night about 1880 a cloud
burst occurred near the city reser-
Voir at the head of Eureka street, in
this city. The usually dry gulch soon
became raging torrent and over
flowed the flume, built to conduct
the water. This flume was made of
logs and was built by Jacob Franks
AZ years ago, when he was street
commission ,r of Central City, and ex-
tended to the city's lower reservoir
In few minutes the waters had
Aoverflowcd the flume and washed the
earth from behind and soon the crib
bing began to float down the gulch,
in connection with other debris, I'M
til it reached the residence of Mrs.
Angus Campbell, occupied by VIM.
Gemmell the rear end standing near
the flume. Here the logs piled up
and in few moments tore the kitch-
en- portion from the main structure
and then struck the residence of
P. r. Alsdorf, where it mashed in the
windows and went through the lower
niture, clothing, etc. H. P. loves
park was next to be destroyed and
here the debris of all kinds is piled
from to 10 feet deep. The water
passed under the Teller House all
right, but burst the flume under Zan-
ella & Mathes' building on Main ST.,
flooding the basement and destroying
several hundred dollars worth of
goods. The next break in the flume
was opposite the lumber yard, where
it tore out the cribbing for about a
hundred feet and slightly undermin-
ed the stable of Cody Bros. Black
Hawk did not meet with the damage
it did some four years ago. The
north part of the toyn did not suffer.
as the cloudburst was in Eureka
gulch and therefore only damaged the
south part of the town.
The flume from the Central City
foundry to its head will have to be
rebuilt and repairs made at intervals
its entire length. At Smith Hill. a
station on the C. & S. three miles
below Black Hawk, there was a wash
in on the tracks that required force
of workmen several days to remove,
thereby closing transportation be-
tween Central City and Denver for a
few days. The delegates from this
county to the Democratic assembly in
Denver, as well as several other of
our citizens, were marooned and
came up on the first through train
or by way of Idaho Springs.
There is an old proverb that runs
thusly: 1T never rains but it pours".
Sunday we were again visited with a
cloudburst that came down Nevada
gulch on the south side of the city
near the ball park that did consider
able damage to a travelling merry go
round that was stationed in that part
of the city, causing them about 5000
damage. An organ. large tool chest
and two rolls of bedding were carri-
ed away by the water. One of the
workmen is especially lamenting the
loss of box of talcum powder. The
merry y-go-round was Immediately tax
en- down and moved about twenty
five feet away from the scene of the
disaster and was rebuilt and was in
operation again Tuesday evening. al
though they did not have an organ.
A large Columbia graphophone was
put in its place and rendered fine
music, although it could not be heard
far on account of the noise of the
machinery.
At Rlacl Hawk considerable dam
age was done to their streets, and
the flume from the Central City
Back Hawk line to the C. &. S
tracks was torn up. The c. & S. rail
road was again blocked by wash
out from Silver gulch near the Cham
berlain Sampler. That portion of the
town extending into Chase gulch al
so came in for slight damages. one
abutment of bridge on the c. &
S. railroad being washed out, thus
preventing trains from reaching Cen
trail City.