The Coconino sun., 1919-12-05
STORM IN VERDE
 COUNTRY MUCH LOSS
Cottonwood, Aria, Nov. 20

Dear MT. Breen:
 There has been nothing of any par ticular importance for me to write about, so l have kept still, but the other day, the 26th, we had some freaky weather conditions in this sec- tion. The clouds lowered over the mountain tops and the wind hit up about a forty-mile gale and it was damp and chilly. 1t was nearing the Eve of Thanksgiving, and Grand Comic Masquerade Ball was scheduled to take place in the Bungalow, Cot tonwood's large amusement hall. As the shades of night closed in, so did the heavy clouds, and the manage ment isued an s. O. s. call to the nearest newspaper, and had them pub fish the postponement of the big dance. Many young swains and maidens had their regalia ready for the big occasion, and the maidens pouted little, and the swains prob ably went little further. The dance was to start at 9:30 p. m., and by 800 the water was coming down in sheets and the wind carried it with great force, penetrating every nook and corner As midnight drew near the storm increased in it's fury and for a time it was feared that some houses would be unroofed.
 Midnight passed and the fury of the storm seemed to abate some but the volume of water increased that had been falling steadily since 9 p. m. Few of the residents could sleep, and with the abatement of the wind, followed the roar of the Verde river which came down in mighty flood. carrying before it the false work of the new bridge at Thompson Cross ing, and subsequently, the forms that constituted the great arch of the main span of the bridge. With difficulty the construction force saved the pile driver used in foundation work. Be. sides the frame work and forms, sev- eral large piles of lumber were lost. The loss will probably exceed $7,000., This is severe blow to the construc- tion company and all concerned in the early completion of the bridge.
 All through the day the river stead- lily rose, and in it's maddening career carried away various parcels of far1n- ing land on both sides of the river, including one of the historic trees that has stood for the past 75 years or more and from which Cottonwood derived it's name in early days. Old timers who have been residents about Cottonwood for more than forty years state that the seven large trees form ing the group from which the town was named were here at that time and were apparently twenty-five years old at that time. There are now only two left, and they are some what mutilated, as the heavy snow several years ago broke off many of the branches.
 All through Thanksgiving Day it continued to rain and by sundown heavy snow began to fall. Steadily all through the night and most of the next day it showed, but very wet, in fact so wet that most of it melted as it fell. The evening of the second by mist and fog. The snow was four inches deep here and in Jerome it coated the ground to depth of ten inches. A big freeze followed and scores of unprotected water pipes froze in the night and thawed out next day, and most of them were bursted. It seemed as though each chimney cote had it's fountain also.
 The writer had occasion on the evening of the 2Sth to go on foot through the mist and fog and slush to Browns Ranch about three miles from Cottonwood towards Jerome. On the return for a time the lights from smelters in both Verde and Clarkdale were totally obscured by the heavy fog, when suddenly the fog rose and fine mist began falling. The slag was being dumped from the Verde Shelter and it's red glow was car ried in various tints and shades of red to every object in range of vision and as it glowed like huge ruby in a setting of ermine, the radiation on the snow covered shrubbery and the soft glow reflected overhead consti- tuted scene of indescribable beauty that will never be forgotten, and that may never occur again in lifetime, ual visitor here.
 Believing that you have been tor tured enough, will hasten the close, but must pause to say that I just glanced out of the door into Cotton woods main thoroughfare, and the town is enveloped in a dense fog. The lights shoot weird shafts of light through it, and pedestrians appear muffled and mysterious as they move about in it. Old timers say it is hamburger of much more storm. Maybe it's getting ready for St. Patrick's Day in December. Trusting this will find yourself and yours, and every body else, with good appetites, and presuming you folks up there are getting around the streets by means of tunnels in the snow, l am
 Very sincerely yours,
 STEAMER n>ar M Rroon.