The Ordway new era., 1921-06-17
ESTIMATED $4,000 HOMELESS NUMBER
LOST IN DISASTER WILL NEVER
BE KNOWN.
MILLIONS IN PROPERTYLOST
REPORTS SHOW HEAVY RAINS CAUSE ENOR-
NOUS LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY
OVER ENTIRE STATE.

Denver, June 6.-Friday, June s, was
a dark day in the history of Pueblo,
Colorado's second city. Flood waters
from the Arkansas and Fountain riv-
ers devastated the business and lower
residence sections of the town, sweep
ing away hundreds of houses and caus-
ing great loss of life. Reports TO date
show property loss will run into mil
lions, while constantly dead bodies
are being found, until the death roll
shows upwards of 200. Flood waters
fill a large portion of the city, and
Saturday and Sunday as they receded
new horrors were revealed. In some
places the water was reported seven
teen feet deep.
Publo's union depot was in the CEN
ter of the flooded area, which reached
from the high cliffs on which the bet
ter residence portion of the city is To-
Gated at Seventh street to west of the
station. Practically all in that lower
section is destroyed. From Friday
night TO Sunday the city was without
light or water, street cars stopped,
fires became frequent and with no
chance to fight them, soon consumed
many business and residence blocks.
The flood was augmented by a sec
ond cloudburst Saturday which
wrought greater havoc. Sunday, with
the breaking of Beaver dam, eight
miles north of Florence, and terrific
cloudburst about p. M, the stricken
city is in most pitiful condition. The
Arkansas river rushed down again and
the receding waters We're given fresh
impetus. 1t is impossible to tell the
extent of this dire disaster.
Pueblo is under martial law, the
Colorado National Guard and Colorado
Rangers being in complete control of
the city. Looters have been arrested
by the dozen and several shot Armies
of rescuers worked day and night to
save persons caught in the flood and
who could not reach safety before the
great nine-foot wall of water struck
the city.
Denver & Rio Grande train No. 8
and Missouri Pacific train No. - were
caught in the flood and both turned
turtle. AS each carried numbers of
passengers, it is not now known how
many perished.
Railroad and wagon bridges are out
north, south and west of Pueblo, and
it is difficult to get relief to the
stricken city. Denver sent special
train of clothing, food, blankets and
ether necessary equipment Saturday
night. Red Cross nurses and helpers
accompanied this train with full sup
ply of emergency material. The Sal
walton Army, FitZsimons Hospital,
Fort Logan and many others put forth
every effort to supply necessaries for
the thousands of homeless.
Forty-one undertakers from Denver
took special train for Pueblo Sunday
morning to assist in caring for the
dead. Trinidad sent a carload of pro-
visions, Victor, Colorado Springs and
other towns responded nobly to the call
of the distressed city.
Governor Shoup took up his resi-
dence at Colorado Springs in order to
be as near the scene of disaster as DOS
sible. First hand reports to him by
Representative Iver Daley and State
Pure Food Inspector w. f. Cannon on
Sunday morning shows that the total
number of dead would never be known.
that scores of bodies will never he
found, either because they are buried
under tons of sand or destroyed in
some of the fires that ragged, and
caused this statement to be issued by
the governor:
THE Pueblo flood is much worse
than the disaster attending the earth
quake and fire in San Francisco. The
exact number of dead may never be
known. Scores of bodies may never
be recovered"
Every possible assistance has been
rushed to Pueblo in an effort to relieve
the situation as much as possible.