Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-06-10

Writing by candle light, with desc
lation all about, Brooks Williams,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. G. L. Williams,
of Americas, who has been employed
in Pueblo, Colo, for some time, has
written a letter home telling of the
great disaster that hit that city last
week. The letter arrived Friday
morning from the town, which was
cut off from railroad communication
with the outside world for several
days.
Mr.. Williams, who is graduate of
Georgia Tech.-in electrical engineer
ing, is employed in Pueblo by the II.
L. Doherty interests, owners and OPP
orators of the gas and electric plants
there. He is a graduate of the Do
hertv School Of Eelectrical Engineer
ing, was sent to Pueblo some time
ago from Denver. His letter tells
intimately of the flood and the COM
pleteness of the disaster.
Enclosed with his letter, written
last Sunday evening, was a copy OF
the 4 o'clock extra edition of that
day of the Pueblo Chieftain, an I'M
portant daily paper of the west. The
paper is a single sheet of Al columns,
about IL inches deep, and printed on
one side only on a job press. 1t is
devoted to general orders of the mill
tary, the city being under martial
law, and to brief bulletins having to
do with flood information.
Following is his letter in full:
pueblo, Colo, Sunday night,
Dear Folks. | suppose you have
read in the newspapers something OF
the flood disaster that has struck
Pueblo. Hope you have not worried
any on my account for | can assure
you that it would have to be some
flood to bring enough water for max
ing me uneasy. OF course | do not
mean to say that this has not been
some flood, for believe me it could
hardly have been worse or more de-
structive of life and property. No
estimates of the life loss can be made
yet but guesses run all the way from
couple of hundred to thousand.
Not only has Pueblo suffered SICK
ening toll but the smaller towns and
isolated farmers along the hood rlV-
ers are heavy sufferers.
Materially speaking, Pueblo is
ruined town over practically the en-
tire business section and all the low
er and poorer part. Every public
utility, street cars, gas, water ana
electric lights, are suspended indefl-
nitelv. Water stood twelve feet deep
at the gas works and so far as we can
tell now, has ruined the gas making
retorts. Mud of the stickiest kind
covers the whole plant inside and out,
upstairs and down to depth OF at
least one foot Business houses are
in the same fix with easements full
of mud and in most cases even the
second stories together with the mer-
chandise in perfect tangle of mud and
| debris.
"The city is under strict military
control and no one is allowed on the
streets after p. m. All railroads
and bridges are destroyed, SO that no
railway service is to be had. Fms,
| together with the fact that most OF
the food houses were in the destroy
ed district has made food a precious
| article and none can be bought with
out permit. Lack of water even TO
! drink is very serious problem. A
| fire once started now would COM
plete the disaster for it could not be
controlled without water. But so far
and even during the flood the only
thing that held down the numerous
fires has been rain. Even the large
areas have been burned and the night
of the main flood fires of large size
were raging in different parts OF the
city.
"The floods were due to cloud
bursts and continued excessive rains
on the streams flowing through the
town. bikes and embankments were
supposed to be adequate, but they
only served to delay the flood short
while and allow warning to be given
to the low districts. And even then
the people-or great many Of them