The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-04
PUEBLO FLOOD
TAKES TOLL OF
1900 LIVES
Rivers Inundate Cities in East
ern and Central Colorado
Property Loss Will Run into
Millions.
FIRES BREAKING OUT
CBy Associated Press>

my ASSOCIATED fEeSS'
PUEBLO, Colo, June 4.-The
loss of life from the great flood
which came rushing on the city
of Pueblo from the overflowing
of the Arkansas and Fountain
rivers last night, at LAS o'clock
this afternoon was variously
estimated between 1,500 and
5000 persons. The property
loss will exceed $4,000, 900, &C
cording to estimates at this
hour. Hundreds were made
homeless and many lost all of
their possessions. Identification
of the dead was slow.
PUEBLO, Colo. June 4.-National
guardsmen are patrolling Pueblo early
today. permitting no one to enter the
section of the city flooded by waters
from the Arkansas river while several
checked in several parts OF the city.
| All telegraph and telephone COM
munication was lost at 9:1o o'clock
| when the food filled many of the busi-
ness houses TO a depth of six feet.
Eighteen families were reported res
cued from the lowlands and one
woman reported her husband had been
swept from her sight in the food
waters, while attempting to escape.
| Buildings Burn.
! The Pueblo Star-Journal. the after
noon daily newspaper, had four feet OF
water on the first floor. according to a
printer who made his way out.
| About 1:3o a. m. lightning set fire
/ to another building, the identity OF
which could not be learned because of
the flood.
The flooded district includes the
railroad yards and station. traction.
gas and electric light plants.
| Several fires broke out early in the
evening from undetermined causes.
| The Hamlin Feed company's building
was gutted. The Big Four Auto Parts
company and several small houses
were destroyed. The Labor Hall was
gutted, the King Lumber company suf-
! fered heavy fire loss, and another big
! fire broke out about midnight in the
central part of the city.
| DENVER, Colo, June 4.-Continued
! heavy rains early today in eastern
and central Colorado gave little hope
! for relief from the floods which yes
| terday swept those sections
Meagre reports indicated a loss
running into the millions. with the
/ heaviest loss at Pueblo. where a large
part of the business section and sew
eral residential districts we're inun-
dated by waters from the Arkansas
river.
The known loss of life remained at
| four
The situation early today was: Pu-
eblo inundated and cut off from wire
communication for hours. Private
news dispatches put loss at about
! $4,000, 900.
Report Lives Lost
| The first information that there had
been loss of life in the Pueblo flood
was received today One report from
railroad sources said there had been
considerable loss of life and prop
erty," while telegram to the Denver
Times contained a statement that
hundreds of lives had been lost. The
| Times announced it could not verify
the report.
Marshall, a town of 200 inha bitants.
| is thra tened by a break in the Mar
shall Lake dam.
Louisville inundated. several houses
and other buildings washed away.
Loveland, dikes of lake broken and
parts of town inundated; floods put
out of commission. electric power
| plant from which Weld county towns
! get their light and power.
overfIows Town
| A cloud burst at Swellows, Is miles
west of Pueblo, at 3 o'clock yesterday
I two hours later had sent the Arkan-
sas river on a rampage. BY s o'clock
| il had overflowed into the town, in
undated the business section and
| forced scores of families to flee from
their homes in the lowlands. Eight
cen families were rescued in boats.
! and boats also were used to rescue
several persons from the federal
| building. Damage to the post office
alone was officially estimated at
! $500, 900.
Five feet of water was reported
| standing in the streets of Pueblo in
messages early this morning.
| A Western Union operator re-
! mained at his key in the Pueblo OPP
Grating room sending a news dis.
! patch concerning the flood until the
flood water had crept around his
ankles.
| At Marshall. the coo inhabitants
spent the night in their homes fully
| dressed, ready to flee when a signal
of bomb explosions gave warning that
! the dam had broken, releasing 300
acres of water 63 feet deep. The dam
began to weaken yesterday afternoon
and efforts to lessen the strain on the
structure by releasing some Of the
impeunded water were rendered fu-
tile by the continued heavy flow from
other streams and continued rain.