The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-06-10
SECOND FLOOD
SWEEPS OVER
PUEBLO VALLEY
Hundreds Drown as Wall OF Wa
tiers Hits City.
800 BODIES NOW IN MORGUES
Thousands Made Homeless by DeIuce
Caused by Cloudburst and 6reak-
ing of Great Dams-Freperty
Loss Placed at SO, ooo, 900.


Pueblo, Colo. June 6.-PueblO's bus
mess district is a mass of wrecked
buildings. Its streets are deep in mud
from the Arkansas river, which over
flowed Its banks, bringing the worst
food In the history of the city.
The death list probably will mount
into the hundreds when toll is taken
Of the wrecked residences and room
ing houses in the river bottoms. The
full death list may never be known.
Reports say 500 killed is conserva-
tive estimate 1t may reach 1000.
Property loss is estimated at $10,-
100000.
Second Flood Hits City.
A new flood hit the city Sunday, ex-
tending to Fourth and Main streets.
Heaviest loss was in Grove district
and the Peppersauce Greek buttons.
Foreigners were caught after they
refused to leave. At noon 81 bodies
had been recovered.
Flood warnings were sounded again
at 3 80 o'clock, and the Arkansas
river rose rapidly to Main and Sec
Ond streets and Main and Court
streets. With the water about two feet
deep in the streets, the flood continued
to swell. Meanwhile the Fountain
river rose II inches in six hours.
A total of % men have been arrest
ed for footing. One Mexican was shot
by guards.
After a second night of horror
Pueblo awOke to take up the gruesome
task of collecting and identifying her
dead flood victims, of trying to carry
SuccOr to thousands of stranded
refugees and establishing lines of COM
municatiOn over which to send her
call for help from outside.
Three hundred bodies lie stretched
out in the morgues The toll is mount.
ing. hourly.
II was in this section warning the
inhabitants" he said. "They took the
warnings lightly. The waters came
down so suddenly then that | had
difficulty in escaping myself"
S. w. Presley, chairman of the
safety committee. says no progress
can be made in search for bodies un.
til the waters have gone down further
Tales of Witnesses.
Colorado Springs, June Cray
mOnd P. Chapman of this city returned
from Pueblo with vivid story Of the
flood. He raced the food waters
through the Arkansas valley in an au
tOmobile, arriving in Pueblo just as
the water In the river had reached the
bridges.
After passing the night in the city
he got ten gallons of gasoline and
made his way to Colorado Springs
travelling through fields, over railroad
trestles and, with several other motor.
lists who followed in his wake, con
structed temporary bridges.
Chapman said when he reached
Pueblo the sirens were shrieking warn.
ings to the people and the waters in
the business section of town had
reached the level of second stories
He saw two-story house floating
down the street at Third and Main
streets.
Sees Thrilling Rescues
Chapman said many thrilling res
cues were effected by means of boats
brought from the park and that in
one instance which came to his no.
tice boy had rescued three women
He tried to pick up an old man also
when one of the women, becoming
hysterical, clasped the boy. The boy
even then tried to save the life of one
of the women by swimming, but lost
his hold on her and all the occupants
of the boat but the boy were washed
away in the stream.
The deep water raced through the
streets with the fierceness of a noun
tain stream. He said that, terrible
as were the fires, the rescuers were
greatly aided by the flames, which IL
Illuminated the sky. Burning piles OF
lumber said Chapman, flowed down
the river, setting fire to things they
passed.