Pueblo chieftain., 1921-06-11

ness region all is activity, swarming
with men and vehicles; but along South
Santa Fe and all around the foundry
there is desolation and profound quiet
In a trip along there yesterday after
noon Chieftain man saw only four
persons-one man digging something.
Just across the track from the late e.
K. Wathers' coal office. The next block
which week ago was an animated
scene Of Italian families, children, ped
dlers. little shops. goats. on both sides
OF the broad street, had not one single
human being. and most OF the dwellings
were missing. Opposite the foundry
one man was puttering amid ruins, and
near the river an Italian woman was
searching. A young man was carrying
articles into the foundry office. With
these exceptions the entire street to the
river was abandoned and silent.
A broad, deep and forbidding lake
stretches south of the Santa Fe rail-
road track and east OF Santa Fe ave-
nue.. This was portion Of the original
Arkansas river Led fifty year. ago and
almost the only part that never was
filled up. small gang of half dozen
men Is making a little ditch amid tine
foundry debris, and this Is likely to
drain Death lake at least partially. But
II this 10-acre man-trap had not caught
to be lying there. they would have
been swept into the river and borne n
hundred miles away.
The Missouri Pacific railroad shops
anu roundhouse now constitute dis
tinct and compact island with strong
rivers tearing along on both sides-one
in its old course. the other southeast
ward thru Stanton Snyder settlement
in channel fully as deep and as wide
as the other. 1t Is difficult to see how
any entertainments can ever be re.
placed In this Immense void. Nor does
the island look to be At all accessible.
tho one or two men seemed to be NOV
ing about over there
The vast black mass Of slag. stretch
Ing from the railroad junction to the
smelter buildings. proved as impreg-
nable as mountain. Niagara itself
cannot bulge II.
But the once busy tangle Of tracks
and highways at the river crossing
shows shocking and phenomenal IL
lustration Of the fury OF the flood.
Nothing stood firm except the high
looming steel beams of the Santa Fe
railroad bridge. Against II was hurled
n traipload of stuff Of all descriptions.
now a nondescript pile, yet the bridge
held firm. Just below IL the Denver
Il Rio Grande bridge Is literally stand
Ing on It's head. one end far down in the
center Of the river. the other slantinH
high in the air
The third bridg. in the group. the
Santa Fee avenue county bridge, has
totally disappeared. leaving only the
two fragile abutments.
a little further along. on the south
side, the massive new brick buildings
OF the Nuckolis lacking plant stand
serene. with an enormous jam OF lum-
ber from the Newton yards. two blocks
away piled up against Its rear. The
front wall of the 2-story brick office
building OF the packing plant. nearer
the street. Is all down, but the main
structure seems intact.
From south Santa Fee avenue over to
South Main and the Riverside school
are acres of ground which week ago
was covered thickly with small dwell
lngs. now "A bare flat. This IL the re-
gion supposed to have contributed
struggling victims to the depths OF
Death lake east OF the avenue grade.