Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1923-06-08
HEAVY RAIN
HITS PRAIRIE
FISH WASHED OUT OF WA
TER IN ROCKY CANYON
SOME DAMAGE

Another rain storm of almost
cloudburst proportions, similar
to that of three years ago,
struck the prairie Wednesday
afternoon and did much damage
to crops and garden in several
localities. It. will be recalled
that the storm of three years
ago struck first at Grangeville
where the business section OF
the, city was flooded and the
death by drowning of P. M.
Glanville occurred. The storm
then lifed and struck again late
in the afternoon north of this
place, doing heavy damage to
farms in the Stock Creek vici-
nifty. Wednesdays storm struck
first north of town and seemed
to center over the John Duclos,
Joe Remacle, Sidney Brown and
F. S. Winner farms. The storm
opened with about five minutes
Of hail, followed by torrents of
rain, and within a few minutes
the creeks were all overflowing
their banks and streams of wa
ter were pouring down every
declivity, washing gardens,
flooding low lying grain fields,
carrying away fences and small
bridges and doing damage which
would probably aggregate sew
eral hundred dollars.
While only a very heavy rain
fell here in town, the second arm
of the storm centefed over the
strip of country from the John
Crea farm to the old town of Den
yer and the downpour in that
locality was so heavy that the
bridge across Shebang creek
near the Edwin Nelson farm was
washed away and material dam
age done to fences and small
bridges, while the gardens also
suffered to some extent.
Quite bit of the storm wat
ers Of this storm were carried
off by the way of Shebang creek
but the major portion drained
down Bowman Gulch into Rocky
canyon.
Washed Fish From Water.
Probably the first intimation
Cottonwood had concerning
Wednesdays terrific shower in
the Bowman Gulch district was
when Mr.. J. B. Luchtefeld called
the Nez Perce telephone office
asking information as to the
source of the avalanche of water,
debris and mud that came by
their ranch in Rocky canyon
where they are living at present.
Mr.. Luchtefeld and son, Rob-
ert, assisted by Mr.. Baker
neighbor were a half mile above
their home on what is locally
known as Coyote Flat, rounding
up cattle preparatory to taking
them out to Westlake on sum-
mer range the following day
Hearing the unusual noise they
rode to the edge of the flat and
beheld sight long to be remem-
bered.
Having clear view of the
canyon, they saw all the water
forced in a great wave ahead o1
a black slower moving mast
which carried with at great
chunks OF wood on the surface
and rolling boulders beneath. HI
called to attract the attention o.
his family to the sight but they
having been notified by neigh
bors were already viewing il
from the hillside. Mrs. Luchte
field placed the children in an en-
screened porch for safety AM
with her maid went into the gar
den to get a closer view. The.
were astonished to see living
mass of fish in great backwa
ter that had been formed at tn
base of the garden desperatel
struggling for fresh water bu
unable to get anything but muC
They flopped over onto dry Ian
dying there in untold numbers
The fish ranged in size from tn
finest to twenty inches /
length. Only a few mountai
trout were noticed among tn
dead fish. Being very timid the
probabaly took warning an
made safe dash into Salmo
river.
Aside from a few held of stoc
being drowned and few gart
ems washed out Mr.. Luchtefel
reported no other damage.