ARIZONA
FLOODS
Under The Water. An Arizona Town
Flood Swept.
Date: 1891-02-24; Paper: Kansas City Times
Under The Water. An Arizona Town Flood Swept. Yuma Almost Entirely
Inundated by a Mad Freshet
Gila Bend, Ariz., Feb. 23.—
The second suspension of traffic on the Southern Pacific railroad in
Arizona occurred Saturday afternoon, tho water from the Gila river
overflowing the track at a point fifty miles east of Yuma for a
distance of four or five miles, doing considerable damage to railroad
and other property.
Salt River, near Phoenix; rose ton feet In an hour, sweeping away many
houses and thousands of people in the valley of the river are homeless.
The branch railway, running from Maricopa to Phoenix, is reported badly
washed out.
Tho Colorado fiver at Yuma threatened that place yesterday morning and
a large force of men were soon engaged in building dykes to save the
town from overflow, but during the day the river broke through the
levee and $160,000 damage was done. Gus Lee was drowned and a
large amount of live stock perished. The river is still rising and if
it continues it will destroy the town. Railroad tracks are under
water. Loss of life is reported from Gila valley, but no
particulars have been received. The Southern Pacific track is washed
out for twenty-four miles east of Yuma and is five feet under
water. One hundred houses have been washed down in Yuma and 500
people are homeless. Great distress prevails for want of food, clothing
and shelter. A meeting was hold this morning and relief committee
appointed, with S. S. Gillespie treasurer. School houses, churches,
convent, restaurants and all the stores but one are flooded. The Yuma
Times office is completely wrecked. Advices from Solomonville
stated that the Gila valley is flooded unprecedently. There has been
great destruction of property and all travel Is suspended.
Flood
Destroys Arizona Village Dam Bursts and Turns Waters Loose to Descend
on Clifton.
Date: 1906-12-05; Paper: Oregonian
BISBEE. Ariz,, Dec. 4.— One of the worst floods in the history of
Clifton, Ariz., came down the San Francisco river and Chase Creek last
night. Chase Creek, which was tho principal business section of tho
town, was almost completely ruined.
From seven to twenty persons Is the report of the loss of life. The
name of only one victim, however, has been obtained, Mrs. Joseph Throm,
who with nor husband and children, was caught in a falling building and
killed. The other members of the family had narrow escapes. One of the
saloons, which was washed away, carried several men into the torrent
and they are believed to have been drowned. A woman and a child were
lost in a small restaurant which was dashed to pieces in the flood. A
number of small frame buildings In which people were known to bo living
were also destroyed and it is known that a number of families havo
perished. The Coronado Railroad from Clifton to Longfellow is
destroyed. It. will be several weeks before business can be resumed
over the road. The financial loss cannot be estimated. Clifton is a
town in Graham County Southestern Arizona. In 1900 the
population was 864. It is located at the end of a branch of the Arizona
& New Mexico Railroad and has a telegraph and express office.
It is built upon the bank of tho Rio San Francisco, a branch of the
Salt River.
WHOLE HOTELFUL DROWNED
Bursting of Dam Releases Flood and Town Is Demolished.
EL PASO, Tex-.. Dec. 4.—From information received here late tonight It
Is believed that the town of Clifton, Ariz., has been practically
washed away. The Copper Queen Hotel is said to have been swept away by
the flood and at least 50 persons lost their lives. The concentrator
dam, which gave way, precipitating the great flood upon the town, was
constructed entirely of earth. The dam was carried away two years ago
as a result of the swollen streams, and a number of persons were
drowned.
DAM BREAKS IN ARIZONA
Wall of Water Sweeps Down Valley Drowning Eight Persons.
EL. PASO, Tex., Dec. 4.—A special to the Herald from Morenci, Ariz.,
says: Eight lives are reported to have been lost in a great Hood at
Cllfton last night.
The Detroit concentrator, dam broke, sending a wall of water down Chase
Creek. Wires are down between Morenci and Clifton and no doflnite news
can be obtained until messengers return from Clifton. The central
telephone station in Clifton has been abandoned, having been pronounced
unsafe.
RAILROAD BRIDGES WRECKED
Gila and Salt Rivers Cut Off Railroad Communication.
PHOENIX. Ariz.. Dec 4.—It Is reported that the Gila Valley, Globe &
Northern Railroad bridge over the Gila River at San Carlos is gone. The
Salt River flood has destroyed three bents, or 60 feet, of structural
piling In the Phoenix & Eastern bridge at Tempe. erected in lieu of
the steel span swept away in the last big flood. The river is now
falling and the weather is clearing.
Eighteen
Killed in Arizona Flood Mining Town of Clifton Is Now Deserted by Its
People
Date: 1906-12-06; Paper: Philadelphia Inquirer
Eighteen Killed in Arizona Flood Mining Town of Clifton Is Now Deserted
by Its People. Who Fled To Mountains
SOLOMONVILLE, Ariz., Dec. 5.—
As the result of 30 hours' steady rain over Southern Arizona, the
mining town of Clifton, with 3000 population, is swept by a terrific
flood and hundreds of inhabitants have fled to the mountains for
safety. The known dead tonight reaches
eighteen.
The catastrophe began with the breaking of a big reservoir in the
mountains, precipitating a vast flood in the Chase Creek quarter of
Clifton. The principal street was ruined. It was along this street that
the fatalities occurred, as the
flood engulfed the people without warning.
Two Americans are known tp have perished, one being caught in a pile of
wreckage and drowned. A new school building and a score of houses were
washed away. The railway bridge is tottering. All information is sent
out from a telephone office surrounded by water. The great smelting
plant of the Arizona Copper Works is
badly damaged. The Ariozna and New Mexico Railway Company
will be a heavy loser
Wilkinson
is Located Young Man Who Dropped Suddenly out of Sight after Flood in
Arizona
Date: 1906-12-15; Paper: Grand Forks Herald
Wilkinson is Located Young Man Who Dropped Suddenly out of Sight after
Flood in Arizona Writes To His Parents At Crookston
Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Wilkinson, of Crookston, received a letter Friday
from their son, Paul Wilkinson, whom they feared might have been hurt
In the big flood which devastated Clifton, where Wilkinson is located.
He is unhurt and writes very interestingly of the flood and the damage
caused. The loss of life was much smaller than at first supposed, there
being only fifteen people killed instead of sixty, as the first reports
of the accident gave.
The flood was caused by the breaking of a dam at Morenci, Ariz., which
Is about five miles from Clifton, and 1.000 feet higher up. This was
what Is known as a tailings dam. used by a copper smelting company to
catch the
washings from their copper smelters, and the rush of waters went down a
long gulch and burst upon the town of Clifton with terrific force,
sweeping away houses and causing a great amount of damage. The Arizona
Copper company's smelter is located at this place, and the flood swept
over their smelter. leaving a deposit of about six inches of mud and
gravel. A like deposit was left all over the town of Clifton.
Wilkinson, who Is a mining engineer, is employed by this company and he
is at present engaged in making cross section sketches of the
gulch down which the flood swept.
Flood
Takes out Track. San Diego & Arizona out Track. San Diego &
Arizona Line in California is Sufferer
Date: 1918-09-25; Paper: Oregonian
FLOOD TAKES OUT TRACK
San Diego & Arizona Line In California is Sufferer.
SAN DIEGO. Cal., Sept. 24.—More than three miles of
track of the San Diego & Arizona & Railroad, near the
western edge of Imperial Valley, was washed-out by a cloudburst
Saturday night, according to reports reaching here today.
The flood waters completely isolated Coyote Wells, flooding all
buildings in that vicinity. A mass of water ten feet high rushed down
the highway.
Flood
Waters Sweep into Arizona Capital Loss of Life Threatened as Result of
Downpours; Property
Date: 1921-08-22; Paper: Lexington Herald
Loss Of Life Threatened as Result of downpours; Property Damage Heavy
Phoenix, Ariz. August 21
As a result or downpour last night and today, another flood, greater,
than that of last Friday, swept down Cave Creek through the
Arizona canal and into the city of Phoenix, threatening extensive
property damage and possible loss of life.
At 8:15 o'clock tonight water entered the state.capitbL .Twenty minutes
later, the basement of the building.was full and the water had
entered the first floor. A wall of water eight feet high and several
miles wide, according to reports received at irrigation headquarters,
washed out a section of the Grand Canal, one of the largest in
the district, after sweeping the country between it and the Arizona
canal. The flood waters extended from Phoenix to Glendale. a distance
of nine miles, irrigation officials said.
Arizona
Has Big Flood. Continued Rains Cause Canal to Break
Date: 1922-01-03; Paper: Oregonian
ARIZONA HAS BIG FLOOD
CONTINUED RAINS CAUSE CANAL TO BREAK.
Waters Reported to Be Only Five Miles from Phoenix-Storm Said to Be
Continuing.
PHOENIX. Ariz., Jan. 2.—Continued rains in the Bradshaw mountains north
of Phoenix caused Cave creek to break through tho Arizona canal, the
northern boundary of the Salt river valley irrigation district, again
tonight. Flood waters
from the creek were approaching the Grand canal, the only large canal
remaining between the flood and Phoenix. The water was within
about five miles of the city. Officials of the Salt River Valley
Waterusers' association said that Ari-
zona canal banks gave way tonight at the same point where an 80-foot
break occurred during a flood a week ago. Officials said at least
twice as much water was in the flood tonight as was in that last week.
It was still storming in the
Bradshaw mountain district. Water users' association officials said
that last week's break had been temporarily repaired but that the banks
Were unable to withstand the pressure of the water tonight. They said
that all of the system's canals
in the path of the flood had beon drained in an effort to divert the
water before It reaches Phoenix.
Flash
Flood Does Heavy Damage to Arizona Town
Date: 1954-07-31; Paper: Dallas Morning News
Flash Flood Does Heavy Damage To Arizona Town
GLOBE, Ariz. (JP) .-
Shocked residents of this Eastern Arizona mining town were still
cleaning up the wreckage late Friday of a whirlwind flood that caused
an estimated $2,000,000 damage. The rampaging waters virtually
destroyed six blocks of business buildings, and left tons of muck and
mire everywhere. One hundred volunteers worked to clear the streets,
stores and homes. Cars were overturned and stores were wrecked.
National Guard units, state high-way patrolmen, police and civil
defense workers joined in an around-the-clock shift to clean up things.
Many businessmen said they suffered as much as $100,000 damage each, of
which little or none was covered by insurance. Three inches of rain
started it all Thursday night. Within an hour, as residents fled to
higher ground, the flood waters came cascading out of Six-Shooter
Canyon from the south. At one time the flood was six feet deep, and
cars were submerged. Undersheriff L. F. Quinn said no injuries were
reported.
