Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1903 — CLOUDBURST ENGULFS X TOWN; OVER 300 ARE SWEPT TO DEATH [ARTICLE]

CLOUDBURST ENGULFS X TOWN; OVER 300 ARE SWEPT TO DEATH

Heppner, Ore., Practically Wiped Out in a Moment, with Property,Loss of Fully $1,000,000. TORRENT SWEEPS A GULCH Bowlders Weighing a Ton Are Carried In Current, Crushing Those Who Escape Death by Drowning—Corpses Piled Many Deep at Bends in Stream. Word, was received in Portland MonJ 4ay that the little town of Heppner, Ore., was destroyed by a tor spent Sunday evening and that between 400 and 300 live* were lost. Only meager reports were received, but as it was stated that 105 bodies were recovered by 5 o'clock in the morning, the belief was held that the disaster is one of the worst known In the Pacifie eoaat States. Quickly following the cyclones in Missouri and lowa, the floods at; Kansas City, Topeka and other points, the cyclone at Gainesville, and the Hood at Spartanburg, involving an aggregate loss of 416 lives, cotnes the news of a cloudburst and consequent flood at the little town of Heppner. Ore., by which nearly 400 lives have lieen lost. Fatalities of this kind have been so common during the last, four weeks that they almost have ceased ;o attract more than pass inf attention. The world is becoming familiar with horrors, bo fast do they tread upon each other’s heels. Heppner is a town of about 1.250 inhabitants, the seat of Morrow County. Oregon, at the terminus of a branch of the Oregon ltailroad and Navigation Company. Farming and stock raising are the chief industries.

Ceased by Clondhursts. Willow creek, which is given as the cause of the disaster, is ordinarily a small stream aud early reports indicate the flood was caused by either one or two cloudbursts. It is said the waterspout descended on the town shortly after 6 o’clock Sunday evening. The torrent rushed down Willow creek, causing the stream to overflow its banks and spread over the doomed village so suddenly that few of the inhabitants had a chance for their lives. News of the disaster came to Portland from lone and Arlington, which had telephone communication with Heppner. The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company general offices received a telegram from lone stating that rhe company's station at Heppner was washed away by a flood and that many people were drowned. Later advices from Arlington estimated the loss of life at more than 400. The flood came so suddenly that escape was impossible. Rushing down the gulch in which the town is situated, a twentyfoot wall of water engulfed everything but a few business blocks on high ground. Bowlders of a ton ia weight were carried down by the current, and many who escaped drowning were killed by being dasbed against them. A heavy rain followed the cloudburst, small streams overflowed their banks, bridges were swept away like straws, and the fall of darkness made the situation still more appalling. Though the town is the seat of Morrow County and has a population of 1,250, so complete was the destruction and f-o difficult the roads that news of the disaster did not reach the outside world until the next morning, when mounted couriers reached neighboring villages to beseech their assistance. The cloudburst had been preceded by heavy rains all day, and about 5 iu the afternoon by a violent electrical storm. The crashing of the thunder drowned the roar of tha approaching torrent which, although it was seen before it actually struck the town, was moving so rapidly that escape was Impossible. As soon as the water had subsided sufficiently the work of relief commenced by the surviving citizens. In the darkness and heavy rain it progressed slowly, but with the dawn scores of bodies were found. As soon as neighboring towns were notified help began to be rushed in from every direction.

Town la Beep Volley. Heppner is the center of a large farming and stock-growing country. The town is built on the banks of Willow creek, in the neighborhood of the converging point of. four other mountain streams that drain a large area of roiling and hilly country, , reaching from three to twenty miles to the foothills and along the course Of Willow creek itself for a distance of twenty-five miles to the base of the Bfue Mountains, To the east and west of the town, running southwest and southeast, respectively, until they empty into Willow creek, are two deep gulches, which run back some three miles along the foothills as they narrow to form the valley in which the town is located. Flowing almost directly south to Willow creek and joining a half mile or so above the town is Balm creek, which drains, in its course to the foothills, for a distance of fifteen miles, a wide region' es hilly country. _ _ Next comes the main water course. Willow creek, with an immense area of drainage that extends northeast for a distance of twenty-five miles to the Blue Mountains. Tha greater part of the business and residence section of the town'tying to the went es the creek is a low bottom, covering an area of 1,500 to 1,200 feet