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. \ . . PREVIOUS FLOODS. 37 --'~ present steel works were wa.s!fecT away. No loss of life was re- ported. No records of precipitation covering the period of the flood are available. A flood during May, 1867, caused the removal of Fort Lyon to a point 17 miles farther west. The rainfall for May was 4.84 inches, as compared with a normal of 2 inches. During a flood in. June, 1869, the river, it is said, contained an im- mense amonnt of water. The files of the Pueblo Chieftain contain notes concerning several floods during 1875, of which the largest was on September 16 and was c:lllsed by heavy rains. The following statement concerning this flood is taken from the Las Animas Leader of September 18 and 25, 1875 :13 ' Ori September 16 a rush of water came down from Purgatory River at Las Animas, Colo. The water was 5 feet higher than at any pre\'lous time' that year. Tbe Atchison, Topeka &: Santa Fe Coo's tracks were under water for one- balf mile on each side of the Purgntolj", the bridge being 3 to 4 feet under water. At Fort Lyon the water wus 4 feet higher than eyer known before. The bottom land between the bridge and the post trader's (a distance of three-fourths of a mile) was a swift, raging flood. Up the Purgatory considerable damage was done, tlle l,'l"eatest losses being of cOrUwooll, stacked hay. mttle, fenCl!s, an,( adobe houses. The Arkansas above ,the mouth of tbe PurgntorY was also III flood at this time, there being reports of damage as far up as Puehlo. The Aplshupa tcrought In a large amount of this water, and the flood helgbt was th.. highest in 15 rears. This flood could not have been unusually high in the upper river, as the Pueblo papers did not give any gl'eat space to it. Some minor floods occutred during July and August, 1880, and August, 1881. For 1880 the few available rainfall records show nearly twice the normal amount during the flood months, and for 1881 the Pikes Peak record showed nearly three times the normal rainfall during August. A flood of considerable magnitude in the Arkansas and Purgatoire near Las Animas occurred July 2~25, 1886. The rainfall at Las Animas was 3.36 inches during July 24 and 25 and 4.66 inches' for the month. or more than'twice the normal. This flood was not severe at , Puebl~, as the newly established gaging station showed a maximum , of only 3,080 second-feet on July 21. The rainfall at Pueblo for July was only 0.39 inch. The next flood recorded was that of August 10, 1889. The Denver Republican of that date s~ated that rain: began falling about 5.30 p. m. August 9 and flooded the region around Pueblo. The issue of August 11 stated that" a terrible and disastrous rainstorm visited Florence August 9 in the evening, lasting two hours. The Denver &; Rio L-- 11 j\JC'cker, R. I.. Purgatory ni'V~r Boad: U. S. Geo!. Survey Water-Supply P3p~r 147, p. 165, ] 905.