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. 38 THE ARKANSAS RIVER FLOOD OrJO'NE 3-.5 1921 - - ,. G:rancle is having lots of trou~le caused by the clo\1(l.burst of Friday mght. The Hardscrabble bridge washed out." That this flood was of considerable magnitude at Pueblo is inferred from the statement that the city council on August 12 appropriated $3,000 to repair and strengthen the levee. All obstructions in the channel were ordered removed. Pueblo reported 1.02 inches of rain in one hour August 9. This intense rainfall, with a temperature of 980 before the storm, indicated a clond-burst, which was local to the valley between Pueblo and Canon City. No unusual floods are recorded after 1889 until 1893. AlthouC1h '" this was the second driest year in 35 years, ,as shown by records of. I precipitation at Pueblo, the flood on July 26, 1893, seems to have been J the fourth in magnitude in three-quarters of a century. The river ; reached a stage 10 feet lower than that of 1921. The Rocky Mountain News of July 27, 1893, stated as follows: Heavy rain at Pueblo broke the levee nnd did $200,000 dnmage. ' At !) p. m. Ju~' 26 the rl\"er begnn to rise and rose 8 feet in 2 hours. A saloon standing In the levee became undermined !lnd fell into the channel. Water rushed through the break In the levee, nnd in 10 minutes the city hall was surrounded by G feet of \\"11 tel'. The crest of this flooll is snlll to hnve renched the floor of the Union Dppot. The rainfall at Pueblo was 1.36 inches on July 26 and 0.22 inch on the 27th. The precipitation for the year was 6.84 inches, as compared with a normal precipitation of 12.50 inches. The most destructive flood in the history of the Arkansas Valley prior to the flood of 1921 occurred May 30, 1894. Heary precipita- tion on May 30 and 31 extended over the' Arkansas drainage basin, , taking the form of snow at the l:igher elevations, notably on Pikes Peak and the mountains in the upper end of the basin. On the eve- ning of May 30 Salida reported that rain had fallen continuously for 36 hours and probably would continue during that night. For dura- tion and volume the storm at that point exceeded anything in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. ,At the same time Florence reo ported that rain had fallen for the preceding 24 hours and that the amount was estimated at 3 to 4 inches. Castle Rock and Palmer Lake reported rain on May 30. The rainfall on the 30th and 31st at Pueblo was 3.02 inches and at Canon City on the 29th and 30th 5.06 inches. The following account of the flood is printed in the Rocky Mountain News of May 31, 1894, in a communication dated at Pueblo Mny 30: In consequence of an nU-day downpour of rain such as has not occurred in this '\'Olley in 20 )'ear5,' the Arlmnsas River to-ni;:bt came up amI broke tbe levees in four places on the north siue amI two on the south sille. FJverythlng is a sea of water from lTnion Aycnuevlnduct to the PO"t office. AU business cellars are filled in that territory, mHl the water is oyer the floors from G inches