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<br />suffered only minor damage. The total damages caused by the flood of May 1955
<br />on the,~rkansas River and tributaries are estimated at $4,310,000, as sum-
<br />marized :in table 13. All damage estimates included in this report are ,on the
<br />basis o~ prices prevailing during the summer of 1955.
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<br />4-09. Tvoes of dama~e. The damages have been classified in this report
<br />as dama~es to movable property, damages to non-movable property, and as in-
<br />direct losses. They have been further classified by type into damages to
<br />agricultural property, transportation facilities, utilities and communi-
<br />" ,
<br />cation facilities, and urban property. Descriptions of these ,losses are
<br />included in succeeding paragraphs.
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<br />4-10. A~ricultural losses. Agricultural 10sses consisted mainly of
<br />damage to crops and pasture, and to diversion dams and canals. The prin-
<br />cipal c~ops grown in the area and affected by the flood' are ~lfalfa, corn,
<br />barley, ,and sugar beets. Most of the damage to pasture land was caused
<br />by severe scouring and sedimentation. Crop damage was the result of in-
<br />undation, sedimentation, and the interruption of irrigation due to the
<br />damage to diversion dams and canals.
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<br />4-11. Other items of agricultural damage included the loss of land
<br />from balhk erosion, farm improvements, livestook, and agricultural levees.
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<br />Most of,the land lost by bank erosion along the Arkansas River was used
<br />for pasture, while that lost along the Purgatoire River was praotically
<br />all in <!lultivation. Only a few farm buildings were damaged, but many
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<br />miles of fenoes were destroyed. Livestock losses consisted chiefly of
<br />cattle that were being pastured at the time of flooding. Some small
<br />dikes used to protect individual farms and ranohes from minor floods
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<br />were partially destroyed.
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<br />4-~2. Dama~es to transoortation facilities. Between Pueblo and
<br />the mouth of the Purgatoire River, there are 14 state and county highway
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<br />bridges' crossing the main stem of the Arkansas River. Most of these
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<br />crossinl>s suffered some degree of damage either to the approaches or the
<br />main brldge structures. In this reach four bridges were damaged seriously.
<br />Spans were washed out at five of the bridges crossing the Purgatoire River
<br />,
<br />and apPfoaches were damaged at two county crossings. Three county bridges
<br />and one, U. S. Highway 85-87 bridge were damaged by Raton Creek. Traffic
<br />was 'suspended for 11 days on U. S. Highway 85-87 because of severe road
<br />washouts.
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<br />4-~3. Damage to railroads was confined largely to the Purgatoire
<br />River and Raton Creek, where serious losses were suffered by the Santa Fe,
<br />Colorado and Southern, and Colorado and Wyoming railrOads. All traffic
<br />on the ~ain line of the Santa Fe passing through Trinidad and Raton Pass
<br />had to be rerouted through Amarillo, Texas, for nine days.
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