<br />Facsimile a~ticle from the G~eeley Sun, Wednesday, May 31, 1876.
<br />
<br />ERIE
<br />
<br />UNDER
<br />
<br />CoalCrc"k, says Che B<lUl_
<br />der Ne~s, commanded ~espect
<br />and inspi~cd Cerrot On Mon-
<br />day last, if neVer before.
<br />Aboutnoon the streets of
<br />E~ie began to fill ~ith wat~
<br />er, "nd before an hou~ had
<br />elapsed houses were flooded,
<br />and thewholl!fl;tItonwhich
<br />the town is located was
<br />swept by "muddy, roaring
<br />flood, oV"ra quarcerofa
<br />mile in width.
<br />People were not deficient
<br />10 bravery or Coolness.
<br />MerChants, standing in the
<br />rising water, piled their
<br />goods high on the shelves
<br />when the waves dashed again-
<br />stthebuilding with a fury
<br />thatmade the whole struc-
<br />ture quake and tremble.
<br />People wadedth'rough the
<br />boiling flood with children
<br />on their shoulders, when the
<br />eu~~ent threatened eve~y mO-
<br />ment to dash their feet f~om
<br />beneath them and to hurl
<br />them helpless and d~owning
<br />down the roaring tide.
<br />At th~ee o'clOCk p.m., the
<br />flood attained its highest
<br />point. Out-houses, sheds,
<br />chicken-coops, etc., went
<br />careenng do"", the stream.
<br />Doors and windows wErl! wnn-
<br />ched open in so"", of the
<br />houses, and aaid(>s of
<br />fu~nit"~,,, bedding, et(>.,
<br />washed out with resistless
<br />fo~cc. J.T. Williams' d~el-
<br />ling. ahout 16x26, WaS w~sn~
<br />ed irom its foundation
<br />turn~d I'dl [ dfound, and
<br />fOfCed neady agai.nst M.&.J.
<br />
<br />-23--
<br />
<br />Flood of 1891
<br />
<br />WATER
<br />
<br />The flood in the spring of 1891 was also caused by rapid Snowmelt in
<br />the mountains and heavy gcner~l rains according to a report prepa~ed by the
<br />Corps of Engineers in 1945. No original sourCe material conce~ning this
<br />flood has been found, and no copies of the Erie Canfield Independent,
<br />published during this pe~iod, are known to exist.
<br />
<br />HormJn's clot.hing house.
<br />The railroad g~ade above
<br />town gave way, together with
<br />the b~idge. The track and
<br />tics were lifted and deposi-
<br />ted intack about th~ee hun-
<br />dred feet f~om their origi-
<br />nal position, in the form of
<br />an elbow. Probably seventy
<br />fods of rails and ties, ex-
<br />tending from the Boulder
<br />Valley Coal Works across to
<br />the high 13nd on the othe~
<br />si.de, were thus disposed of,
<br />making a new track, with
<br />scarcely a tie missing or a
<br />rail b~oken.
<br />In the swift current John
<br />Thoroas stumbled and [ell
<br />~ith a child of 11~. Robe~t
<br />Summers. Rising from the
<br />muddy water, Mr. T. grabb"d
<br />the coat in which the child
<br />had just been enveloped, but
<br />she was not th"~e. IInoth,,~
<br />glance r"vealed his Charge a
<br />number of feet below,
<br />gasping in the boiling
<br />flood. A f<,w desperate
<br />plunges ~esto~ed he~ to his
<br />arms, but to nound~r out of
<br />the ~oa~ing clement, ,axed
<br />his energiea to the utmoH.
<br />He placed his better half
<br />high on his should~r, did
<br />Johnllincs, to.aveherlife
<br />and to hep her f~om getting
<br />wot; but, stepping on 3
<br />frisky oyster can, hepl\Jn-
<br />ged the ~ife of hi. bosom
<br />headlong into th~ seething
<br />wate~~. Then, in spite of
<br />dan~er, in spite ~f ~very-
<br />tlting, p('opl~ smi l,.>d .,le"d.
<br />
<br />i
<br />i
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />,
<br />,
<br />i
<br />I
<br />
<br />Flood of June 1896
<br />
<br />This flood was ~epo~ted by the Co~ps to b<, the
<br />the pa~t of the Coal C~eek valley nea~ LouIsville,
<br />damages repo~ted by the Corps of Engineers fo~ this
<br />
<br />highest of ~oco~d in
<br />13
<br />Colo~ado .
<br />
<br />flood were
<br />
<br />Flood
<br />14
<br />as follows'
<br />
<br />Above Supedor
<br />Supe~lo~ to Erie
<br />InEde
<br />Be10wErie
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />,"0
<br />
<br />19,760
<br />9,760
<br />5,850
<br />
<br />TOTAL
<br />
<br />$36,350
<br />
<br />No issues of the Erie Independent, whiCh may have a description of this
<br />event, could be found. However, an tnterview with a Mr. C.C. Montgomery
<br />du,t"g tl,,-, early 1970'a rev~"l~.l .0Ille infor",..ti"" pro"ol"ly "bout tl.~ noo<1
<br />of JUM 1896:
<br />
<br />Among his memories of an unusual eYent of his past waS a
<br />flood du~ing the 1890'a ",hen he waS" actall boy 1 ivinf\ in
<br />Erie. He and his mother had gone to Boulder in a horse ~nd
<br />buggy to do some errands. It ...as a Ye~y bad flood and kept
<br />him and his mether in Boulde~ fo~ about a we"k. 15
<br />
<br />13", ~" .
<br />vn\t~~ ~tate Engln~er
<br />
<br />Office, AppendixU, pages 28-29.
<br />
<br />14.~. ,
<br />~. App~ndlx IV, page 24.
<br />
<br />I5~ "
<br />~oelOLogy
<br />
<br />and Hi~tory elasaes of E~ie High School, Edition 2, page 5.
<br />
<br />..24-
<br />
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