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Q . . . \ PREVIOUS FLOODS. 37 .'-~ present steel works were wa.<:IneQ 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 n~rmal of 2 inches. During a flood in, June, 1869, the river, it is said, contained an im- mense amollnt 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.'lUsed by hea"y rains. The following statement concerning this flood is taken from the Las Animas Leader of September 18 and 25, 1875 :u ' Ori September 16 a rush of water came down from Purgatory River at Las Animas, Colo, The water was IS feet higher than at any pre,'lous time' that year. The Atchison, Topeka &: Santa Fe eo.'s tracks were under water for one- half mile on each side of the Purgatory, the bridge being 3 to 4 feet under water. At Fort Lyon the water was 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, tlie "'Teatest losses being of corti wood, stacked hay. cattle, fences, ami , adobe houses. The Arknnsas above ,the mouth of the PurgatorY was also III flood ot t.his time, there belng reports of damage as far up as Pueh1o, The Aplshapn brought In a large amount of this water, anll the flood height was th.. hlghellt in 15 rears. This flood could not have been unusually high in the upper river, as the Pueblo papers did not give any great space to it. Some minor floods oc~uired 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 20-25, 1886. The rainfall. at Las Animas was 3.36 inches during July 24 and 25 and 4.66 inches for the month. or morethan'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 amI flooded the region around Pueblo. The issue of .August 11 stated tllat "a terrible and disastrous rainstorm visited Florence August 9 in the evening, lasting two hours. The Denver &; Rio ... sa Meeker. R. I.. l'urgntor,. River .dood: U. S. Geol. Survey Water~Suppl.Y Papr.r 147. p. 165, 1905. '