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<br />PURGATOIRE (PICKET WIRE) RIVER, COLO.
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<br />flood. The resulting damages were similar but of less 'magnitude.
<br />Public utility, commuuication, and transportation installations were
<br />again severely damaged. Two city bridges were completely de-
<br />stroyed, two others were in danger of collapsi11l;, and if the remaining
<br />two had failed, vehicular traffic across the rlverwould have been
<br />disrupted. Railroad facilities were severely hampered by the failure
<br />'of one bridge approach and erosion of the stream embankment. A
<br />flood damage survey for this flood indicated that the direct and in,
<br />direct damages were $400,000. A tabulation of flood damages in
<br />Trinidad resulting from the April 1942 flood is given in table No.7,
<br />appendix C.' '
<br />46. Floods of comparatively small volume such as the one of July
<br />1925, which produced the third largest peak discharge of record, do
<br />not cause very extensive damages in the urban area. Flood damages
<br />for this flood were estimated ns $85,000, Discharges of less than
<br />15,000 cubic feet per second do not cause damage by overflow within
<br />the city, although damage by lateral erosion occurs at these lesser
<br />discharges. ' ,
<br />' 47. In addition to the tangible damages resulting from the major
<br />floods at Trinidad, the int,angible losses' not suseeptible of evaluation
<br />because of the nature of the losses, were large. These intangible
<br />losses included such items as humsn suffering, loss of life, injury and
<br />exposure durin!? floods, inconvcniencc during the period of rehabilita-
<br />tion, interruptIOn of tmffic inside and outside the flooded areas,'
<br />impairment of sanitary conditions, and interruption of utility services
<br />to unfloodcd areas. A greater portion of the intangible losses would
<br />be sustained during major floods, There is an uneonfirmed report of
<br />1 drowning due to the failure of a railway bridge near Trinidad during
<br />the flood of 1886, and of the loss of 22 Ii ves in another flood. It is
<br />probable that the latter catnstrophe occurred 011 1 ef the tributary
<br />streams above the eity, and apparently resulted from an intense local
<br />storm which produced a sudden rise in the canyon, as it was stated
<br />that bridges and houses were also destroyed. A daily newspaper
<br />printed in Trinidad, following the flood of September 30, 1904, carried
<br />a comment that the most rem8l'kable thing about the flood was the
<br />absenee of fatalities among human beings. There was no loss of life
<br />during the flood of April 1942, but as the peak discharge of this flood
<br />occurred during hours when the majoiity of the people were asleep
<br />and it was not greD,t enough to menace seriously the residential section,
<br />the danger of accident and drowning was substantially less,
<br />48. Flood damages, agricultural.-The major portion of the agricul-
<br />tural area lies between, Trinidad snd Alfalfa.' The United States
<br />Geological Survey Water Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 147 gives
<br />the estimated losses for the 1904 flood in this portion of the valley
<br />as $25,000 and states that fences and hay were washed away, cattle
<br />and hogs drowned, and minor damages sustained. Agricultural
<br />damages sustained as a result of the April 1942 flood were estimated
<br />as $130,200. A tabulation of (,he agricultural losses for the April
<br />1942 flood is given in table No.7, appendix C.' "
<br />49. In the agricultural areas of the valley between the mouth of
<br />Long Canyon and Alfalfa; the losses resulting from large,magnitude
<br />floods have been small in comparison with those at Trinidad. ,As a
<br />result of the April 1942 flood, channel capacities have increased and
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<br />1 Not printed.
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