Collection: Directories and Documents > Nevada County News & Advertisments

About This Item:

Title: 1857 Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Nevada County News & Advertisments # of Pages: 283 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-14 06:12:32 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:07:04 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:07:04

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 283  

NEVADA DEMOCRAT FEBRUARY 18, 1857 31 COURT OF SESSIONS.—The proceedings of this Court for the past week will be found on our third page. The trial of Snodgrass, who was supposed to be a partner of Gehr, in robbing McClanahan, excited considerable interest. The evidence was conclusive as to Gehr being one of the men that committed the robbery; but Snodgrass was not identified as being the other, and the jury found a verdict of not guilty. Breaking of a Reservoir—Loss of Property. A serious calamity, involving a heavy loss of property, occurred in this place on Sunday morning. Sometime during the latter part of the night, the large dam which was recently built by Mr. Laird, about six miles above this place, gave way, and between four and five o’clock an immense volume of water came rushing down Deer creek, sweeping everything before it. The water raised about fifteen feet above the usual high-water mark, and rushed down so furiously that scarcely a vestige of any thing was left along the creek that came within its range. The two bridges, at the foot of Broad and Main streets, Boswell & Hanson’s store, about one half of the Monumental Hotel, Ely’s feed store, Mr. Wait’s blacksmith shop and four or five other houses, were carried away. Messrs. Boswell & Hanson are the heaviest losers. Their store was full of goods, and they ran out, when they heard the roaring of the water, in their night clothes, leaving their watches and money under their heads. In less than half a minute after they got into the street, their store was floating down the creek. The lower bridge was also carried off, and Pine street bridge was so much damaged as to render it impassable for teams. There is now no way for wagons or stages to leave the town to go below. Several miner’s cabins above and below Nevada, and the Gold Tunnel quartz mill were swept away. Pleasant Flat, about three miles below this place, was submerged, but we understand no lives were lost at that place. It is probably that some lives may have been lost, but as yet we have heard of none. Considerable damage must have been done to mining claims for a long distance down Deer creek, and fears were entertained that Marysville would be overflowed when the flood reached that place. As far down Deer creek as has been heard from, the water raised nearly as much as it did at this place. ... Below is a list of the losses sustained in this place. The damage to flumes and mining claims must be heavy, and will probably amount to as much in the aggregate as was sustained in town. Boswell & Hanson, $25,000 City of Nevada, bridges, 5,000 S. W. Grush, Monumental Hotel, 5,000 Gold Tunnel quartz mill, 3,000 Wait & Co. 1,800 J. S. Ely, feed store, 1,500 Mr. Whitmash, wagon shop, 1,000 Niman & McElroy, house, 1,000 D. Belden, house, 700 THE BRIDGES.—The Board of Trustees have contracted with Mr. Palmer, for the repair of Pine street bridge, for the sum of four hundred dollars. The other bridges cannot be re-built by the town at present, without some change in the city charter. The cost of building new bridges at the foot of Broad and Main streets, would be about four thousand dollars, which, added to the present debt of the city, would exceed the limit of five thousand dollars, as fixed by the act of incorporation. Pine street bridge will be repaired in a few days so that teams can cross upon it.