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Page: of 283
44 FEBRUARY 20, 1857 NEVADA JOURNAL
general confidence in the strength of the dam was such that most of those who were accustomed to do so,
slept in their houses near the stream, as usual.
About four o’clock Sunday morning, a tremendous crash and tumult awakened those of our citizens
who reside in the lower part of the town, and on rushing out of doors, they saw a body of water fifteen
feet in heighth rushing down toward them, filled with timbers, planks and drift wood, and bearing
everything before it in its course. There was no time to think of property or clothing, or anything but life.
Messrs. Boswell & Hanson who were sleeping in their store by the Main street bridge, rushed half naked
into the street, leaving their watches and a considerable amount of money in their rooms. The scene is
described by eye witnesses as being terrific in the extreme. Large buildings such as the store of Boswell
& Hanson, and [the] boarding house on the opposite side of the creek, were carried bodily along, only
falling to pieces when they reached the rapids below. The roaring of the water, the crash of falling houses,
the darkness of the night and the howling of the storm, combined to render the scene imposing and
magnificent—to one who had no property thereabouts to be affected by the flood.
The damage occasioned by this accident within the town limits is itself considerable. Boswell &
Hanson lost their store with a large and valuable stock of goods, and their money and watches. One half
of the Monumental Hotel, owned by S. W. Grush was undermined and shattered though not carried
entirely away. Wait & Co.’s blacksmith shop, wagon shop of Mr. Whitmarsh, the feed store of L. S. Ely,
the houses of David Belden and of Niman & McElroy were swept off and destroyed. All the bridges over
Deer creek except the Pine street bridge, a very high one, were carried off.
Below we give a rough estimate of the losses sustained within the town:
Boswell & Hansonh.....cccccccccceeeseseeeseeeees $25,000
A. T. Laird, reservoirs, &C.........0cceeceeenes 15,000
City of Nevada, bridges..........cceeeseeeee 5,000
Wait & Co., blacksmith shop &c............... 2,000
Niman & McElroy, house &C....... cee 1,500
L.S. Ely, grain... ceeceeseeseeeesseeseeseeeees 1,500
David Belden, house................ccccceesseeeeeees 700
From above and below the town, we have not as yet received full information of the losses
sustained. From what we have heard we know they were extensive. We hear rumors of Quartz mills
carried away, and dams, flumes and mining claims filled up and otherwise injured. We have as yet
received no reliable accounts of lives lost, but many miner’s cabins were swept off, and it is probable that
some unfortunate persons were overtaken by the flood before they could make their escape. All the cabins
on Stocking’s Flat were carried off. The force of the water could hardly have been spent before it reached
the Yuba, and we shall expect to hear of additional losses for some time to come. The following is an
estimate of losses along the creek as far as already heard from:
Gold Tunnel Quartz Mill... eee $8,000
Eagle Saw Mill, damage.......... cece 5,000
Wyoming Quartz Millio... eeeeereeeetees 5,000
Deer Creek Saw Mill........cccccccssseeseeereeees 2,000
Rough & Ready Water co., dam & flume.... 1,500
The dams and ditches of the consolidated water company were considerably injured by the flood.
We have heard their losses variously estimated at from ten to fifteen thousand dollars. We presume this
estimate includes the am’t of their probable loss of water until the ditches can be repaired. At the claims
of J. R. Crosman on Deer creek, above, a dam was carried away, the sluice boxes destroyed, and ditch
filled up at a loss of $1,200; McCoy & Co., on Mosquito creek, lost two dams, sluices, &c. Probable loss
$1000. We are convinced these are but a portion of the casualties caused by this unfortunate breakage.