Heppner, OR Cloudburst Sweeps Away Towns, June 1903

CLOUDBURST SWEPT AWAY ATOWN OF HEPPNER, OREGON.

FULLY 250 PEOPLE DROWNED IN A TERRIBLE FLOOD -- 105 BODIES ARE RECOVERED -- ONRUSH OF THE WATER COULD NOT BE HEARD IN THE ROAR OF THE STORM -- SPECIAL TRAINS LEAVE FOR SCENE OF DEVASTATION.

Spokane, June 15. -- Special telephone advices to the Chronicle from Arlington, Ore., state that the town of Heppner was destroyed by a great flood of water which rushed down Willows Creek between 6 and 7 o'clock last evening. Reports from Ione state that from 350 to 500 people are believed to have been drowned. At 5 a.m. it was reported that 105 bodies had been found. WIres are down and only meagre reports of the disaster have been brought out by messengers.
Heppner is a town of about 1,200 inhabitants, the seat of Morrow county, Oregon, at the terminus of a branch of the Oregon Railway and Navigatioin company. Farming and stock raising are its chief industries.
Willows creek which is given as the cause of the disaster is ordinarily a small stream and early reports indicate the flood was caused by either one or two cloudbursts.

Portland, June 15. -- The general offices of the O. R. & N. received a report from Ione this morning that the company's depot at Heppner was washed away by a cloudburst last night and that many people of the town were drowned.

Portland, Ore., June 15. -- A telephone message from Arlington, Ore., a station on the main line of the O. R. & N., about forty miles from Heppner, says that a cloudburst occurred at Willow creek, above the town of Heppner, last evening between 6 and 7 o'clock. It is reported that between 300 and 500 people were drowned but the report cannot be veified as wires into the town are down.
Heppner is situated in a gulch and a cloudburst would cover a large part of the town. It is generally believed that the reports of loss of life are exaggerated, as the entire population of the town is only 1,200. The message from Ione says that among the drowned are DR. McSWARDS, and the family of G. A. ROY. It is also reported that the village of Lexington has been swept away. The O. & R. N. [sic] has sent a relief train from The Dalles.

Portland, June 15. -- The following dispatch was received from Heppner by the Oregonian at 1 p.m.: "Two-third of Heppner was swept away yesterday evening by a terrible flood. Fully 250 people were drowned. The weather is hot today and the bodies cannot be recovered on account of lack of men. The business portion of the town is left with small damage. Outside help is needed to bury the dead and clear the wreckage away."
Preparations for relief of the stricken community are in progress at various points, from Portland to Pendleton. The O. R. & N. dispatched a relief train from The Dalles at 12:30 and at 1:30 p.m. another train will leave this city, carrying Supt. O'BRIEN and a party of engineers. Dozens of wagons with supplies and doctors are being sent to Heppner from nearby places where there is no rail communications.

Spokane, Wash., June 15. -- A mighty wall of water rushed down the valley of Willows creek, about 5:30 p.m. yesterday, and swept through the town of Heppner, Ore., dealing death and destruction in its path. The dead are estimated to number from 350 to 500. The property loss is reckoned at $1,000,000. Heppner is situated in the narrow valley of Willows creek.
Advices to the Chronicle state that a great storm was raging yesterday afternoon. About 5:30 yesterday a cloudburst occurred a short distance above Heppner, and a wall of water, like the Columbia river, rushed down the valley. The roar of the storm deadened the roar of the water, and the people had no warning of the flood. Suddenly it rushed through the town, sweeping houses from their foundations and drowning the people in the wrecks of their homes.
Dead bodies were borne down the valley. Scores are still unaccounted for. At last reports 105 bodies had been recovered, and it is feared that three of four times this number perished.
At Lexington, Ore., some houses were wrecked, but no one was drowned.
At Ione one house was wrecked. The railway, telegraph and telephone lines were badly damaged in the valley. The flood at Heppner subsided quickly. The residence district, suffered most, though the business section was flooded. Advices at noon state that the county authorities are taking care of the sufferers. Besides the dead, from 100 to 200 people are reported injured. A partial list of the dead follows:
JAMES MATLOCK.
MRS. THOMAS MATTOCK and children.
JAMES JONES and family.
GUY BOYD and family.
GEORGE INSLEY and family.
MRS. TADDBERG.
HAROLD JONES and family.
MRS. ASPAUGH.
MRS. CHARLES CURTIS and baby.
CASS MATLOCK.
LAWYER PHELPS and family.
JOHN AYERS.
The agent of the O. R. & N. Co. and wife.
KELLY BASLEY.
WILLIAM BOWEN'S family.

Arlington, Ore., June 15. -- A message from Heppner says three hundred were drowned in the cloudburst. The water ran one hour and a half. It came down in a might torrent, sweeping everything before it. Among the drowned are: THOMAS HOWARD and family; KRUG and family; BOB QUINDS and family; MR. and MRS. DAWSON; JAMES JONES and family; DR. McSWARD; family of C. A. RHEA; MR. CARR'S family; MRS. CHARLES ANDREWS and child; ______ WELLS; DR. YIEGER; JOHN AYERS; several Chinese; BEN PATTISON and wife; GEORGE NOBLE and family; occupants of the Heppner hotel; MATLOCK family; DR. RIGG'S child; MISS ELLIOTT; MRS. ELDER; BILL COHEN and family; REDFIELD, an attorney, and family; WILLIAM WALTON and family.
The people were caught in their houses with no chance of escape. Heavy rain had been falling all afternoon and the residents were in their houses. Without warning a terrific wall of water came down the creek and the next moment the houses were wrecked. Many were killed outright. Others were drowned after heroic efforts to save themselves. Bridges were swept away like so many matches and all means of communication by wire were destroyed.
Messengers arriving at this place report the scenes the most awful to imagine. The fact that the accident occurred just before nightfall made it the more disastrous, as little relief could be carried on during the cover of darkness.
A number of wool buyers from Boston are supposed to have been at Heppner when the cloudburst occurred and it is supposed they perished.
GEORGE H. WILLIAMS received this dispatch: "Lexington, Ore., June 15. -- Cloudburst occurred last evening. Large part of town destroyed. Help needed.
(Signed) S. E. MATSON, Mayor."
Mayor WILLIAMS immediately wired the following reply: "What do you need, money or provisions? Give more details."
It is impossible to communicate direct with Heppner as all telegraph and telephone wires have been destroyed along Willow Creek.

The Ogden Standard Utah 1903-06-15

Ione, Ore., June 16. -- A list of the dead or missing, as near as could be ascertained last night is as follows:
JAMES MATLOCK; MRS. TOM MATLOCK; J. S. HOCKEL and two children; son of WM. AYERS; W. W. ALLEN wife and daughter; MANDY JONES; MRS. JAMES JONES; A. C. GEIGER; PERCY DAWSON baby and two boys; MRS. NORA FLOREIN; MRS. ADA CURTIS and baby; MRS. C. E. REDFIELD; BLANCHE REDFIELD; _______ KERNAN; VASHTIA ANDREWS; PEARL JONES and family; JAMES WILLIS; FRED KRUG wife and four children; MR. and MRS. DAWSON and four children; STOLIER family; TOM HOWARD wife and three children; McBRIDE family of six; HARRIMAN wife and father of Long Creek; LIPSIT and child; ABE WELLS and wife; MRS. ASHBAUGH and six children; DR. McSWARD; CHRISMAN; GEORGE THORNTON wife and child; MRS. KEITHLEY and grandson; MR. and MRS. GUNN; MRS. PADBERG; MAUDE LEFFLER and mother; GROVER WRIGHT; MR. and MRS. LONG and five children; ORA ROBERTS; MAUDE KEITHLEY; MRS. ROBERT HYND and two children; FRED OXLEY; ALICE BOYLUS; WILBER BEARD and family; FLORENCE FRENCH; ZEDDA McDONALD; NELLIE HOWARD; FRED WILLIS; ED ROOD wife and baby; PRES LOONEY; MRS. HENBY; R. O. HART and wife; JENKINS family; CHARLES MACLARY'S child of Pendleton; MRS. ESTES and daughter; EUNICE BRIGGS; MRS. CLYDE WELLS; ANDREW PETERSEN of Hillsboro; ____ KELLEY small boy; J. J. HARRIS; MRS. WOODWARD; MRS. N. DAVIS; MRS. ELIZABETH WILLS and daughter; MRS. ADAMS; family of GEORGE S. WAGGERT; D. JAMES wife and daughter; J. L. MYERS; T. W. AYERS; MRS. BEACH HYND; HAZEL HYND; MRS. GUY BOYD; FISCHER of Spray; MRS. C. L. ANDREWS and four children; DR. K. F. VAUGHAN and wife; MRS. C. A> RHEA; MISS BOYD ESTES; MRS. Wm. MYERS, JR. and four children: MRS. ABRAMSICK and daughter; MRS. J. WOODWARD; BANKS and wife; JOHN STEER of Portland; W. A. PETERSON; J. M. COOLEY; Assessor W. L. DALING and wife; MRS. GIRURCH; B. GENTRY; three Japanese; seven Chinese; MRS. GUERDANE; GEO KENTZLEY and wife; MRS. O. G. BOYD and three children; A. S. WELD; HARRY WELLS; GEORGE WELLS; MRS. CLYDE WELLS; MRS. CURTIS and child; MRS. NORA ADKINS; baby of J. K. CARRUD; MRS. DAVE HAMILTON and two daughters; HARRY HANDLEY and wife, mother and child; BERTHA FRISLOW; MRS. LUMSHEA; JAMES WILLIS and two children; WILLIAM DAWSON and wife.
In addition to the foregoing are twenty babies and strangers that were not identified.
JIM KERNAN; McBRIDE family; ZEDDA McDOWELL; MRS. H. R. BAIRD and three children; MRS. CLARENCE ANDREWS and three children.

The Ogden Standard Utah 1903-06-16
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!