DESTRUCTIVE STORMS.
Heavy Losses by Recent Floods in San Luis Obispo.
[Special Correspondence of the Alta.]
San Luis Obispo, November 23d.— The evening
of the 15th inst., one of the worst storms
that ever visited our county set in. It wrought
more devastation and ruin than the county can
recover from in months. The rain came down
steadily from Sunday to Tuesday evening,
when it commenced a downpour of water,
as if trying to satisfy the many prayers
offered up by the farmers throughout the
State during the past dry season.
San Luis Obispo Creek, which runs through
the centre of this city, flowed its banks,
carrying away five of the six bridges spanning
it, and segregating one portion of the town
from the other. The Chorro-street , bridge
being iron and entirely new, will entail a
heavy loss on the city. Spinny’s restaurant
and saloon, built over the creek, was washed
away, the occupants barely escaping.
At 2 a. m. a general alarm was sounded, and every
one able turned out to aid the distressed and save
property. One of the upper bridges, in coming down
stream, struck Lineheimer Bros.’ warehouse, demolishing
it, allowing the floor to sink and the goods to
slide into the water. Continuing down stream,
the bridge collided with Mr. Hazen’s residence,
turning it completely around, and then landed in
his orchard, where it now lies. Mr. Hazen also
loses an acre of orchard land. Postmaster Simmerler’s
residence was washed away, and many other structures
along the bank of the creek took a sail ocean ward.
There were over twenty families driven from their
homes by the rush of waters, and the streets
were turned into miniature rivers. The suffering
families were cared for as fast as room could
be made by their luckier friends and
everything possible done for their comfort.
The gas mains crossing the creek were broken,
and Wednesday, the 18th instant, the town was
in darkness. At present writing there is fear of
a water famine, the reservoir and mains being
badly wrecked and the water supply cut off. The
only stages running are those on the Soledad line,
and they are very irregular, the rivers being too
high for fording and county bridges mostly gone.
The Pacific Coast Railway Company will be the
heaviest losers, all their principal bridges
and trestle are wrecked or washed away,
and over three miles of roadbed between
San Luis Obispo and Port Harford is entirely
obliterated, and in one place the track was
carried 500 yards and turned completely over.
It will be a month before a train can be run over it.
To give some idea of the rainfall 10.04 inches
fell from 5 P. M. Tuesday to 6 A. M. Wednesday.
Six hundred feet of Pismo wharf was carried away,
and it is reported Cayucos wharf is badly damaged.
The liverymen have reaped a harvest in supplying
guides and transferring passengers from San Luis
Obispo to Port Harford, the only outlet, and
only the hardiest attempt that, as the trip has
to be made horseback, and even that way it
is almost impassable on account of high rivers
and quicksands. Two horses have already been drowned,
their riders barely escaping with their lives.
The steamship agent at Port Harford reports the
bay full of wreckage, and the Portuguese fishermen
are rescuing every imaginable sort of truck,
from a haystack to a bedstead.
Your reporter ascertained the following losses,
which are only a few of the many : Spinny, $800;
Lineheimer Bros., $1,000; “The Andrews,” $800 ;
E. B. Morris, horse, $400 ; Dugai, store and
stock, not known ; R. T. Spurgeon, $350 ; E. Graves,
horse, $200 ; Nevada Market, $500.
The loss to the city will reach $20,000, while
the railroad company’s loss will go over $100,000.
The loss to families cannot be ascertained at
present, but will fall heavily on them,
as they were mostly in moderate
circumstances and some lost their all.
A rumor was afloat Friday that Superintendent
Filmore had sent to San Francisco for 500 Chinamen
to work at $1 10 per day on railroad repairs.
On the strength of this report a mass-meeting
was called, for Saturday evening at the
City Hall, to protest against their being landed.
Judge Turner being called upon to address
the meeting stated that Mr. Filmore
had authorized him to say that he had not
sent for a single Celestial ; wanted
white labor if he could get it, and
would pay $1 75 and $2 a day wages.
After this statement the meeting, without
further action, adjourned, and on Monday
morning as many white men as could be got
were put to work.
It was particularly noticed that those
who were loudest in their cries against
the P. C. R. R. Co. were conspicuous by
their absence when the work was offered them.
The indications are that the storm is not yet
over. I do not know when this will reach
you as mails are very irregular. More Anon. Rambler.