The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-10-29

and the receipt Of freight or
passengers for Memphis for the present. DR..
Waters is appointed health officer on
Memphis trains. Regular trains on Memphis
railroad! commence to-day. As
MURCIA'SIl DESTRUCTION.
The Devastation Caused BY tho Recent
Floods-A Graphic account fthe Terrible
,. Visitation. s. # &i a2I
A dispatch from London says: Full new
has been brought to the papers this morning of
the terrible floods that have devastated the val
leys of the Mundo and Segura. Murciais little
known to travellers in Spain, for the Mediter-
ranean steamers touch at Alicante. to the north
of it, and ut Cartageua, to the south of it. The
is full of Moorish "Reminiscences. The
architectural designs of its cathedral, the has
reliefs and heavy stone statues in its passages,
its horse-shoe-formed windows, it's slender
spire, recall the days when the town was one of
the chief Moorish possessions in Spain. The
summer has been unusually hot. Even
this torrid region had known no such heat for
q generation. For months not q cloud had
been seen, ,,,.. . ..;. s,...-. 81 pr q
NOT A DROP OF RAIN had FALLEN aF f.
The very dust had not had power to raise itself
from the road. The river had been as the
Spaniards say, bled. and to such a degree that
its life seemed extinct: Carriages would drive
along its empty bed, through banks of tall
bamboos. On Tuesday last few people ~ventur-s
ed into the streets during the daytime, but in
the evening there was q general movement of
carriages and passengers toward the Alameda,
which stands high, and from which the view
extends over the river and the ~Campagna as far
as the hills. It was about 10 o'clock when the
approach of a cold and biting wind was felt
from the direction of C%artagena. The sky
tlouded over. In an instant there was a gather
rgup of fans and mantillas, and the crowd
urned hastily homeward. Soon thestorm was
bowling over the town and amid the streets,
and tore through the houses. It increased in
violence every minute. The rain seemed to be
falling in broad sheets of water. No such
tempest had been seen within the memory of
the Inhabitants. Shortly after midnight the
serene (~watchman) was going his rounds, when,
rs he passed over the bridge that leads to the
plaza and divides the town into two portions,
he saw ....... =
A BLACK STREAM OF WATER "1z s.
rushing between the arches. He found that
the river was rising rapidly. 1t had already
overlooked the banks, and was stealthily climb
ing over the stone parapet which protects the
frontage. The Waterman knew that no time
was to be lost. he hurried to a clock-tower
which gives signals of fire and other catastro.
Plies to dwellers by the water SIDE, and set the
bell in motion. Instantly the inhabitants
rushed into the streets. Few of them had
time to do more than snatch up q little cloth
ing. Down the main street, the Gale del Ca
balleros, rushed afrighted women. Bands of
swarthy Gitanos, swarmed from the Gypsies'
quarters, peasants, in Their blue velvet jackets,
STOOD H~ELPIEssLY ma II
in the principal promenade. The authorities
at once proceeded to organize assistance for
that part of the own which was lying beneath
the level of the flood. We walked about"
says one of the sufferers, 1--WE could hear the
distant roar of the water tearing past in the
inundation breaking into the Streets" Sud-
denly all the gaslights went ont. Then every
body knew that the food vas advancing. From
street and square, from balcony and housetop
cane the cry, 1.-THE water is rising!' The
confusion was unparalleled. Through gardens,
were pouring in a confused, struggling mass,
all with the one idea of
QUITTING THE TOWN,
and outstripping the food. In the suburbs of
San Benito and San Lorenzo, before half tho
people could get out of their beds, they had the
water over the lower floors of their houses. The
church doors were soon forced open by the
flood, which went on its way laden with broken
stools and altar ornaments, with vestments of
priests and red tunics of chOristers. It invaded
the nunneries and hermitages, the o~ratories and
converts, sweeping from their inches the
carved images of saints. It poured into the
cavalry barracks, where the soldiers could be
seen running up and. down stairs with their
ror1r ! q p,r1oN thar oYNnc IL oJxrkalf TIA
great Episcopal palace and the colleges of st.
Fulgentius and st. Isidore. Many of the public
buildings and institutions it spared as it swept
on to the railway. Here it ..,r
E-xrINGU1sHED THE LIGHTS
and lamps that were, burning on the bare
ground outside, and carried away the small
open air Bullets, where fruit, drinking water
and ~anisette were sold. It tore up the sheds
and entertainments, destroying telegraph pests
and tearing up rails. During this terrible
night" said a townsman, ''our authorities,
and, in particular, our admirable civil guards,
worked with a will to rescue women and chill
dren. They had to work by such Iglimmering
light as their torches would yield. Sometimes
they were knee deep. more often they were up
to their waists in water. The ''At7
-A. g.. GALLANT FELLOWS 81 ""~'
waded into the submerged street, Selling such
fugitives as they met, half drowned and fright
ened out of their wits, calming others who
were screaming at the windows, and encourag-
ing those who rushed about wildly on the house
tops, until boats, barges, and even carriages
could be brought into use, and the inhabitants
saved from abodes that were momentarilv
Threatened with ruin. Several times during
the night was heard the crash of '"" &Af :
FALLING HOUSES,
and splintered trees, and above the noise rose
the wailing shrieks of unfortunate beings that
could not escape, and were soon smothered in
the ruins or in the torrent. S.@f -" LII ar
b ACTS OF EXTRAORDINARY HERo1sM &
we've performed by the authorities, the boat
men, and the civil guards One guard five
times braved the torrent, with the water up to
his chest. Each time he came back with q child
in his arms. Then he started back on his sixth
voyage. He had left the mother in the house
with a babe at her breast. He fought his way
through the water, rather swimming than wad-
ing. Before, he could make another step it was
gone, and mother and babe were swept past
him on the bosom of the food. Nor were iy.i
lg. @a'tf53 THE HIGHER CLASSES .lt Il!
less generous in their efforts 10 save the drown.
ing people, One nobleman in his carriage
rescued them by dozens until his horses, dead
beat and half drowned, could no lInger pursue
the work of charity !; aud as fast as the res
cued were brought in they were carried either
:-k. -r:-oko l-.l1:--. = L