The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-09-07
THE CONCHO FLOOD.
L Thrilling Description by the
Tom Green Times.

eTeu III Ihe west ana promised rain,
and at 9 o'clock it came in torrents
for more than an hour. Then the
moon shone out clear and indicai ed
that the storm was exhausted. Many
were attracted by its brilliancy aud
turned in for the night with no
thought of further wet weather. But
at eleven the rain began u second
time and the thunder, which pealed
across the skies, made sleep impossi
Dle. The frequent flashes of light
ming blinded those who ventured TO
look out, and the ceaseless roar of
water from roofs and cutters made
old Texans anxious for tomorrow
and what tomorrow would reveal.
All night it continued its impeiu-
GUS fall, and when day arose
there were no signs of change.
By the early light the Middle
Concho was seen to be thirty feet
above its level, and rising with great
rapidity. The rain poured lit seem
ed to have come for all time; nor
was it till eleven on Thursday morn
ing one might reasonably hope for
fair weather. At noon the blue sky
appeared, the clouds drew of, aud
the telegraph office register (at Fort
Concho) measured a rainfall of 5.85
inches, full one inch more than tho
average fall of rain in this section
for an entire year.
Anxious parties were out all morn .
ing watching the river which quickly
rose above the banks, aud made i'm
mense currents on the plains two
and three hundred yards beyond.
1t was filled with drift and every
conceivable species of property.
Chairs, bedsteads, goods, trunks,
boxes and furniture of all kinds
made their appearance. Hundreds
OF sheep foated down the torrent,
and roofs of houses, quantities OF
planks, sills and doors dashed
against the very tops of the tallest
trees which skirt the banks of the
stream. 1t was certain, not only
that immense loss of property was
entailed, but that life itself was en-
dangered by SO terrific a rise, and
what made the situation more dis
tressing was the absolute inability
to rescue property or extend aid to
any sufferers. There was no boat at
hand, and it is doubtful If any boat
could have lived in SO headlong q
current. The largest trees, measur-
ing from two to four feet in diane
ter, were torn up by the roots,
and hurried along as if mere
toys in the fierce element. The
river reached its highest point at
about four o'clock Thursday even-
ing, and, by the estimate of expert
enced men, it measured height of
at least forty-fve feet above its ordi-
nary bed. Such a rise has not been
known to the oldest dweller on the
frontier, and heaven grant such
another will not be seen by this gen.
Grafton. A little after four O'Clock
it began to recede; by seven o'clock
it had fallen two and a quarter feet,
and all during the night it continued
to go down. When the morning of
Friday, the twenty-ffth, broke, it
showed decrease of twenty feet,
though il is yet an angry current,
which will hardly be fordable until
Sunday.
We are at loss where to turn in
our attempt to speak of the effects
| of this immense storm. Perhaps the
greatest interest of the community
is excited over the unhappy fate of
| the family
AT THE OLD STAGE STATION.
between this town and Ben Ficklin.
Unfortunately this place is situated
on a small eminence between the
river and the cliffs, about 800 yards
from the latter. whose base is skirted
by deep ravine. Escape from such
position is extremely difficult,
since in any direction horse would
swim long before the house is en-
dangered. Mrs. M. j. Metcalfe and
her family of five, Mrs. Kate Arden
and two children, Mr.. b. Taylor and
daughter, Mr.. Frank Lerch, who was
luckily absent, and Mr. S. G. Rob-
ertson and wife, of San Angela,
reside at the station. Early in
the morning they discovered
that their houses were surround
ed and the water was making rapid
ly toward them. Mr.. ID. Z. Foote,
appreciating the danger, drove from
Ben Ficklin to the station and
brought off Mrs. Arden and the two
children, Miss Taylor, Misses Fannie
and Amelia Metcalfe, and the two
sons of Sheriff Spears. Mrs. Met
calfe, thinking the water had
reached its highest point, declined
to leave, and her daughter, Miss
Zemula, resolved to remain with her,
saying: "My place is with mother"
But the waters rising, induced
Mr.. Robertson to drive his
wife to a place OF safety, which
he did with some difficulty. He
then returned to aid Mrs. Metcalfe
and others at the station, whom he
induced to enter the hack. They
started, but the horses baked ,aDd no
progress was possible. At Mrs. Met
calte's suggestion they returned, and
by means of q ladder climb
ed upon the roofof her dwelling. In
this position Mr.. Terrell Harris and
Kerby Smith, a colored man, who
had nobly resolved to rescue the un-
fortunate party, and had left Ben
Ficklin in frail boat for that pur-
pose, observed and passed them.
Upon that roof were Mrs. Metcalfe
and her daughter, Miss Zemula Mr..
S. G. Robertson Mr.. Blake Taylor,
| Sr.; Geo. Robinson, chain bearer for
Mr.. Lerch Anselmo, Mexican, and
Red Evans, a negro cook. The heavy
boat, half.full of water, capsized
within ten feet of the house. Its oc-
cupants, Harris and Smith, made des-
perately for a grove of pecan trees,
a place on the tallest of which they
luckily secured. Nearly at the same
time the roof with its living freight
broke in two, the ladies clingiDg
to one-half and the five men to
the other half. rhe screams of
George Robinson were distinctly
heard and the actions of all seen by
Harris and Smith from the tree
tops. Mr.. Taylor lost bis hold on
the roof in a few seconds and was
swept beyond human aid. The
ladies bore down upon the pecan
clump, and were engulfed,
SCREAMING AS THEY DISAPPEARED
beneath the drift which had rapidly
accumulated within a few feet of
Harris. Mr.. s. G. Robertson was
shaken from the roof, but caught a
tree and held on through as terrible
a day and night as any one ever en-
dured. Once the wreck of house
knocked him from his position,
but he swan with that until
he secured another. All of
the party on the roof but
this gentleman were lost. On Fri