The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-06-27
A DISASTROUS FLOOD.
An Unprecedented Rainfall in
Mexico.
THE TOWN OF LEON INUNDATED
Two Thousand Buildings in Ruins
Seven Hundred People Perish
Most Horrible Details.
A Terrible Flood,

City of Mexico: Telegraphic communica-
ton which has been interrupted several
days by floods. has been restored. The
particulars of terrible disorder On the
line of the Mexican Cen raj Railway,
particularly at Leon and Silao, were OBJ
tanned during the past ten days. The
table lands between mere and Zacateas
have been visited by unprecedented
| rains. Every mountain rivule. along
the Central Railway for more than 200
miles has been converted into a de-
structive torrent, and the valleys pre-
sent the appearance of lakes. Many
cities and towns have been inundated,
| and Leon and Silao have been partially
destroyed. The first intimation received
in this city of the disaster in the north
was a telegram from Silao, dated the
18th inst. 1t said, at commenced rain
ing heavily here yesterday afternoon,
| and continued all night, raising the
Silao River out of its banks, breaking
at the north end of town, aud passing
through the streets with irresistible
force. Most OF the houses here being of
adobe, as soon as they were saturated
with water began to fall. About
325 houses have been destroyed. The
station buildings are occupied by the
homeless people who are unable to OBJ
tain anything to eat except water
melons and fruit floating in the water.
| The rain has been general and the
whole country around Silas is flooded.
Several dykes have given away. 1t
still continues raining.
On the Goth it was learned that the
floods had been more destructive in
Leon than at Silao. On Monday the
18th, the river broke over the dykes,
Notwithstanding all efforts to check it.
1t made rapid Roadway and finally
flooded the city. AS the rain fell the
river rose rapidly, flowing into the
town and gradually wearing away the
foundations of buildings which COM
menced to fall, as night came on.
Monday night brought to that
city one of the most terrible scenes
The people, believing themselves
where the water had not forced it's Way.
The steady downfall of rain, with the
extensive water-bed of the OUTLYING
country, increased the flow of the river
and rapidly extended its channel until
over half of Leon was under water.
Houses tumbled in rapidly, having been
worn away by water, and loss of life
commenced, unparalleled in the history
OF any of the great foundations of mod
ern times. AS the buildings fell the
unfortunate sleepers were either crushed
to death or drowned. One whole
night of terror followed. Men,
women and children fed to the
streets in their night clothes,
some to find shelter on higher ground,
others to be swept away by the flood.
On Tuesday morning the rain was still
falling. There had been no perceptible
decrease in the stream Of water. The
mammoth lake extended to all points
of the compass, its monotonous ap
pearance occasionally broken by half
submerged houses and high land crop
ping above its surface. The town had |
wrecked look. Where houses had |
stood the night previous water
was surging to the lower grounds. |
Groups of people who had been
forced by, Impending danger to seek
fight without clothes were standing
about in the rain crying and deploring |
their losses. ALI houses which the food |
left intact were opened to the unfortu- |
mates who were provided with every
thing available. The loss of life up to |
this writing has reached into hundreds, |
but the threatening danger had closed |
the channel of sorrow, and the hushed |
voices denoted more thar fear for the |
future. All night it poured until |
Wednesday morning saw the lake sur
rounding the city, undiminished in |
SIZE, with steady rain disturbing it's |
surface. In the afternoon, however, |
1t ceased raining and the waters COM
menced to recede. The people recoy-
cred from the fright though the water |
was still covering portion of the city. |
1t is estimated that 700 persons perished |
The strong stencil from the heaps of |
rubbish leads to the belief that there |
are bodies buried under them There |
are also bodies floating in the water. |
Eleven bodies have been recovered |
without moving and in the ruins of |
houses wherein are supposed to be |
hundred bodies buried. The destroyed |
houses are estimated at 1000, and |
the loss at So 900. Many other |
towns have been badly damaged, but
loss of life is only reported from Silao |
and Leon. The Mexican Central has
suffered very seriously. Several wash |
outs occurred between Agyas Calientes |
and Leon, but they have now been re-,
paired and trains are running from !
Ell Paso to Ira Fuato-thirty miles. All |
available workmen are employed re-
pairing. The State of Guam Juete and |
the Federal government are doing much
to succor the victims of the floods.
Money. food and clothes are being sent
from here. The last reports from Leon
are heart rending. The whole popula-
ton are working in the ruins
of fallen houses. Nearly everybody
lost relations or friends, and those who
have not have seen their earthly pos
sessions disappear in night. The es-
Inmates of the loss of life and property
given are the smallest reported, and are
certainly within the bounds of truth.
The very last statement just received
places the number of houses destroyed
in Leon at '224, and the homeless fami-
lies at more than 1000. More than $50
bodies have been recovered from the
ruins. There is no probability that the
entire number will fall short of 700.
ST. LOUIS, June ga dispatch from
Ell Paso, Tex, says: Information re-
ceived from the flooded districts of
Mexico, says 500 lives were lost by the
One thousand bodies have
been recovered. Leon is city of 1000
inhabitants, and large part OF it is in
ruins. The Mexican collector of GUS
toms at Paso Del Norte has received an
official dispatch stating that 100 miles
of tho Mexican Central Railroad are