Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-27
MEXICO'S CATACLYSM.
TERRIBLE VISITATION TO our NEIGH
Dor ON THE SOUTH.

| Thousands of Houses Wrecked and the
| Dead Estimated at 1, 5OO-Deseription o
the Caiamity-RecsveFy of BodIss-Ter
I-Abarsrs Lose Their Lives on the Rail-
Three Persons Dro xned.
CRY OF MEXICO, June Photographic
communication having been restored be
tween Leon and Silao, on the line OF
the Mexican Central railroad, partic'
ulars of the terrible floods that occurred in
that district have been obtained. A telegram
from Silao says;
IL commenced raining on the 18th inst, and
continued heavy down-pour for twenty
four hours About Sa5 houses have Teen de
stroyed. The station buildings are occupied
by homeless people who are unable to obtain
anything to eat except watermelons and
fruit found floating in the water, Several
dykes have given way, and the whole
country around is flooded.
At Leon, on the night Of the 18th, the
people, believing themselves safe from tine
flood, went TO bed in those parts OF the town
where the water had not found its way. The
flood increased during the night. Houses
tumbled in rapidly, and as the buildings fell
the unfortunate sleepers were either crushed
to death drowned The rain continued
necessarily until Wednesday, the 10Th, inst ,
and it is estimated that fully 100 people per
ished. One hundred and eleven bodies have
been recovered without moving any build
ngs or houses, wherein are supposed to be
hundreds OF bodies buried The total mum
Der of houses destroyed is estimated at 1000
and the pecuniary loss $3,5OO,O0O
A later dispatch says that after the foods
swooped down on Silao one whole night of
terror followed Men, women, and children
had 4 tina straatS in THAR uieyht nlntl,as snu,
to find shelter on higher ground and others
to be swept away by the flood On Tuesday
morning rain was still falling, and there
had been no perceptible decrease In the
stream of water. A mammoth lake ex-
tended its length and breadth to all points of
the compass. Its monotonous appearance was
occasionally broken by half-submerged
houses and high lands cropping above its
anything but placid surface. The town had
wrecked look. Where the houses had
stood the night previous, water was surging
in its flight to lower ground
Groups of people who had been forced by
impending danger to seek flight without
clothes were standing about in the rain cry
ing and depioring their losses. All houses
which the flood left intact were opened to
the unfortunates, who were provided with
everything that was available at the time,
The estimate of loss of life an 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 families at more than l, 600
More than $50 bodies have been recovered
from the ruins
ST. LOUIS, June 27-A dispatch from Ell
Paso, Tex, says information has been re-
ceived there from the flooded district in
Mexico that l 800 lives were lost by the in
undation and that 900 bodies have been re-
covered. Leon is city of 100000 inhabit-
ants and large part of it is in ruins The
Mexican collector of customs at Paso Del
Norte received an official dispatch stating
that 100 miles of the Mexican Central is i'm
passable, and that it will be ten days before
mails can get through, and twenty days be-
fore freight can be moved.