Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-11
The Trinity River Bottom Sub
merged for Two Miles.
Two Lives Said to be LOst-Great Dam
age to Railroad Property and
CrOps-Loss of Stock.
Tho Broken Sewer in Dallas Causes Further
Damage-The Benbrook Bridge Gone.
A West Fork Rise Coming.
From Thursdays DULY a Daily.


tbe adamantine rocks are her foundation.
Tuesday night when about Clock it
raoan TO rain, no one imagined that be-
fore morning the water to the east and
north would be two miles wide,
en3 that hundreds of thousands of
dollars would be lost to the peo-
nile Of this and adjoining coun ties.
when the rain, however, continued una
hated for hour after hour people began
n think Of those who had built houses
and pitched tents in the river bottom
north Of the Trinity and on the low land
east of Fort Worth Att O'Clock the
river was still in its banks but the engi-
neer at the waterwOTks, MI. Gardner,
teIeDhoned 10 THE GAZETTE that it was
rising rapidly and would soon be flooding
the surrounding country.
At , o CLOCK
the faithful Gardner telephOned again
and said the river had risen four and
oue-half feet in an hour, was out of its
banks. and that the low land on the
south side Of the river was covered.
Policemen, who had been apprIsed of the
danger to those who were domiciled in
tents and who, all unconscious, were fast
asleep, gave the warning by firing their
revolvers and when the startled camp
ers were awake told them the water was
coming and to hurry out Of their dwell
mgs. This warning was none too soon
for inside of half an hour the bottom was
covered with water several feet deep and
the water-works were on an island. 81
on TIE NORTH SIDE.
ID to this time the people on the North
Side. living in small frame houses and
tents, had NOT been alarmed. When the
pistol firing took place, many of the men
got up and watched the river closely, but
all said it would not reach that side and
did not consider it necessary to move.
By clock their hopes were ali dashed,
as the water covered the low ground be-
tween the cemetery bridge and the iron
viaduct and gradually worked its wayto
the north. BY $50 the water began to
rise rapidly and then there was
rush 70 abandon the tents and houses
and come to the city. At / O'Clock GA
zETTE reporter crossed the big bridge
and beheld
A PITIFUL SIGHT.
Il was pitch dark except when the fit
fu lightning frightened up the scene
temporarily. On the bridge was a string
of men, women and children who had
abandoned all they had of this world s
goods and We're seeking q safe place to
! slant their feet. Here came man wet
% his waist, carrying n little twO-year-
Old child following came the wife carry
iu- an infant, while on either side were q
hey and girl six and eight years
of age. They were walking,
while behind them came three
wagons filled with people and such
household goods as could be saved, then
another family walking through the tor
rent of ram. Reaching the foot of the
biz bridge the extent of the flood could
be realized
4 HALF MILE OF WATER
stretched out to the north from the
bridge northern approach. In every
tent was light, and a score of lanterns
moved hithpr and thither as those who
carried them moved about III their haste
preparing TO leave The horses to the
wagons were travelling through two feet
OF water, while men off from North
Main street were wading waste deep
III water. The exodus was so
rapid that furniture, provisions, house
hold goods and clothing were left behind;
i was question Of life or death then.
WHEN DAYLIGHT CAME
nearly all the people north Of the river
had got away, but the water still
rose, and the men at the driving
park found that it would be
with difficulty sthey could save the fine
horses stabbed there. Before the horses
We're ont the water was several feet and
number ot the boys tending the horses
were forced to get on the roofs of the
stables. Seeing their plight Marshal
Farmer and r. d. Gallagher got one
boat and ". J. Tackabery and
Claude Mcknight another boat
anu started to get them
oil. The boat occupied by Tackabery
ana Mcknight was capsized and both
men narrowly missed drowning. Farmer
anu Gallagher went to their assistance,
and after the boat was righted and the
men in IL they proceeded to where the
boys were and took them off .
IN this party were ). B. Riddle,
Z. 4. Carlisle, Ed Brown and s. Ham
mi.. The boys, Marshal Farmer says,
Were blue with cold and alarm, but were
not hurt
TO THE EAST.
Rapidly the water worked its way to
IAe east, and the valley on the west of
Tile river was soon covered. The Syl-
F"An road was soon out of sight with
Tour 70 six feet Of water over it. The ten
o' twelve brick and frame cottages
We're soon reached and by 5 o'clock
me water was up TO the center of the
windows and doors, while the fences
We're ont Of sight. The Woods, Yanceys,
SCOTS and others managed to save q few
household articles, but that was all BY
clock the water had reached within
lew feet Of the Crystal ice works and
within half a mile Of the courthouse at
'ae base OF the bluff. At this point the
river was
A MILE WIDE,
oaJ none Of Sylvania, except the eastern
part, was submerged Men in boats
were plying between the head of First
street and the submerged houses, getting
our what few things could be reached.
Al this point there was quite noticeable
current, even III what might be called
uaehwater and ii was plain that the wa
lei was getting higher rapidly.
ARE THEY DROWNED?
Living in a little frame house on the
oank Of the river to the left of the iron
bridge TO SylvanIa were Mrs Bently, or
A's. Plume, and her son Patsy,
well-knOwn little bOotblack,
VINO worked hard to provide
LOT his parent who has but one arm. 1t
s stated that they were warned to aban-