The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-16
Many Lives Lost in the Floods Which
Have Devasted Portions
Of Spain.
Houses Washed Away, Crops
Destroyed and Almost To-
tai Ruin Wrought.
Are Taking What Little the Waters
SpaFed--HeIief Measures.

caused SO much damage and which are al
ready known to have resulted in the loss Of
thousands of lives have been general in the
south of Spain. The damage done is ter
rible in it's extent. In the province of
Toledo the rush of water from the Con-
suegra river was 80 sudden and unexpected
that hundreds of people were drowned IN
their BEDS Four hundred bodies have al
ready been recovered, and at least hun
dred corpses can be seen floating in the
swollen river. A national relief fund has
been opened, and all the newspapers an
nounce they are ready to receive donations.
The grape and grain crops were destroyed
throughout the flooded section Of the coun-
try.
Five hundred houses are in ruins at Con-
suegra and the occupants buried under the
debris. Two hundred bodies have already
been recovered. Many persons are dying
of hunger. The moment the queen re-
ceived the news she sent the superintend-
ent of the palace to Consuegra to distrib-
ute money. clothes and provisions among
the sufferers, and she herself gave $4,000
to start the relief fund. The cabinet met
to-day:and decided to take measures for the
relief of the destitute. News comes In
slowly from the flooded district. Each
succeeding diipatch adds to the public sad
ness. Fresh floods are reported in Al
meria and Kadajose, 400 houses being de-
stroyed in Almeria, and many families are
homeless.
The overfowing of the Consuegra threat
ems to cause further damage. Two-thirds
of the houses practically destroyed are still
standing, but the foundations are sapped
and they threaten to fall at any moment.
The families saved from drowning are III
the greatest distress from want of food. An
estimate, classed as a moderate one, and
which is within rather than over the actual
number, places the total death list at 1000.
Large numbers of corpses still rest where
they were found. Unless soon inferred an
epidemic of fever is feared. so far as pos-
sible the bodies are being gathered from
the streams, mud banks and ruins and
buried in trenches. Many of the bodies
found are entirely nude, showing they
must have been washed from their beds.
Unhappily the worst is not yet known,
but months of terrible privations and ex-
treme suffering are before the utterly inn
cattle swept away, houses ruined and all
that would enable them to earn their bread
has vanished beneath the torrents OF water
which have rolled over the towns and vii
lagos, fields and farms.
The extreme distress, and positively raw
many sections of the t1ood-devastated coun-
try, has another, and if possible, blacker
side. Bands of desperate men deter
mined to obtain bread at any cost for
their hunger. The tortured families have
been driven to making raids upon and pill
laying buildings where they expected to
find food. Troops have been instructed to
Aoly %ha rvnnO cy1ra In
property. Two thousand kilos OF army
bread have arrived in the flooded districts.
When the government delegate in charge OF
the first consignment of bread arrived he
was beset by the famishing inhabitants,
male and female. the majority half naked
or clad in rags, most OF them on tneir
knees, with hands uplifted praying for
succor. When al! the bread was gone there
still remained many mouths untitled, many
sufferers who had not been able to obtain
even the smallest portion OF this tempo
rary relief.
At Almeria, the capital Of the province 9
of that name, the number of dead il 8 till
unknown. but it is admitted that over 800
houses have been destroyed, and that a
large number of people have perished. The
villages of Puerto, Lapiche and Villa
Franca, in the province of Cuidad Real,
have been severely ravaged by foods.
The queen has subscribed S2O,0 to the
relief fund, and the Bank OF spain mas
added $4,000. At Almeria the flood has
stopped the operations at the electric light
and gas works, and the city is in total
darkness. The river Andaray has over
flowed it's banks, converting the valley into
a vast lake. 1t is estimated that over 5000
head of horses and cattle have been
drowned. The police have succeeded in
suppressing the pillaGe. Food is rapidly
arriving for the sufferers. Fresh corpses
are being discovered all the time. The
bodies of sixty persons have been found in
public hall, where they had been over
taken by the flood in the midst of we'd