Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-09-16
LIKE JOHNSTOWN'S FATE
First Details of the Great Span
ish Floods.
DEATH, DEsoLATIoE AND DESPAIR.


Several Towns Were swept Away by tho
Raging Waters, People Were Drowned
In Their Beds and the Total Number
Of victims Is at Least Two Thousand.
MADRID, Sept lo.-Tbe floods which
have caused 80 much damage and which
ARE already known to have resulted in the
loss Of thousands Of lives, have been gem
eral In the south Of Spain. The damage
done is simply terrible in its extent.
In the province OF Toledo the rush Of
water from the Consuegra river was so
sudden and unexpected that hundreds OF
people were drowned in their beds The
aspect Of the town is positively frightful
Four hundred bodies have already been
recovered, and at least \ hundred corpses
can be seen floating In the swollen rivers
A national relief fund has been opened
Thousands Are Homeless.
The wine and grain crops naturally.
have been destroyed throughout the flood
ed sections Of the country. The towns OF
Urda thirty-two miles from Toledo; villa
franca, twenty miles from ST. Sebastien;
Camunas, Yebenes, twenty-one miles from
Toledo and Vera have suffered heavily
Thousands OF families are homeless and
starving Relief trains are being sent Co
the scenes of the disaster.
Two Thousand Dead.
An estimate, classed as moderate one,
and which Is within rather than over the
! actual number places the total OF the
| death list at 1000. Large numbers of
corpses still rest where they were found.
\ Unless they are soon Inferred an epidemic
| Of fever Is feared.
So far as possible the bodies OF the
drowned are being gathered from the
streams, mud banks and ruins aud are
being buried in trenches dug for their re-
ception Many Of the bodies found are en-
tirely nude showing that they must have
been washed from their beds or else in the
hurry to escape the drowned people must
have jumped in night dress from the win
dows Of their habltations only TO meet
death In theswollen waters surging around
them.
Heartrending Scenes.
Along the river banks, near the scenes OF
the most severely visited districts. heart
rending occurrences are witnessed hourly
as the survivors Of almost exterminated
families recognize their dead and try to
save them from consignment to the com
mon death trench. Unhappily, the worst
is not yet known and months of terrible
privations and extreme suffering are be
fore the utterly impoverished survivors
The crops are gone, the cattle swept away
e | houses and household furniture ruined
e aud all that would enable them TO carr
j bread hns vanished beneath the torrent
X OF water which have rolled over town an,
!, village, field and farm.
e PillaEed by Starving Men.
Z The extreme distress prevailing in man,
+ sections has another and II possible black
: er side. The gripings Of hunger, the wall
ing Of starving women and children, have
IN several instances, driven the men Il
c desperation, and they have been goaded {,
e pillage their more wealthy compatriots
s Bands Of desperate men, determined /,
! obtain bread az any cost for their destitute
1 hunger tortured families have been driver
! 70 making raids upon and pillaging build
ings where they expected TO find food.
> Narrowing Tales Of Survivors.
The troops have been instructed to TAX,
the most severe measures 70 protect prop
erty.
Survivors give narrowing accounts o
the onset of the food. Many mother,
were seen struggling in the water 70 hole
up children and finally succumbing TO tn,
rush Of the torrent. Others were confined
in rooms with no hope Of escape One
man who was caught on wooden bridge
saw hundreds Of persons float past crying
piteously for help which he was unable Il
give. The bodies of sixty persons were
found in public hall where they had been
overtaken by the food ia the midst Of d
wedding feast
The queen has subscribed $50, 900 more
, 10 start q national relief fund