The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-16
GREAT FLOODS IN SPAIN.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DROWNED IN
THEIR BEDS IN TOLEDO

At Least 5000 Persons Perish-Many Bos.
les Floating In the Kivers-Famiiies
Camped by Their Ruined Homes a.d
Suffering for Food-The Relief Fund.
MADRID. Sept. 15.-Tbe foods. which are al
ready known to have resulted In the loss OF
thousands OF lives. have been general In the
south OF Spain. Several railroad trains have
Leon thrown from the rails, and railroad tracks
and roads are every where washed away.
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 frghtful. Four hundred bodies have al
ready been recovered. and at least hundred
corpses can bA seen floating In the swollen
rivers. A national relief fund has been opened.
and all the newspapers announce that they are
ready to receivs donations.
Tho wine and grain crops have been de-
stroyed throughout the flooded sections Of the
country. The towns OF urda, twelve miles
from Toledo; Villafranca. twenty miles from
st. sebastian; Camunas. iebenes. twenty-oue
miles from Toledo. and Vera have suffered
heavily. Troops and corps OF citizens are do
Ing their utmost to succor the sufferers. Thou
sands Of families are homeless and starving
Relief trains are being despatched 10 tho
scenes OF the disasters.
The OVERLOOKING OF the Consuegra threatens
to cause further damage. Two-thirds of the
houses practically destroyed are still standing.
but their foundations are slapped. aud they
threaten to fall at any moment The families
saved from drowning ire camped near the
dwellings formerly occu pied by them. and are
in the greatest distress from want OF food. An
estimate which is within rather than over the
actual numb Der places the total deaths at 1000.
Large numbers OF corpses still rest where they
found. Cnl6sa th0y soon buried
Some Of the bodies found are entirely nude:
showing that they must have been washed
from their beds or else In the hurry 10 escape
the, drowned people must have lumped In
talions only to meet death in the swollen
waters.
mouths Of, terrible privatione and extreme suf-
iering are before the u terly impoverished sur
,ivors. The crops are gone. the cattle swept
and all that would enable them to earn bread
has vanished beneath the torrents Of waIsr
which have rolled over town and village. field
!hs gr!pines Of hunger and the wailns Of
wGmen an children several sn
they have been goaded to pillags their luckier
or more wealthy compat!iots. Bands Of dos
any cost for their destitute. have made raids
upon buildings where they expected to iind
full in obtaining a limited supply Of flour, meat.
ana corn in most cases they found hat 'hey,
nau hau their trouble Tor nothing. and thot all
food had long nGo been removed to place OF
safety or else distributed or sold to the staEv-
ing psasantry OF the neiRhborhood. Tbs
trMops have been instructed TO take tue most
Two thousand kilos OF army bread have
already arrived in the flooded districts. and
the commi-sariat corps Of all the military divl-
sions are W, rking night and day 10 supply pro-
visions to the starving people.
At Almera capital OF the province OF that
name the nu Der OF dead. as in many other
Places is still unknown. but 1t Is admitted that
over 500 houses have been destroyed and that
q large number OF people have persisted