The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-05-12
OUT AT THE DAM.
THE RAGING WATERS STILL MAIN
TAIN THEIR SWAY
Only a Comparatively Small Fall in the
River-Many People Visit and View
the Site, Both by Sunlight
and Moonlight.

The account of the condition OF
affairs at the dam as published in yes
terday's STATESMAN and the various
and sundry rumors that were ahoat
over the city attracted hundreds OF
people to the dam. The crowd was
almost as large as the one that usually
visits the place on Sunday and the
dummy people had torun trains every
half hour from noon until 10 o'clock at
night to accommodate the people who
were anxious to see how their infant
dam withstood the rush and pressure
of the water.
The scene was only slightly chang
ed from that of the evening before,
and although the water had gone
down about 10 inches since II o'clock
on Monday night, the rise was still of
sufficient proportion to make pretty
good size Niagara.
A STATESMAN reporter was kept
at the site nearly the whole day in or
der that the people of Austin might
be accurately informed of the Incl
utIllS anu 6N6ub5 VI
The reporter left the dam ut about
$3.50 last night, and at that time the
water was about six or seven inches
from topping the crest of the dam.
Along about 4 O'Clock in the afternoon
it was somewhat lower, so the slight
rise between those hours would have
indicated that the expected rise from
above was on its way down.
Nearly all the heavy drift wood had
come down the river and about all
that was coming down last night was
small trash with an occasional fence
post or tree stump. BY moonlight the
sight was grand and sublime. People
massed along the remnant of the
bank south of the wall and from that
vantage ground watched the flood as
it foamed through the three gaps amid
laundering roar and splash, while
on the thick spray and the
lake above glistened and glimmered
the rays of the full moon. On the
high bluff north of the dam where the
Mexican laborers have erected their
barrel stave huts blazed great bon
fire, helping by its glaring light to
make the whole scene one of weired
anu SHOsbly STduueuF. I6TndpS Lu6
most interesting feature of the day
wa the removal of the debris which
had lodged against the wall during
the preceding night. TO do it the
big cable was forced into SER
vice, the big iron hooks being
fastened to the larger portions
of the drift; then the engine would be
started and with a splash the big tree
trunks would be jerked into the air
and lowered on the other side of the
wall, where the rushing waters would |
quickly carry them Off down the river
After the heavier part of the wreckage
had been removed by the cable, two
men swung on to the hook and were
carried over the gap and left on the
wall, where, armed with long hooks
they pushed the light drift out into
the current, which quickly carried it
through .he gaps.
The gravity road on the west bank
has been washed away for consider
able distance, but as Mr.. Corrigan has
about abandoned the Bee Springs
quarry, owing to the inferiority of the
stone now being gotten out, the loss
will not amount to very much. To-
day will be another interesting day,
and those who failed to go out yester-
day should go out today by all means.