Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
EARTHQUAKE.
The T0wa OF I'va,de, Texas. Almost
Destroyed by 4 Snbierranean
Stream Which Breaks ont
in a Torrent.

country west Of this city, beginning
ut point about fifty miles distant
from here and extending Tor nearly
900 miles, was one Of the most ter
rlble cataslrUphes that has visited
the State since the lndlanola ca
lamIty, when that coast TOWN. WAS
swept into the Guli of Mexico. The
number of deaths is not gceat. but
the damage TO property will proba-
bly, exceed that at IndianO,a. The
reports which were received here
last evening Of the food were very
meagre, owing to the fact that it
was with difficulty that telegraph
communication could be had with
the stricken section. To-day more
complete reports Of the terrible de>
vastatiOn were brought here, anl
enough is known TO lead to the be-
lief that several hundred persons
were drowned. 1t is definitely
known that at least six women in
the town of Uvalde were drowned
sand also three Mexican families,
numbering in all about twelve per-
soEs, living just outside of the town,
met watery graves.
y dispatch was received here
this evening from Uyalle, stating
that the list OF drowned will proba-
lily be greatly increased as soon as
lepOIts from the surrounding cOun
try come in. There is a settlement
of a6Out seventy >fve families few
miles below Uvalde, aud it is be.
lieved that many, if not all, OF them
were drowned, Ibis settlement is
situated on grOund that is fifteen
ieet lower than the lowest part oi
UvaIde. which was flooded to the
depth of ten feet, and as the flood
came without any warning and tue
settlement is built directly in the
path of the torrent of water it is
thought that all the bOuseS, tO>
gether with their inhabitants, were
swept to destruction and death.
The water has rece,ed c0nsidera
bly, bat no information has as yet
been rpceiyed from the settlement.
Lt is now said that the deiuge oil
W waier did not come from the clouds,
as at first Supposed, but 1t came out
of the ground, and its bursting
forth was caused by an earthquake,
which rent the earth asnnder. Al
several places along the LeOna
river, near Uvalde, the cracks in
the earth, with the water pouring
there(rom, are being still seen on
all sides. The LeCna river, sc
called, is a dry stream ten months
of the gear, bat it ia known that a
subterranean basin with strea q
Of water exists underneath the dry
bed, as flowing artesian wells arr
obtained by boring a few hundred
feet.
1t is supposed that this artesial
basin of water is now escaping
through the cracks made by earth
quake, The shOck OF the earth
QuaKe was distinctly felt at point
for many miles around. About one
half OF the residences ana building
in thS town Of Uvaide, which has
population of about 2500 persons
were SN ept away, aud there is grea
= drstitutiOn among those who yer
made homeless. The food cane i
the darkness of the Night and abOn
i liny families songht refuge in tree,
: The town OF D'Hanis, GIty mile
west of here, is submerged 10
depth of several feet, but aS far a
l known there are no deaths at tha
i place from drowning, II Is reporte
that nGmber OF eases OF drOwBln
L occurred Oh the ranches along th
y valley of the Leona and SacO rivers
l. Thousands of head of cattle en
horses were swept away. The OK
Il tensiye plant of the LithO Carlo
c Rubber Company, situated nea
e Cline, was damaged by water
the extent OF several thousand do
nTS The CrpafqSf mOYIfarV. los