The herald., 1897-05-28
HOMELESS
FAMILIES
Fleeing From the Flood at
El Pas0
THE LEvEES ARE SWEPT AWAY
BUSINESS SECTIONS BEGIN TO
SUFFER
THE LEvEES ARE SWEPT AWAY
The Rio drande Il Falling, But An
other Flood Il Rolling Down
From the North
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
Ell PASO, Tex, May 27.-The Rio
Grande river rose two inches last night.
The outlook today is more ominous than
ever. The river washed away large
portion of the bank protecting the head
gate of the big irrigation canal last
night, and it seems impossible to pre-
vent it going out altogether, thereby
letting the water rush through the
Santa Fe railroad yards and the business
portion of the city. All residences in the
neighborhood have been vacated, and
families have gone to the high foothills.
The big levee protecting the southern
portion OF the city is being strengthened,
but 1t is feared that windstorms, so
common this season, may come up and
force the water over it. The situation at
Juarez, Mexico, opposite this city, is
even more precarious, the levee being
considerably weakened by the terrible
force of the current
The headgate of the large canal run
ming through the southern part of the
from the river gave way at 2:30 o'clock
this afternoon and the water came
through in torrents, inundating the
Santa Fe freight yards, and half mile
south flowed in behind the main tempo
rary levee erected in the past week to
hold back the water which had settled
itself to height Of from six to ten feet
on the southern river front. A general
alarm was sent out by the fire depart
ment, and all the assistance possible was
given to those in the midst of the flood.
Some seventy-five residences situated
between the Santa Fe freight yards and
the canal on the river front were inun- :
dated within half an hour after the
break, but nearly everything movable
was carried to high ground. A new levee
Is now being constructed for a distance
of two miles along Fourth street to hold
the water back and turn 1t into the river
again. A great many houses are filled
with refugees, but there are yet about
200 families shelterless. Their families
are encamped along the edge of the mesa
on the north side Of the city. The outlook
tonight Is by no means reassuring, and
there is much anxiety that the. water
may not be gotten under control
At 10 o'clock tonight the flood has
broken through the second levee. on
Fourth street, and the waters had ad-
vanced to Second street, causing several
hundred more poor families to flee from
their homes There will be over 400
homeless families on the streets of Ell
Paso tonight. and large number of
them are without food, as they are. labor
Ing people. who have been fighting the
flood instead of earning bread for the
past fifteen days. The water 10 running
into the county Jail and around the
Texas and Pacific depot. The river is
reported falling.
At 10:30 o'clock the water broke
through the reserve levee on Fourth
street, and now covers one-half of the
city. Destruction to property will be
immense. Every available man and We
hicle is occupied in moving families and
household goode to high ground. the
business portion of the city may be in
vaded before morning.
MORE COMING
DENVER. Col, May 27.7-A special to
the News from Santa Fe, N. NJ, says:
A rise of eight inches in the Rio Grande
is reported from the Colorado line. today
and 1t has been running continually over
the Rio Grande water ehed north of this
city all day. The prospects are that q
fresh flood, carrying from to feet more
water than is now flowing, has started
toward Ell Paso tonight. The rainfall
at Santa Fe for the past month has been
nearly four inches, or about three times
the normal supply. Dispatches tonight
report fresh downpours all day along the
Colorado line. This will serve to in
crease the freshets already flowing in the
Rio Grande tributaries At Chamita
the river has reached the highest point
known In ten years. and in Espano,a a
valley the current is quarter of q mile