El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-27
WORSE THAN EVER.
EAST Ell PASO ALL UNDER WATER
AGAIN FROM \ BROKEN LEVEE.

EAST Ell PAsO ALI. UNDER WATER
AGAIN FROM \ BROKEN LEVEE.
The Levee Near the Head Gate Goes Out
and the Water Comes ina Time of
General Excitement.
The worst fears were realized this
afternoon at 200 O'Clock when the
weak place from which disaster was
feared on the canal bank near the head
gate gave way. TIE wat=r had been
seeping throu Oh all the morning, and
saua bags had been placed down the
river bank. But the seeping cOntin-
ued. And the bank weakened until at
The hour mentioned the levee began to
give way.
10 spite of ali that could be done the
breach widened and the people at work
on the sand bag dyke be Ow were warn
ed. Efforts were red III oled at this
latter FONT. and Agent Trull of the
SantL E'e and others hurried al they
could. But there was only one team
and scraper there. MIR. Trull said he
had Notified the mayor at 10 Il. m., OF
the danger and his honor went down
town, as he sad 20 send up cams, but
only the ore from BalIinger's stables
run his horses on the dyke as he claim
ed his horses feet would catch between
| the bags and be thrown. Consequent
| ly the WORK did not progress fast.
About2:2 o'clock tae levee breach
above had become about 70 feet wide
| aaG the water came roaring down the
| c anal. The waves beat up against the
sand bag dyke: for few moments it
| 5 God the strain, but the dyke was not
| h,apan In
sloJk. it bent, ana IN hardly les time
than il tak=s to tell i, the
roaring. surging waters were
da-hing down the canal. Mr.. Trull at
once seat to the smclter for the smelt-
er-=Wi 5ch engine with every hombre
obtainable ana ali the rock that could
b. brought down at short notice. He
.said tina; with rock he hoped to dam u p
i the flow and sop further disaster for
| tie Santa Ee yards and all the lower
part of the city threatened.
\ HERALD rep Jrter, who haG been
following tae course Of things, hurried
down the siream. All was excitement,
hu1drt DIS OF Mexican families were
hurrying, s:amperlnE. fleeing from the
raging Il BOD, and the jacals alolg tne
canal bank were empiied in trice. II
was the same az with refugees fleeing
from fire. But il was noticed thar
kerosene lamps and dogs were cared
for the most. The torrent soon
made it, presence felt down town and
tie north canal embaGkment west of
the Santl Fe street canal bridge gave
way. ard the water began rus iing in
on the lOwlands there. The fire bell
was rung for a general alarm, and
pretty much the whole town was short
ly on the real to the scene of disaster.
AS the HERALD goes 10 press the
Excitement is continuing, and the flood
is making Roadway.
TIE local situation is farther COM
plicaJed this moraIng by a further
rise in the river which is now running
over the p!ankS OF the Stanton street
b. dye, and IS running again through
East FL PasO with such force as to
thorCus h y diehearten residents. The
lcvee near the original Fort b ISIS Or
Fort Gilmore as some call il, broke
between s ard 9 o'clock this morning,
and the water rushed through with
such force that the water rose through
that section TWO inches in al hour.
There were also reports that the dyke
down opposite Hibbert's would give
way shortly il it hal rot already, and
oral cation. y HERALD reporter
was down in thai section
before 10 q. m, and found the G. II.
TIA k under water 4 gain. the water in
tie county road bacl, u its Old hight,
and a. several places between tacre
and tie L. X 7. cfO sing the water as
comirg up onto the .cOuu1y road with
every promise Of covering il long b.
fore the Jay was out unless stopped.
G. G Thomas house wa, surrounded
wi h water and the people were NOV
ing out, Mrs. Bridges who lives Just
west OF there WAS surrounded with the
incress ne waters. Mrs. Kelley who
lives next door to The west, her ncis h.
bors say had eo5 Il shot gun, and in
some unexplained way w8s prepared to
defend her hone against the flood, o.
any thing else.
The T. 4 p. had built dyke to the
east OF their county road eros ing
whore the water was some eight inches
higher than the TRACK, and had men
Ou5 there leading up ii our sacks with
sand for use b ack of the round house.
Back OF the round house tae Ie.Orter
found Il train Of ii - cars ioAdcI wi h
sand - hicl was beng dumped into the
fill which once eXte- Odd back over the
canal, but nov is among the things
that We're. The wa,cr was rd5hing
through the grove to the rear vita in
crea5sug swiftn s., AID all We, gas of
the al hal disapp jared. The water
was eight inches higher than the flo "
Of jhe round house, and men have teen
btSS SuL AIu Jay W Keep tHt lpp OF
the dyke above the rising water. The
aqua has come up into the yard from
boah north an south, aud GA tn sou
side the rise Is such that only long
dyke keeps the water off the tracks 10
the de riment Of tr-Vel.
Further disaster came this morning
to the FOrcstville residents. The water
BROKE into G. o"ga Br gg's place south
east from George GoiGne's corner
about s Il. m. and in few minutes
everything WAS swimming. George
Gainpie imm diately rugged up boat
attached II rope strung across the
swift current, anu soon had the family
rescued with many of thoir Immediate
effects, Mr.. Briggs has been suffering
from pneumonia and was barely able
TO get around. Mrs, Quinn's house