El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-26
CHIHUAHUITA LEFT.
THE INHABITANTS OF THE SOUTH
SIDE BADLY FRIGHTENED.
The River Rose Two Inches Last Night
and Now Continues Stationary.
Much Danger in Ward 2.

raging stream rose two inches last
night. This the superintendent of the
Santa Fe explains by showing that as
the river lowers up stream the back
waters run into the river thus keeping
up the level at this city until the back
waters are all disposed of. then the
water will bagin falling at Ell PasO
Agent Trull of the Santa F'e received
word this morning from Selden that
the water had lowered three feet there
altogether, and there was nothing to
Indicate a further rise.
The Santa Fe trains continue to run
around by the way of Deming, but by
Friday, the management hopes to have
the road clear. The trouble is at the
Selden dam washout where two en-
gines ran into the crevasse. After the
accident the water washed under the
locomotives and let them down 80 that
only the stacks are above wa er.
Wrecking trains are at work at both
sides, and with the steam derrick, the
engines will be lifted out bodily and
swung around out OF the way.
At the head gate the situation is rot
such as to occasion alarm. The river
is very angry stream there, and in
places the rapids are swift and danger
Gus. But the headgate is well project
ed with bags of sand. The water con-
tinues to seep through into the CANA,
but nothing is feared from that as the
dyke is watched too carefully, and men
are kept steadily at work, sand bag
cling the river side.
At the Santa Fee street bridge there
was considerable excitement this morn
ing. The water eat in and around the
southeast side of the Mexican approach
and large slice of the emba nkment
fell in. This scared the entire town of
Juarez, and there has been more or
less frantic attempt to fill up the hole
with bags of sand. Had this break Oc-
Cured in the night the south part of
JuareZ would have been inundated, it
is claimed. The Incident attracted
considerable of a crowd from both sides
of the river.
Along the north bank everything is
on the jump. The Mexican inhabi-
tants of Chihuahua, are now as thor
Ougbly alarmed as they were inditfer-
ent before the breaks, and scores Of
families are moving onto higher
ground as rapidly as their limited
means of conveyance will allow. Such
as remain are throwing up dykes
around their houses in any and every
result is that the streets are cut to
pieces with bitches from two TO five
feet deep, and dangerous to p edestrians
after nightfall. Ia fact, such citizens
as find it necessary to go through the
south side at night should carry lighted
lanterns. To go without them is to
court danger, with a broken leg. Or
shoulder or arm as a very likely prob
ability. The MeXicaus are going
wherever they can find Judgment. and
do not appear to regard their homeless
condition with any very deep sense OF
grief With Observation-Disclosures
they are setting up house wherever
vacant lot can be found, and the alb
without any alarming hardship.
The water is from one to two feet
deep on Seventh street, and is only
prevented from running west of the
hide ware house ny constantly watched
dykes extending east along the south
side of the street car track.
There is clus'er of five jacais just to
the south that have been saved by
dyking, but the occupants moved out
this morning. The water is deeper
than ever at Stanton and Seventh
streets, so that there is no longer any
crossing along the upper ridge of the
street railway track. To the eastward,
clear to the I. & 2. stock yards, it is a
continuous scene of feverlsh anxiety in
fighting the water. The levees are
and have inset5 and OutsetS
according TO the elevation and the
haste with which the EN- bankments were
thrown up. Heavy dyking has BEEN
built along Fourth street west of TAy5,
and at the foot of St. Vrain street, only
the greatest care has kept the flood
out of the town. When the wind
storm came up last evening, it seemed
as if nothing could stop the river fran
breaking through at ST. Nrain and
TOrneo streets; but the cessation of the
blasts prevented the disa ter. The
occupied by S. II. Newman
and Sam Gillespie has bcen dyked
around with sand and preserved, and
the embankments to the south have
been strengthened. George Gainnie
has been working like a trOja night
and day, and only by the strongest eff
forts has been able to save not only
his property, but all that part of the
unfCOded part. AT the corner OF Tor
neO and Fourth streets, the water runs
like mill race, and this morning
George caught the treacherous waters
eating out the corner, but by jumping
right in, saved the day.
George Briggs and the people i'm
to the south OF him have
worked heroically to shut out the flood
and so far have succeeded, and so has
Charlie Patterson and his two neigh
bors to the south. o. L. DIX still
keeps out OF the wet, although there
is whole lot of it around him. About
d dozen teams with ScraperS are
the weak spots, and un-
less there is storm, and there is not
much more of a rise in the river. there |
neei be no fear of ext ended disaster. |
The canal has utterly disappeared. The !
water is encroaching GA the L. q =. /
lower yards, and only the dykes keep |
it out of the round house. Down |
On the belt line the trucks !
Of the cars have about |
faded from sight, and in some cars |
where refugees have fled, communist
lion is had with the main land only by /,
water. The Mexican kids, however,
enjoy the variety in the monotony OF
life, and have taken to the water like
lucks. There is a grand hunt for drift
wood, and able bod ed MeXicans are
in the water picking up
rash and steering it ashore. The
stanton street bridge like the flag of
'ur union lis there" and shows no
igns of yielding. But at the Santa Fe
fridge the cars are no longer allowed
l.