The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-05
TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION.
The Losses Of the Houston and Texas Gen.
trail Are Enormous.
SEVENTEEN FEET OF WATER ON ITS TRACK
and Courtney bottoms Graphfcnl-
Iy Told by an Eyewitness,

MT. JeH N. Mliier, Cnlet clerk 10 Nlcc
President and General Manager Quinlan
OF the Houston and Texas Central. re-
turned to the city last evening from the
scene OF the great washouts on his line at
Bryan. Hearne. Courtney and the Navasota
river bottoms, and tells sad story OF
the widespread and universal destruction
wrought by the floods at these and other
points.
A representative of The Post interviewed
him soon after his arrival. and In reply
to questions propounded no made the fol-
lowing Interesting statement:
Our party left Bryan at sunrise this
morning. going TO the Navasota bottoms
lican. Here we encountered the overflow
from the Navasota, which spread out be-
fore us fully two miles wide on both sides
OF the Houston and Texas Ca&tral track
and varying In depth from two to seven
teen feet. 1t looked on all sides like
great lake, and the water above our road
bed was SO high fhat for vast area II
completely submerged the Telegraph and
telephone poles along the line. With such
tremendous overflow as this--with our
tracks seventeen feet below the surface
of the water--it would be simply impos-
sible at the present time toestlmate the
companys losses The damage TO tracks,
bridges and culverts can only be computed
when the awful avalanche subsidies and
when we are able to discover the fearful
extent OF the destruction. or course the
loss will be very large, possibly S250o00 or
more.
The most serious damage was near Cali
vert. south of Campbell's crssk and about
three miles north OF Benchley. AS to the
time when this damage will be repaired |
can not well say, but ! know II will be
hurried forward as rapidly as possible, and
think the northern division from Hearne
will be In operation within the neSt two
or three days, as Superintendent Daffan
has all his force concentrated in that
vicinity and is making wonderful progress.
On the southern division from Houston
to Hearne our tracks at two points are
also submerged. making it impossible to
move our material and men where they are
most needed.
The tracks in the Courtney bottoms,
north of Hampstead, are under water for
distance of about three and half miles,
and are covered by floods ranging from
two TO eight feet deep.
In the Navasota bottoms, for a distanss
of two miles, our track is covered by
water ranging in depth from two to twelve
feet, and this. too, despite the fact that
nearly all along these bottoms the rails
are laid upon an enhancement ten feet
above the average level. You can imagine
how deep the overflow here is when tell
you that in many places the water is
higher than the top of the telegraph poles.
In truth, portions of the Navasota bot
toms are now perfect sea, extending four
or five miles wide at certain POINTS. / saw
hundreds of houses there totally cub
merged. and think as many more were
swept from their foundations and de-
stroyed. Several of these wrecked homes
were carried considerable distance and
are now either resting upon the Houston
and Texas Central track or tightly wedged
against It.
The planters OF the bottoms are still
moving their help and whatever is left of
TIER stock to places where they can be
cared for They are all robly helping each
other and taking refuge wherever they
can some OF them seeking safety on
housetops. The oversecr of Rogers plan
tation In the Navasota bottom told Mr.. w.
L. Bisbee and myself this morning that he
had rescued one family from housetSp
that was entirely submerged; that the par
ties he had thus saved had been in water
waist deep and were subsisting on dry
cornmeal that they had stacked upon the
chimney.
All the planters stated to us that the
outside world has no conception OF the
floods or the losses incurred by the de-
struction of stock, crops and buildings.
The Houston and Texas Central south
bound train was caught in Benchley, where
the company provided the passengers with
provisions until they could be removed to
Bryan two days later by transfer over tho
washouts. Some are still there. but most
OF the male passengers have worked their
way 10 fearne anu taifert III tue eApstbo-
ton of getting through over the Houston
and Texas Central from one of those
points Others are coming south and are
now ferrying across the Navasota and
Courtney bottoms.
Nearly every planter has built boats
and sent them through the flooded dis
tr.cts TO render assistance to the people
and, II possible. save some Of their drown
ing stock.
In my opinion. no living man can realize
the extent OF the damage done unless he
has been upon the ground. The situation
is simply terrible and the scenes OF de-
struction beggar description.
Paiesttnc Cut IN.
/ NIL I,.1tt he a,tx