The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-08

Il that the damage will be anything bu
temporary, for the force OF the immens
volumes OF water which, have been rush
ing over many OF the plantations for day
past has washed the larger portion, II no
all, OF the fertile soil from the surface
and in consequence many OF the farms vii
for time be much less productive thar
before At least this is the opinion ex-
pressed by many of the white property
owners and others with whom The Post
correspondent has talked. One gentleman
Mr. Will Wade, who manages the Mason
Briscoe place near Fulshear, expresI4 The
opinion yesterday that It would require at
least Ave or six years work to bring the
situation back to its normal condition. In
the meantime the question of the existence
OF the negro flood sufferers Will remain
uppermost. Tho merchants In the towns
along the bottoms receive the bulk OF
their trade from this source, of course,
and the food will be a more than serious
one to them To sum 10 all up the situa-
ton is simply appalling. 1t could not pos
slbly be worse.
The arrival at Brookshire OF the second
relief party from Houston. together with
FIVE additional boats, secured here for the
purpose of assisting in the rescue work,
was told OF in yesterdays Post After a
consultation held by the prominent ciu-
zens of the town 1T was decided that as
all OF the people in the bottoms in that
immediate vicinity had been removed 10
places of sefety, there was no need for
the men and boats there and as result
Mr.. J. H. Ferguson requested The Post
correspondent TO take charge of the party
and proceed with 1t toward Simonton and
Fulshear, making a careful investigation
along the route for the purpose of ascer-
tanning whether or not any one there was
IN need of assistance
Arrangements for the "trip were quickly
made The relief party. together with
its boars, large box of provisions and
other necessities, were taken TO point
come two miles south of Brookehire In
wagons, long .stour made necessary by
a bend in the river being thus avoided.
The FIVE boats were quickly manned and
the journey down the bottoms was begun
about o'clock.
In the party were Messrs I. n. Bemus
and j. w Parker. two well known citizens
of Brookshire; John Tannell. Charles 4.
Deutsch, George u. Brayman, Thomas FREE
mont, Morris Sandel and Cornelius Hesse.
all of Houston, and the following negroes.
Howard Orrendorf, Robert Thompson, VIII
liam Lee, Henry Mack and Uncle" Bob
Shaw, the latter OF whom is well known
as an engineer and boatman on Buffalo
bayou. With but few exceptions the men
named pNnpripupai n the work of
handling boat and before the sun set last
night every one had chance TO show his
skill for the trip was one az
the most difficult Imaginable and
while perhaps nol actually dan
gerous. was so fraught with inconve-
nences and hard labor as to make 1t any
thing but desirable. The work in hand
was never lost sight OF, hogeyer. Deutsch
was compelled 10 abandon his oar and
take to the bottom Of one of the boats as
a result of high fever which attacked
him yesterday morning. Brayman worked
painfully and with difficulty with badly
biistered hand during the afternoon and
every one else became hungry, wet dozens
of times and weary beyond measure before
the end OF the trip. Yet not a single COM
plsint was heard, not a single direction
was disregardcd and every one would have
worked during the entire tweniy-tour
hours, if possible, without n wink of sleep
or a mouthful to eat had the character OF
the work required euch sacrifices. Luckily Z
for all concerned il did not but too much /
credit can no; be given 10 every individual /
member OF the cre@S. Deutsch resigned his !
oar only after his pulse went As high as (
122 and after several doses of quinine /
which The Post correspondent happened to
have in his grip had failed TO produce the
desired effect Fremont, who only recently |
left the naval service and who is an expert /
in the art of handling a boat, did espe I
cially mertorous work, as did Mr.. Par I
ker and Messrs Sandel and Hesse Mr..
Bemus, whose avoirdupos prevented him /
from taking an oar and who accompanied 1
the party for the purpose Of guiding i.
through the bottoms. kept a continual |
smile on the faces OF the workers, even |
during the most trying situations. by his /
everlasting good humor or the negroes /
Mack, orendorf. Thompson and Shaw de
serve special mention for their herculean
efforts.
With one exception the boats OF the par
ty or the fleet" as the collection soon
became known, we're single skitfs. The I
other was large four-o cared boat Especial /
ly adapted to the purpose for which 1t wac
used. Mr.. Bemus was an occupant of this 4
boat, which was kept in the lead rs much
as possible in order to point the way to the ,
others. Ii was manned by Fremont, Bray I
man and The Post correspondent. turns
being taken at the oars aud tlller. The
crews of the other boats. with the excep- /
ton OF those handled by Shaw and Lee,
were changed frequently and every oppor-
tunity TO rest afforded by the nature OF the
country through which the route lay was
given the men.
The course. after leaving the prairie
where the boats were launched, lay nearly |
due south along the bottoms, the imme-
diate objective point being Pauls gin
house near Simonton. small station on
the Arkansas Pass between Fulshear aud
the bed Of the BRACES, a report to the ef-
feet that number of people were confined
there without means of reaching places
OF safety having been received at Brook
shire. Every effort was made TO give no.
tice OF the presence OF the rcscuing party
to any one who might be held in the trees
or In the smaller houses, but. fortunately,
no refugees OF this character were encoun.
tered. During the afternoon ana evening
number OF the boats hastily built by the
negroes when the water made their use an
absolute necessity. and which were not
inaptly termed 'coffins" by the members
OF the relief party on account OF their
shape, were passed. How some Of these
unwieldy boxes were kept afoat In a mys-
terry. Usually they were loaded 10 the
waters edge with trunks, clothing and
household effects and from the sides OF
many OF them placid pcrkers, shiyering
fOWlS or whining cats and dogs looltad out