The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-07-14
THE GREAT TEXAS FLOOD.
How the Big Brazos River Broke Its
Notorious Record for
Big Highs.
an EVENT LONG TO BE REMEMBERED.
n Has Cost the state. Probably. Hundreds
of Lives aud Millions Upon Millions In
I'll. Destruction OF Crops and Public
and Private Property.


pendent of the Globe Democrat, writ
Ing from Caldwell. Tex, gives the fol-
lowing graphic story OF the great dis
ester that has fallen upon the state:
The month of july Of the present
year will long be reIpcmhered by Tex
ans as one during which the elements
seemed TO have combined in an effort
20 sweep away towns. railroads and
bridges and destroy crops throughout
the length and breadth OF the tate.
1t is known that great many lives
have been lost, and il is feared thai:
hundreds OF negroes and Italians have
persisted on plantations in the BRACES
bottoms. The loss OF property is Un-
prcccdcnted. and the damage sustain
Ell 10y many railroads is simply beyond
all computation. In many instances
the roadbeds have been so badly dam
aged for long distances that the task
of repairing the work will doubtless
surpass the original cost of construc-
ton.
The storm commenced in the west
ern part of the state several weeks
ago. and such large rivers as the Rio
Grande, the Colorado and many small
er streams were soon swollen beyond
the capacity of their shores. and the
country districts were flooded in re-
gions never before visited by the wa
tiers of these streams. The san Sala
rose 40 feet in few moments and the
pretty little town of Menardville was
swept away almost in the twinkling
OF an eye. San Saba and other towns
below were greatly damaged. and one
OF the finest farming regions in west
ern Texas was completely submerged
and the crops entirely destroyed. Sew
eral lives were lost and nearly all the
cattle. horses. sheep and hogs in the
valley were drowned
Bracket. near Fort Clark in the Rio
Grande country. was suddenly struck
by moving wall Of water higher than
the roofs Of the houses, and IL seems
little less than a miracle that a single
inhabitant escaped.
Before these floods had time to flow
out of the rivers the rain storm moved
further east over a more thickly popu-
lated region. and on the night OF the
9th. a heavy rain fell that put all the
streams in the country out Of their
banks and stopped the trains on near
ly all the railroads. On the 2sth there
were constant showers sufficient 70
keep the floods at high-water mark.
Al this alarming moment. when
when every one felt that their homes
and crops were in imminent peril ;he
clouds grew more appalling and The
rain began 10 fall in torrents. There
was not the least cessation Of th,,
storm during the whole night. and the
Oldest people in the country declared
that they had never seen such a rain
fall from the heavens. The rains cor
tinued TO fall during the next dav and
night. as if they were the result OF
cloudburst. and the creeks and rivers
that were already above high-watrr
mark were simply doubled in volume.
In many localities that had never be-
fore been submerged the water was 40
feet deep. county roads were ruined
and in half dozen counties there are
not many bridges of any service.
food of water poured along the
Gulf. Colorado 4 Santa Fe railroad on
tie division south of Temple, eating
away the roadbed and leaving the
track and ties suspended in the air.
Hardly bridge or culvert escaped for
q distance of 50 miles.
Not satisfied with the destruction of
che roadbed. the angry flood. by some
peculiar freak. frequently cut out
great excavations and swirled through
long cuts. tangling and mating ties
and iron and digging out great holes
In the earth.
Davidson creek, in Burleson county.
which is a little rivulet that one can
easily step across for III months in the
year. spread out over the country for
four or five miles and left nothing be-
hind its roaring flood that could be
moved by illimitable force. Three
costly railroad bridges and some eight
or ten wagon bridges were twisted to
fragments and lodged In the tops of
trees. Several long spans OF the rail-
road bridge on this creek are living
tangled in the tops of a lot OF elm
trees. SO feet from the earth.
Not less than seven rifles Of the
roldbed Of the Santa Re have been to-
tally destroyed between Milano and
Caldwell. Three hundred men are az
work on this section. with little hope
of putting the road in shape for trains
In less than week. This road isdoubt-
less the greatest sufferer from the
storm. but they are importing laborers
by the thousand. and the work Of re-
pairing the roadbed is being pushed
day and night Not single train has
passed over this road Cor the past
eight Jays. and no one is able To say
when traffic Will be resumed.
The big lirazos river has surpassed
all its former acts OF deviltry i'm the
line of destroying property and drown
ing people. II is difficult to effect
communication with numerous isolat-
cd settlements i'm the bottoms. and
many Of the big plantations have not I
been heard from. Rescuing parties in 4
skins aud RATS are securing the bot 4
toms, and they have saved the lives of 4
hundreds OF people They reporf thaf