Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-07-07

A despatch from Dallas, Tex, says that
at LAS p. NJ. Wednesday Deputy Sheriff
Swearingen made the following statement
over the ng-dlstance telephone at Sealy
"Relief has not reached the flood victims
in this section. Thirteen dead bodies have
been recovered near the town of Brook
shire, IS miles from here. Forty-five per-
sons above Sealy are given up for dead
Seven we're drowned today in boat, seven
miles below Sealy. About 400 persons are
isolated on a small piece of land in the
Brazos bottoms, three miles from Brook
shire. Several hundred more are similarly
surrounded at San PHILIPPE, three miles
from Sealy. Unless relief can soon reach
these two places, the 500 lives will prob
ably be lost. Many will die, as it is, from
hunger, exposure and exhaustion"
Fully 200 lives were lost by food within
a radius of 80 miles of Sealy Tuesday night
and yesterday, says a despatch TO the
Chicago Tribune from Fort Worth. Near
ly 100 were drowned at 1.-THE Mound" a
small piece of highland near Old San
PHILIPPE, to which hundreds of negroes
fled from the Brazos bottoms, taking their
horses and cattle. The waters have grad
ually encroached upon them until only
about half an acre of space remains, and
this the water was expected to sweep over
before this morning. There 800 negroes
were hudlied last night, with death star
ing them in the face. Drowning is al
most sure, while starvation is certain. The
nearest point of land is three miles away.
A correspondent who returned Wednes-
day to Houston, Tex, from voyage
through the flooded districts, says: 1.-The
half has not been told of the havoc
wrought. The disaster is so appalling
that description is not possible. After
this food will come sickness undoubtedly,
and what a week ago was the fairest part
of Texas is now almost a Godforsaken
wilderness. The water of the Brazos has
for six days covered its valley to depth
of from TO 80 feet; where a week ago
there were on every hand fields of cotton
and corn, and thousands of acres of water
melons and cantaloupes, today there is
Shiny mud over all the vegetation, the car
cases of cows, mules, pigs, dogs and cats
-mayhap human beings, for many are
missing. Our party left Bryan at sunrise
yesterday tuesday morning, going to
the Navasota bottoms and to a point about
three miles from Millican. Here we en-
countered everywhere an overflow from
the Navasoto which spread out fully two
miles on either side of the Houston and
Central tracks. Everything is under wa
ter from to II feet. l saw hundreds of
houses totally submerged and as many
more we're swept from their foundations
and destroyed. The planters of the bot
toms are still moving their help and what
ever is left of their stock to places where
they can be cared for. They are all nobly
helping each other and taking refuge
wherever th9y can. Nearly every planter
has built boats and sent them through the
flooded district to render assistance to the
people and if possible save some of their
drowning stock.
"The flooded district has a length of
over 500 miles and breadth of probably so
miles. To show the damage done the fol-
lowing estimates have been made by men
who are in al position TO know Lives
lost, from 100 to 800; loss to farmers, in
Guiding crops as well as live stock, from
s., 900, 900 to S15, 0O0,0 900; damage to rail-
roads and country bridges, $4,000 600 to
| 81, 900, 900. 1t is known that more than
90 people have met their death. Many
bodies have been recovered, but it is not
believed that all of them will ever be
found"
Aldespatch from Humboldt, Kan, says
that the Neosho valley is flooded by "a
hours rain and is under six feet of water.
Many fields of wheat are gone, and the
corn along the river will be damaged. G..
Brady, farmer, was drowned while try
ing to save some stock. 1t is feared the
flood will exceed the one of 1865.