Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-07-29
TRICKY TEXAS STREAMS
DRY CULCHeS THAT SUDDENLY BE-
COME RAGING TORRENTS.

TlOOVA MlIes N1Oe-A big rise wipes
Out Band of Comanches.
The most treacherous streams In
the United States are those of west
ern Texas. For the most part Of the
year. and occasionally for a period ex-
tending over several years, these
rivers and creeks are merely dry beds.
The older Inhabitants, who have pro-
fitted by past experiences, are ac-
quainted with the character of the
streams and know that at any moment
torrent of water may rush down the
dry bed and overflow its banks, sweep
ing to destruction everything before
it. 1t is for this reason that one
never sees "cow" and hunting camps
located near the creeks and rivers of
the section referred to. Tt is not only
wise policy to pitch camp on high
ground, but it has also been proved
that cattle and sheep should be kept
out OF the low country when on the
trail. Instances are known when
herds of thousands of head of cattle
have been swept away by n sudden
flood.
Therecent high waters in the Nueces
M Hondo rivers and Los Moros
Creek washed away many thousands
OF cattle, horses and sheep. Los
Moros Creek is ordinarily dry
stream. For several years no water
whatever has flowed in its bed on its
upper course. The new settlers OF
that locality looked upon it rs dry
arroyo. What was the surprise OF
these unknowing ones few morning,
ago when they awoke to find in place
of the dry bed OF the insignificant
creek raging river five to seven
miles wide, its width varying accord
ing to the character OF the country
through which the stream passed.
The terrible food came down upon the
unsuspecting people without warning.
There are many dry beds west of
Austin which mark the course of
former large st cams. 1t is related
by old inhabitants that during the
period about twenty years, from
1928 to l84s, there were frequent and
terrific rains in western Texas and
that many of the little watercourses
that are now forgotten were large
rivers then. In 1915 there arrived in
San Antonio from Germany young
man named G. II. Guenther. He was
miller by trade. and soon after
reaching this state he began to look
about him for suitable place to es.ab
lish giist mill. He went to what is
now Gillespie county, where large
colony of Germans had located but
few years b fore. On his way to that
colony he came upon a stream of large
volume and he picked out mill site
upon it's bank and proceeded to erect
grist mill. He ran the mill for three
years, when the waters OF the stream
began to recede so rapidly that the
mill had to be closed down and finally
abandoned. The ruins of that mill
stand today, and there are absolutely
no indications that there was ever any
water flowing in the bed of that dry
arroyo. 1t has been dry for MOI e than
thirty years.
Many lives have been lost along the
course of the Nueces and Hondo rivers
in sudden foods even within the past
fifteen years. About nine years ago
a party of Louisiana sportsmen came
to western Texas with camping out
tit. They located their camp on the
left bank of the Nueces not far from
the town of Uvalde. There were six
men in the party, among them being
L.,
planter. The first night they were in
camp mountain of water rolled down
the Nueces valley from the hills above
and swept everything before it. All
the members of the hunting patty
were drowned, the Southern Pacific
railroad bridge was washed ont and
thousands OF dollars damage was done
to farm and ranch property.
Tom Kersen, veteran Indian
fighter and Texas ranger, now resid-
ing in Austin, has n vivid recollection
of one of the "big rises" of n we stern
Texas stream, and he is thankful that
it happened, for it probably saved the
lives of several members of his COM
pany. In the spring of 1872 kersen,
who was corporal in Captain Halls
ranger COMPANY, was sent on scott
after band of Comanche Indians who
had been raiding the ranches along
the Concho, Nueces and Houdorivers.
Kersen had seven men with him, and
although they knew that they were
likely to run inio force of Indians
many times their number, they had no
fears. The trail OF the Indians was
struck near where the town of Sabinal
is now.
1--WE examined the trail very care
fully" Kersen said to New York
Sun correspondent, '.and it was easy
to see that there were not less than
forty redskins in the party. The trail
was about eighteen hours old when
We first struck it. 1t was abon. the
middle of the forenoon, and we calcu-
lated that we could overtake the land
by evening of the next day unless
they should become suspicious and
scatter. The trail was followed briskly
all that day and the travel was kept
mp as long as the moon gave light that
uiSHt. Iuo tThit DcSdu W grow WIT Ill
in literal sense shortly after the
middle of the following day, when we
came upon the embers of their camp
fire of the previous night. BY this
time We were near the Dry Frio, which
at that time was nothing more than
the dry bed of creek. The country
is very rough and the Indians were
following the valley of the dry stream
northward, their destination appar-
emily being the Panhandle country,
where their tribe held forth at that
time. We had observed heavy, black
clouds hanging over the mountains to
the north of us and banked up against
the horizon, and as we cautiously pur-
sued the rascally band we thought
that heavy shower OF rain was prob
able.
at was probably o'clock in the
afternoon when we suddenly lost The
trail of the Indians; it had been