The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-05
Have Disappeared From Sight
Many Swept Away.
Loss of Life and Property Has
Been Enormous.
DROWNED NUMBER go.
That Many Known and Esti-
mates Run to 800.
Property Destroyed Reaches
Far Into the Millions.

Houston, Tex, July 5.-A correspond
ent has just returned from a. voyage
through the flooded districts. The half
has not beeen told of the havoc wrought.
After this flood win come sickness un-
doubtedly and what a week ago was
the fairest part of Texas is now almost
a Wilderness The waters OF tne SEdAOS
have for six days covered Its valley 10
depth Of from six to thirty fe9t;w mere
a week ago there were on every hand
fields of cotton and corn and t4tousandS
of acres of waterInelOns and canta-
loupes, today there is Shiny mud over
all the vegetation. There are carcaSseS
of cows, mules, pigs, dogs ana CATS
rnayhap humans for many are missing
Our party left Bryan at sunrise yester-
day morning going to the HaYasota
bottoms and to a point abou- three
miles from MilIcan. Here we encOun-
tered everywhere an overflow from the
NavaSOta which spread out fully two
miles on either side of the Houston &
Texas Central tracks.
Everything is under water from two
to seventeen feet. 1t looked on all sides
like a great lake and the water was
so high that for a vast area it COM
pletely submerged the telegraph and
telephone poles along the line In TRUTH
portions of the Nayasota bottoms are
even now a perfect sea. extending four
or five miles wide. l saw hundreds OF
houses totally submerged and as many
mor- were swept from their founda-t
tiOns and destroyed. The planters OF
and whatever is left of their stock to
places where they can be ctred for.
They are all nobly helping each other
and take refuge wherever they can.
some of them seeking safety On house
tops.
All the planters stated that the out
side world has no conception Of the
floods, or losses incurred 10y the destruc-
tiOn of crops, stock and buildings. Near
ly every planter has built bouts and
sent them through the flooded districts
to render assistance to the people and If
possible save some of-their drowning
stock.
The flood district has a length of over
500 miles, a breadth of probably fifty
miles and in all this vast space damage
incalcuIable has been done. The loss
to life will never be fully known per-
hapS. The bottoms were thickly set
tied, mostly with negro tenant farmers.
and among these has been the greatest
loss of life To show the damage done
the following estimates have been made
by men who are in a position to know:
Lives lost, from 100 to 300s loss to
farmers. including crops as we*l as live
stock, from $1,000 600 to $4,000 900 dam
age to railroads and to country bridges,
81 600 600 to S4 00O, 900.
These estimates are taken in the whole
area. 1t is known that more than so
people have met their deaths that many
bodies have been recovered: it Is not be
lieved that all of them viii be- ever re-
covered.
BRAzOS OUT FOR MILES.
Galveston, July Sat Brookshire the
BraZOs river has overf1owed for miles.
No loss of life is reported thAre. The
citizens have asked the governor for as
sistance and measures have been taken
for the relief of the sufferers. Mayor
Jones of Galveston is making g person
al canvass of the business district. No
word was received from Dewey today.