The San Francisco call., 1899-07-11
WATERS ARE
NOW SLOWLY
RECEDINC
But Great Destitution Yet
Exists Along the Brazos
Bottoms.
DANGER OF DISEASE
Deoaying Bodies Of Drowned Cat
tie and Horses Likely to Cause
a Pestilenoe.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

the upper part of the flooded district of
the State The unprecedented volume OIL
water in the Brazos River is emptying
into the gulf at a rapid rate, and along
the upper course of the stream the de-
vastated thousands of acres Of agTlcul-
tural lands are coming to the surface, us
benighted appearance plainly showing the
awful havoc that has been wrought oS
the long period of inundation The cot
ton and corn crops are utterly ruined, ana
those who predicted that the flood would
not Kill the plants are proved to be false
prophets.
Unless swelIed by additional rains the
Irazos viii be back IN its banks by the
end Of this week. The receding of the
food along the upper course of the
stream has brought TO light the fact that
the loss of livestock was much greater
than has Vet been estimated. On water
soaked ground are strewn thousands OF
dead bodies of cattle and horses. The
stencil arising from these dead animals
and drying vegetation is unbearable in
some localities, and it is feared 1t will
be the cause OF much sickness. The situ-
alton H. Hearne, Robinson County, is
much worse than indicated in the earlier
advicas from that locality.
Governor Savers received a telegram
this morning from the Mayor of HeaTne,
located in the heart df the stricken dis
trict. Urging that $4,000 be Immediately
Of the suffering OF that county. As $1,000
had already been sent to the destitute
people of that county the Governor was
unable TO comply with the appeal for
further aid The negroes of Robinson and
counties Of that section where the nood
subSided find that their little homes were
completely devastated by the mood, and IN
many Instances the contour OF the val
ley has been SO changed by the raging
waters as to completely oblterate planta-
tiOn boundaries and sites OF former resi-
deUceS and plantation buildings Many o.
the negroes refuse to return 10 lAe boS,
toms They are afraid another hood Will
come end sweep them TO destruction.
Governor Savers to-day completed MS
work Of organizing the State into dis
tTicts Of from six TO eight counties eaCH
for the purpose Of securing systematic
co-operauon in the work Qf .S raising sup up
ceivirg and distributing agent for each
district was appointed. 1t Is expected lhat
this method viii result In July ZUO car
loads Of food supplies and clothing being
raised and shipped 10 the destitute people
within the next three days. Edcn county
in the State is expected TO contribute not
less than one car OF necessities. Inc ralIx
roads are hauIIng the supplies Tree OF
freight charges.
pie in Fort Bend and Brazoria counties
was carried on on an extensive scale to-
day. Several hundred boats, including
number Of Government craft sent from
Galveston and VelascO. piled the turbu-
lent waters all day, and several hundred
taken from treetops and little knobs OF
high ground and conveyed to regions
where they were provided with 1000 ana
Among the larger cash contributions re-
CeiVed by Governor Savers to-day to be
expended in behalf OF the refugees was
$1,000 from the Western manager OF the
Waters Spice Oil Company OF st. Louis.
Relief committees have been organized IN
nearly every city and town IN the state
and wonderful generosity is being SHOWN
by the people in contributing money, food.
supplies and clothing for the needy A
proprietary medicine company OF 81. LOUIS
wired the Governor to-day asking II help
was needed from persons outside OF IeXas
for the sufferers. The Governor replied
that all such contributions would be ac-
ceptable. Among the kilograms received
by the Governor to-day regarding the
situation in the flooded regions was the
following from John p. Bell, county
Judge Of Austin County:
There are 1900 flood sufferers in this
county north OF Mill Creek, 1850 south of
Mill Greek, including Wards Bend, and
$50 at Wallis. The people OF Bellville have
cared for those north OF Mill Creek up to
Saturday without aid from any other
source. Sealey and San Fflipi have re-
ceived from YOU 500 and 1900 rations.
Wallis received 1000 ratons. Bellville,
with her 200 people, has received no aid
yet, but bought $500 worth of meat and
bacon, expecting to pay for 1t out OF the
$1,000 10 be received from you. Wallis will
be in need of food again tomorrow"
The Governor received the following
telegram from Lewis r. Bryan and others
of Nelasco, at the mouth of the Brazos,
The water has reached it's highest
point, and NelasCO is all right and able
TO take care of such of her people as may
need assistance. The channel is deep and
we wish your aid in getting Government
engineers to let the contract for work
on the ietties 1t the very earliest moment
as 1t serves the trustees the double pur-
pose of saving much dredging, and will
also give work TO many people and naVa
good moral effect on the people of this
and adjoining CouI.ties by helping TO re-
Vive and steady their hopes and spirits in
this time of destruction and demoraliza-
s. Tanffero. chairman of the Houston
relief committee, wired Governor Sayers
Please wire the Mayors of towns
named below, asking the immediate dc
flooded districts Must be immediate to
be successful: Brenham, Austin Hous-
ton, Waco, San Antonio, Temple Bellton,
Bryan. CorsiCana, WaXahachle, Dallas,
IIiilsboro, Brownwood Palestine, Groves
ton, Groesbeck, Ennis, Wortham, Sher-
man, Paris. Texarkana, Denison, Flatonia,
I.uling, HalIettSVille and Weimar. In ad-
dition TO cotton seed the flood sufferers
need black-eyed peas and sorghum seed
and Kaff1r or other quick maturing corn
TO plant soon as the food recedes.
The Governor complied with the request
w. Z. Hunnicutt wired the Governor that
the flood sufferers of Falls County are
being cared for by the local aid commit
tee. Colonel Ike Stanifer of Sherman
wired that he had organized all the towns
in Grayson County and the work of gath
ering Contributions has commenced. Swift
& Co. of Kansas City wired that they will
contribute 5000 pounds of bacon for the
sufferers. The half-famished refugees at
Sunnyside, in Waller County, were partly
relieved of their hunger to-day. A tele-
gram was received from r. =. Hanna of
Hampstead stating that consignment CT
food supplies was sent from that place TO
Sunnyside to-day and that there are about
COO needy people there.
state Health Officer w. F. Blunt has
gone TO the flooded region to investigate
the health and sanitary conditions.
In response to an inquiry as to whether
outside assistance is needed for the des-
titute people Governor Sayers replied this
evening: 49,
greatly appreciate any assistance rem
dered"
The distress in the Brazos Valley is very
great indeed. The average length OF the
food is 300 miles and is fully ten miles
wide, sweeping everything before It A
telegram was received from j ". felker
and several other citizens Of Courtney.
Crimes Countv stating that heip IS
needed to feed 500 people there.
HjAad N ~dV us;fh a1rh cneh swnnf ddK6e-