The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-08

| recedes. and there is nothing for the con
| victs to do on the crops. The Turner ne
! sroes are idle. while those at Cunning
hams are putting in time cutting weeds,
loading cnders. etc. Another train 70
/ leave for the flooded district was spccial
! freight. which left Houston yesterday al
! ternoon about 2;S0, carrying with II a
! ouantity of provisions for the sufferers
! stationed at Stafford In addition to the
( crew. which consisted OF Conductor J. W.
/ Forgsson, Engineer b. Wyatt, Fireman
j. peavy and Brakemen II G. Hauer ana
! w. f. Roberts, Mr.. Clarence Longneeker
of the managers office OF the Southern
! paoien and a representative of The Post.
/ When Stafford was reached the provisions,
/ which consisted of 500 pounds OF bacon
4 and thirty-fiye sacks of meal, when were
purchased through the contributors sent
! to The Post and about 800 pounds OF bacon
ana twenty-five sacks Of -four forwardeu
by Carson, Sewall q Co., were unloausu.
These were the first supplies OF any klnu
that had been sent tn the poor negroes,
and it made their hearts glad when they
found out what was in store for them.
None of the negroes had had anything 10
eat since morning, while others had eaten
nothing since the day before. Tney were
really hungry and never was food more
/ welcome 10 d STARVING Nh"h ~ "''N
to theEe refugees from the lloyd.
The work of distributing the food was
Immediately gone into under the eupervl-
sion of Mr. W. j. Chambers planter
of Chambers Store, himself heavy loser
by the overflow. and w II. Mercer of MIS-
souri, City. The plan adopted By these
gentlemen was to give the head OF each
family a half pound of bacon and TWO
pounds of meal or -four for each adult ana
half of this for each child thereof. This
was considered sufficient to last for the
day. Everything went on smoothly ana
the work was rapidly done, some 800 ne
groes being supplied
Stafford is the most central point that
could have been selected for the distribu-
tion Of provisions and negroes from Mis-
souri, City, Blue Ridge and Hickory Grove,
mention of which was made In yesterday $
Pest. came in and got their share There
was enough to go around, but more viii
be needed for today. The State rations
will no doubt reach them today, but still
the negroes are needing clothes, most OF
them having all the clothing they own
right on their backs and none of IL is in
good condition.
A great many of the negroes from the
adjoining plantations are at Sug3riand.
and about 800 are being cared for by Ed H.
Cunningham g. Co.
All of these negroes are in destitute
CODulttON, anu lQp DtSt LulUS tudI
be done by the citizens OF Houston and
Galveston would be to give them employ
nent OF some kind. The negroes are in a
bewildered state and know not what to
do.
At DeWalt, small station on the Sug-
arland railway, seven miles from Sugar
land the water is two feet inside the store
and about eightyhve negroes are on top
of a box car. Mr.. w X. Morrow, who,
in connection with Mr.. e. b. Cunningham,
owns the DeWalt place. was in charge
of the rescuing party at that place. Sew
eral hand cars were sent TO Sartartia and
brought with them about thirty negroes
from Sartartia, who worked on the Riddick
place. They were all brought to Houston
other negroes, having nothing at all with
the exception Of a few personal effects
they managed to save.
The negroes at DeWalt are being car
ried by boat to the prairie and thence in
wagons to Missouri City and Stafford.
The area covered by the flood is not
much greater than It. was yesterday even
ing. but the inundated lands are deeper
under water than they were on the pre-
vious evening. The rise has been but
slight one however, a half an inch an
hour and it is firmly believed that the
waters will soon recede and when it does
recede it will be very rapid. The cane
ldHus viii SuileT put NIUE, dS luey can
stand the water fer several weeks, and it
is hardly possible that the water will
stand that long. The corn and cotton
crops will undoubtedly be a total loss.
None of the planters are yet able to make
an estimate of what their losses will be
and they will not know until the water
subsidies. Most of the planters will plant
as the water reoedes, and it is confidently
believed that 1t is not yet too late to make
crops this year.
Reports from Sartartia and Harlem show
that there was slight rise at those points.
There has been no further loss of life
here and the situation is we'll in hand.
All of the sugar which was stored at Har-
lem was conveyed to a dry place
The only additional loss TO live stock
reported was on the Sugarland plantation,
where thirty or forty hogs were killed by
being overheated in being driven to place
OF safety.
Oyster creek is now very near up to the
railroad bridge at Sugarland and its banks
are greatly overlooked, 1t had risen about
foot yesterday.
Sartartia. Texas. July AT this writ
ing the water is about at standstill.
having just reached the edge of the door
of the store at Ellis plantation. Boats
have been running all day rescuing peo-
pie and stock. No further loss of life has
been reported in this vicinity.
The railroad track from here to Sugar
land is three to four inches under water
and the train from Houston could not get
this far. A number of negroes were sent
across on hand cars to Sugarland and taken
to Houston
Much cOmmendation Is given the South
ern Pacific management for prompt action
and help rendered this people, and par
ticularly Roadmaster J. w. Delaney, who
has done everything possible to help us
There has been little loss to live stock.
Several planters have moved their fine
stock into their houses. Colonel Fields
threw up a levee around his house and
gathered all the people on his place into
the yard, where they are perfectly safe.
Mrs. Parks and her family are there, to-
getner with~her stock.
Missouri City, Texas, July IA relief
rain in charge of Chief of Police Ketchum |