The San Francisco call., 1899-07-01
CYCLONE AND
FLOOD IN TEXAS
Miles of Fertile Country
Devastated.
Special Dispatch to TIE Call.

AUSTIN. June 3O.-The terrific rains
in Central Texas continue unabated
and the floods in the creeks and rivers
are devastating growing crops and
other property with increased Vora-
ciousness. Railroad traffic on almost
every trunk line In the State is para
Iyzed and the damage u the lnterha-
tional and Great Northern, the HouS-
ton and Texas Central, the missouri
Kansas and Texas, the San antoine
and Aransas Pass and. the Huil'
Colorado and Santa Fe roads by the
washing away of bridges ana many
miles of track will aggregate over half
a million dollars.
This section of the state has been
completely shut off from railway com
munication with the North ana EaSt |
for the past two dGys ana ho Ya.il IlIail
from St. Louis. Chicago, New YORK
and other Northern AMI Eastern points
has been received since traffic was hrSt
interrupted. The Brazos River IS the
largest of the flooded streams. Al
points it's width Is ten miles ana IL con-
tfnues to rise slowly be.ow Hearne- lts
tributaries are all out of their banks
and scores of costly county bridges
have been washed away. The Brazos
River bottom lands from Hearne 10
VeIasco are known as the most produc-
tive cotton region in the South 1t Is
really the cotton belt Of Texas.
The present unprecedented hlgh wa
fer has swept one hundred thousand
prospective bales OF cotton out OF exist
ence. This is a conservative estimate
of the extent of the loss of the cotton
WELD. In addition to the cotton crop
loss the sugar planters in the lower
counties along the course OF the BraZos
are suffering great damage to their
sugar cane crops.
Fl M Troxow, a prominent planter
of Washington County, who arrived
here to-day from the scene of the flood
in that section, estimates the total
losses TO crops in the bottoms OF the
Brazos and tributaries will be fully
two million dollars and if the rise be-
comes a few feet greater the loss Will
reach an additional million dollars
In Washington and adjoining coun-
ties there are many well-to-do negro
planters whose possessions are entirely
swept away The negroes are
heavy sufferers from the floods. In
Bell County Leon and Nolan creeks are
raging torrents Of water and have
washed away many houses and house
hold effects, besides destroying all crops
in their course. All telephone messages
received this evening from BeltCn state
that a number Of small residences
there have been swept away by Nolan
Creek. but no loss of life is reported.
The flood has also done considerable
damage at Bryan.
In addition to the floods destructive
cyclone passed through Milan County
Wednesday afternoon. The path of the
storm was about 200 feet wide and
everything in its way was destroyed.
A number of people were badly cut and
bruised. but none were fatally injured.
News of the cyclone was received here
to-day by telephone and full particulars
are lacking.
The Colorado River is also on another
big rise below here and in Fayette
County it is out Of it's banks and doing
much damage State Senator a. B.
Davidson of Cuero arrived here this
evening. He stated that the Guada-
loupe and Colorado rivers in that sec
tiC;n are flooding the low country. The
rains in that locality during the past
few days have been terrific. The fall
was 8.S inches in eighteen hours.
The Gulf. West Texas and Pacific and
the New York, Texas and Mexican
railroads are literally washed to pieces
The track of the latter road from Vic
toria to Richmond, a distance of eighty
miles. is nearly all under water. The
San Antonio and Aransas Pass road
from Cuero to Wallace, a distance OF
100 miles. is also badly washed.