Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-07-12
TbI,RIDLELOSS OF LIFE
Caused by Floods in the Lone
Star State.
BRAzOs VALLEY REGION SUFFERS.

What Week Ago Was the Falrest Part
of Texas II Now . F0rsaken wilderness
-Everything Under Water from Two to
Seventeen Feet-Inundated District 500
Miles Long and Fifty Miles Wide-Ob-
servations Made by Correspondent
Houston, Tex, July ga corre-
spondent just returned from a voyage
through the food districts, says: "The
half has not been told of the havoc
wrought The disaster is so appalling
that description is not possible. After
this flood will come sickness undoubt-
eddy and what week ago was the fair
est part of Texas, is now almost
God-fOrsaken wilderness. The waters
of the Brazos have for six days COW
cred its valley to a depth of from six
to thirty feet. Where week ago there
were on every hand fields of cotton
and corn and thousands of acres of
watermelons and canteloupes, today
there is Shiny mud over all the vege-
tation, and carcasses of cows, mules,
pigs, dogs and cats, mayhap humans,
for many are missing. Our party left
Bryan at sunrise, going to the Nava-
soto bottoms and to point about
three miles from Millican.
Everything Under Water.
Here we encountered everywhere an
overflow from the Navasota which
spread out fully two miles on either
side of the Houston and Texas Gen.
trail track. 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 completely submerged the telegraph
and telephone poles along the line. In
truth, portions of the Navasota bottoms
are even now perfect sea, extending
four or five miles wide at certain
points. l saw hundreds of houses there
totally submerged and as many more
were swept from their foundations and
destroyed. The planters of the bot
toms are still moving their help and
whatever is left of their stock to places
where they can be cared for. They are
nobly helping each other and taking
refuge wherever they can, some of
them seeking safety on house tops. All
the planters stated that the outside
world has no conception OF the
floods or losses incurred by the de-
structiOn of crop, stock and buildings.
Nearly every planter has built boats
and sent them through the flooded dis
tricts to render assistance to the people
and If possible save some of their
drowning stock.
Over 500 Miles I'm Length.
''The food district has a length Of
over 500 miles, a breadth of probably
fifty miles and in all this vast space
damage incalculable has been done.
The loss to life will never be fully
known. perhaps; the bottoms were
thickly settled, mostly with negro ten
ant farmers; among these has been
the greatest loss of life To show the
damage done the following estimates
Aave~been made by men who are in a
position to know: Lives lost, from
100 to 300; loss to farmers, including
crops as well as live stock. from S.
5000 to $15,000,000; damage to rail-
roads and to country bridges, $4,000
900 TO 100000. These estimates are
taken in the whole area. 1t is known
that more than sixty people have met
their death; that many bodies have
been recovered; 1t is not believed that
all of them will ever be recovered" ..