The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-07-08
RELIEF FOR FLOOD SUFFERERS
Damage to Crops Greatly Overestimated
Government Rations.

Damage to Crops Greatly Overestimated
Government Rations.
Galveston, Texas. July 6.-.Iames Col
lison, Superintendent OF Machinery for
the Santa Te Railroad. arrived in Gal
weston ON the last through train the
road has been able to rum. The Brazos
river at Rosenberg is running wild, Mr..
Collision says, but with regard to the
ultimate damage he is very optimistic.
He thinks the damages are greatly
overestimated and that the loss of crops
in the bottoms will be counter-balanced
by the increased yields ON the uplands.
He left at noon on a special train for
the flooded district, carrying provisions
for the destitute.
At Sunnyside. twelve miles from
Brookshire, the BRACES river is ordina-
rly two hundred yards wide. About
parallel with this and two and a half
miles away is Elm Greek, which is sell
dom over thirty feet wide and in mid
summer often dry. The two streams
separated by low bottom lands. are now
united. making a river between five and
six miles wide and from sixty to seventy
feet deep. Along the currents nineteen
people We're rescued yesterday in a
skiff sent from Houston. The people
were demolishing their sheds and out
houses and making boxes that they used
for boats.
Cattle were found resting their heads
in the boughs of trees making a pitiable
struggle for existence. AT one point two
houses were seen coming down the
stream. In one OF Them was a man and
two women and on the other a woman
and five children were clinging for life
and calling for help. One of these was q
fine two-story affair, and the other was
a smaller dwelling. They passed on
with the foaming current and may have
struck an obstruction and been smashed
to pieces or found their way into the
Gulf.
Twenty-Five rowhoats fully manned
and provisioned, left here today for the
section overlooked to assist in saving
life and property.
Governor Savers has been asked by
Representative w. II. Ellis to call a
special session of the Legislature to re-
lieve the distress. The Santa Fe main
line trains have been abandoned be-
tween Galveston and the Brazos river.
The Southern Pacific and Missouri.
Kansas and Texas bridges across the
Brazos river are reported to have been
swept away this morning.
Reports from a special correspondent
of the News indicate that, while the
property loss in the recent floods has
been enormous, the loss of life has been
greatly exaggerated.
Every year the Brazos and Colorado
Valleys suffer from foundations. Up to
the present flood the greatest destruc-
ton from the annual foundations was in
1885. This year the high water-mark
of 1885 mas been surpassed in Washing
ton, Austin, Fort Bend, Waller and Bra
zos counties in Southern Texas. The
Brazos is falling rapidly In the central
part of the State, the scene of last
weeks food.
The flood reached the Southern part
of the State Sunday night and Monday
The planters had received ample warm
ing, but many negroes remained in the
Brazos Valley, believing the water
would not reach higher than in 1885
From 1000 to 1000 colored people were
caught in the valley, in Austin, Waller
and Fort Bend counties. and were
forced to take to the trees and house
tops.
The War Department has authorized
Governor Savers to distribute ten thou
sand army rations among the food suf-
ferers, the rations to be furnished the
Governor from San Antonio These
rations will be distributed at Rich
mond, Thompson, Wallis, Rosenberg.
Dunke, Arcola, F'ulshear, Chenango. Co
lumbia, Veasco, Navasoto, Calvert,
Hearne, Bryan and Brennan. In addi-
ton to the War Department rations,
Houston and Galveston have sent sew
eral carloads of groceries into the
flooded district.
As to crops. cotton is not lost. 1t is
entirely washed ont in some places, but
on the whole more good than harm has
been done to crops by the floods. Cot
ton will be replanted in most cases. Corn
has soured i'm most localities, but the
crop is not an entire loss. There is
plenty of time to raise, cotton before
January, 1900.
The next trouble will he at yeiasco,
the mouth of the Brazos, which point
the floods reached today. The town
may be cut off from communion with
the world for a day or SO, but no loss
of life is anticipated