Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-08
TEXAS TRICKY STREAMS.
Dry Clutches That Suddenly Becoae
Raging Torreats.


The most treacherous streams in the
United States are those of western Texas
For the most part of the year. and occa-
sionaliy for a period extending over several
years these rivers and creeks are merely
dry beds. The older inhabitants. who have
pro:ited by past experiences. are acquainted
with the character of the streams and
know that at any moment torrent OF
water may rush down the dry bed aud over
how its banks, sweeping 90 destruction
everything before it. Ii is FOR this reason
that one never sees cow and hunting
camps located near the creeks and rivers
of the section referred to. IL is not only a
wise policy to pitch camp on high ground
but it has also been proved that cattle and
sheep should be kept out of the low coun-
try when on the trail. Instances are known
when herds Of thousands of head Of cattle
have been swept away by sudden food.
The recent high waters I'm the Nueces and
Hondo rivers and Los Moros creek washed
away many thousands of cattle. horses and
sheep. Los Moros creek is ordinarily a dry
stream For several years no water what
ever has flowed in its bed on its upper
course. The new settlers of that locality
looked upon il as dry arroyo. What was
the surprise of these unknowing ones a
few mornings ago when they awoke to find
in place of the dry bed ot the ms .cntfcant
creek raging river five to seven niles
wide. its width varying according to the
character OF country through which the
stream passed. The terrible flood came
down upon the unsuspecting people without
warning.
There are many dry beds west of here
which mark abe course of former large
streams. II is related by old Inhabitants
that during the period of about twenty
years from lS2S TO 1S4S there were fire.
Iuent and terrific rains in western Texas
and that many Of the little water courses
yer lar ~
then. In fS45 there arrived in San Antonio
from Germany young man named c. H
Guenfher. He was a miller by trade, and
soon after reaching this state began TO look
ibout him for a suitable place to establish
4 grist mill He went to what is now Gil
tcSDie county. west of here. where n large
| colony of Germans had located but few
years before. On his way to that colony
he came upon a stream of large volume
and he picked out mill site on its hank
ana proceeded to erect grist mill. He ran
| the mill for three years, when the waters
| OF the stream began to rece6e so rapidly
| chat the mill had to be closed down and
| finally abandoned The ruins Of that mill
stand today and there are absolutely no
| Indications that there was ever any water
lowing in the bed of that dry arroya 1t
has been dry for more than thirty years
| Many lives have been lost alouS. the
course of the Nueces and Hondo rivers in
| sudden floods even within the past fifteen
years. About nine years ago a party OF
| LOUISIANA sportslnen came to western Texas
| with a camping outfit. They located their
camp on the left bank of the Nuares mt
| far from the town of Uvalde There were
| six men in the party. among them being T.
L. Resseur, a wealthy sugar planter The
| nrst night tney were in camp a mountain
or water rolled down the Nueces valley
| from the hills above and swept everything
before it. All the members of the hunting
party were drowned, the Southern Pacific
railroad bridge was washed out. and Thou
/ sands of dollars damage was done to farm
| and ranch property.
Tom Kersen, & veteran Indian fighter and
| Texas ranger. now residing in this city
| mas vivid recollection OF one of the big
| rises of a western Texas stream and he is
| ths nkful that il happened, for il probably
saved the lives Of himself and several MEM
| bers OF his company. In the spring of 1872
hersen, who was corporal in Capt Halls
ranger company, was sent on a scout after
a band of Comanche Indians who had been
raidfng the ranches along the Coneho
NueceS and Hondo rivers Kersen had sew
| en- men with him, and although they knew
| they were likely to run into force of In
| dams many times their number, they had
no fears. The trail of the Indians was
struck near where the town of Sabinal
| is now.
I'VE examined the trail very carefully"
hersen said to the Sun correspondent, land
| il was easy to see that there were not less
| than forty redskins i'm the party. The trail
was about eighteen hours old when we first
struck IT. 1t was about the middle of the
forenoon, and we calculated that We could
| day unless they should become suspicious
| and scatter. The trail was followed brisk
| ly all that DAY, and the travel was kept up
| as long as the moon gave light that night.
The trail began to grow warm in a literal
sense shortly after the middle of the follow
| ing day. when we came upon the embers OF
| their camp fire of the previous night. by
/ this time were near the Dry Frio
which at that time was nothing more than
| a dry bed Of a creek. The country is very
rough and the Indians were following the
valley OF the. dry stream northward their
| destination apparently being the Panhan-
| dle country. where their tribe held forth at
/ that time. We had observed heavy, black
clouds hanging over the mountains to the
north of us and banked up against the
horizon, and as We cautiously pursued the
rascally band we thought that a heavy
shower of rain was probable.
1t was probably o'clock in the after
Econ when We suddenly lost the trail of
the Indians; il had been effaced as COM
pletely though the country there had
never been travelled by human being or an
| imal of any kind. The place where the trail
| was lost was at the opening of a deep gorge
which entered the narrow valley of the Dry
FRO We instantly knew that the Indians
had discovered us and that they had scat
| tered, eHectually effacing their trail. We
also knew that the Indians would attempt
TO ambush us, and the chance of their sue
cess was very great | kept the little
party close together and We made a care
full detour up the main course of the Dry
n
ing any evidence that the Indians had
passed that way. l then suggested that
We get out of the valley and make a short
cut to the arroyo or gorge that intersecied
the main channel of the Dry Frio with a
view of ascertaining whether the band had
passed up that way. The country was al
most level above the gorges which led into
| the Dry Frio, and on the elevation we had
a commanding view of the surrounding
country for many miles. except in the
channels of the watcrless streams
I'VE had reached the bank of the deep
gorge up which we believed the Indians had
gone, when sudden loud roar attracted
our attention. Looking up the gorge we
saw great wall Of water coming down
| the narrow channel. filling 1t to a height
of probably forty feet. We were. thanks
to Providence. out of reach of the terrible
flood which swept along below us. roaring
like some huge monster. On the opposite
side of the gorge, about fifty yards from
where we were sitting on our horses, as
the Hood swept by, was a long, shelving
rock which overhung the channel below.
This rock was located about twenty-five
feet from the bed OF the gorge and was
several hundred feet long. As the wall Of
water passed up we heard the unearthly
xr,llS If Ind md Lfpo