Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-08
Damage by Texas Floods Estimated
at Ten Million Dollars.
PLANTERS LOSE NEARLY EVERYTHING
Cotton Crops and Gins Ruined, and
Havoc Seems Supreme.
CONDITION OF RAILROADS

ST. LOUIS. July s.-A special to the Re
public from Caldwell, Tex. says:
| Estimates by cotton buyers as to the loss
| resulting from damage to the cotton crop
in the Brazos are that not less than 200
| square miles of cotton-bearing land has
| been flooded.
Basing the loss on 3 per cent figures, the
| crop destroyed on these plantations was
worth 100000. well-informed persons are
of the opinion that this unprecedented rise
in the Brazos district cost the people Of
| Texas little less than $l0,000,000. Thousands
of mules have been drowned. all Of the do
| n estic animals have pershed, rented
| houses and negro quarters have been swept
| away. The gins are nearly all ruined, and
| hundreds OF plantation stores, carrying big
| stocks Of general merchandise, under
water. Not a bridge has escaped. and not
a train has passed over the Santa Fe rail-
road between Brenham and Milano for a
| week
Road Must He Rebuilt.
| ST. LOUIS. July S.-A special TO the Re-
| public from Dennison. Tex, says:
| The Houston and Texas Central officials
| state that the road between Calvert and
| Hearns will have to be virtually rebuilt,
| owing to the flood, and that the cost will
| not be less then $5O00o0.
| Thousands Of Dollars for Relief.
Scores of kilograms were received by
Governor Savers Yesterday from charitable
| persons in all parts Of the country, tender
| ing financial aid to the flood sufferers.
| Frank Gould of New York wired the gov
| ernor to draw on him for 5000, and to ap-
| ply the sum where 1t was most needed.
| President Richard A. McCurdy of the Mu-
| tual Life Insurance Company, and Coils p.
| Huntington of New York, each contributed
| 5000, and H. B. Hollins & Co. of the same
| city $1,000. The cash contributions from all
| sources yesterday amounted to about $780,
600
| Further evidence of the distress and des-
| titution of the many thousands of refugees
in the inundated region was brought to
| light. 1t was reported by reliable persons
| who have visited the scene of devastation
| that large number of negroes have al
| ready Succumbed to the pangs of hunger
| In Washington, Austin, Waller. Fort Bend
| and BrazOria counties the work of rescuing
the water-bound inhabitants was continued
| Scores Of men, women and children were
| saved with hardly sufficient life left in their
bodies to hold on to the branches Of trees
to which they had been clinging for the
| last three days.
An Island of Terror.
Relief boats were enabled yesterday to
reach the sand knoll in Austin county. and
word was received from there last evening
|
huddled together en- the little plot Of
ground for four days had been rescued.
The experiences of this colony of refugees
Were terrible in the extreme. When the flood
| came they were driven from their homes,
and sought to make their way to higher
| ground They found that the waters had
made a wide detour and that they
| already on an island. This island decreas-
ed in area rapidly and for the last four
| days it embraced only about three acres.
To add TO the horror of the situation, the
island made the place of refuge Of
thousands of venomous snakes, wildcats,
deer and other wild animals. The snakes
writhed in and out among the terrified and
suffering people. and number Of persons
who were bitten still in critical con-
dition.
1t will take the people of the inundated
region several years to recover from the
| effects of the calamity. There are many
instances of wealthy planters having had
all their crops ana movable property de-
stroyed by the flood, leaving them practi-
cally penniless and dependent upon charity
for food and clothing for themselves and
families. This condition Of affairs is par
ticularly true in Fort Bend Brazoria and
| Austin counties, which were largely deVOt-
ed 20 sugarcane culture. Their rich and
highly improved Plantations have been
built up within the last twenty-five years,
and or each of them were from 10000 to
s2oo,c1 worth of improvements in the way
of sugar mills, rein cries, fine stables and
residences. All these are gone.
Thirty Thousand Negroes Destitute.
The taking care of 10000 or more desti-
tute negroes is going to be big job. They
seem to be absolutely Indifferent as TO their
| condition and future fate. Many Of them
were prosperous planters bsfore the flood
came. Ever since the war they had been
| accommodating their modest fortunes, and
to have all swept away in a few hours is
such a shock that they are stunned. II
is now the accepted belief that there will
be but little replanting Of cotton. 1t will
| be too late in the season before the ground
| is in condition to work, even should the
flood subside rapidly. The refugees Will
| have no opportunity of making crop. and
the planters whose places have suffered de-
struction will have no work TO give them
| until next season. In the meantime 1t Will
| take large sum of money TO tide them
| over the next few months.
| The general stagnation of railroad traffic
is being gradually removed. The hundreds
| of workmen are doing quick work in MAX
ing repairs to roadbeds. tracks and bridges
and regular service on several of the af-
| fected lines restored yesterday. The
first direct and through mails from st.
Louis and the north were received today.
Governor Sayers received the following
| telegram yesterday evening from Mayor
John Phillips of San Felipe Austin county:
I'VE have a thousand sufferers from the
| Brazos flood. Five hundred are in imme-
date need of food and clothing. They are
starving. Help us. We have done and are
doing all we can, but our resources have
all been swept away
The governor replied by sending $1,000 to
Mayor Phillips to be used in buying food
supplies Twenty thousand government ra-
tions reached Richmond yesterday even
ing, and the work of distributing them
among the needy was begun. A number of
United States government boats are ply
ing the waters, rescuing the refugees and
taking the food supplies to the starving
ones.
MIR. Kasson in His Office.
Special Plenipote ntiary kasson was able