Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-08
aelistellansous 8eaaiag.
TRICKY TEXAS STREAMS.
They Rise In Moment and Work Great
Destruction.

They Rise In a Moment and Work Great
Destruction.
The press dispatches of the past
week have been telling alarming stories
of the swollen rivers in Texas. The
Lower Brazos river, ordinarily about
half a mile wide, was six miles wide
on last Wednesday, and the destruc'
ton of life and property has been
something appalling. 1t is estimated
that fully 500 people have been drown
ed and corn and cotton crops to the
value of millions of dollars have been
washed away. Several towns have
been submerged. In connection with
the dispatches, the following from the
New York Sun is quite interesting:
The most treacherous streams in the
United States are those of western
Texas. For the most part of the year
and occasionally for period extend.
ing over several years, these rivers and
creeks are merely dry beds. The old,
er inhabitants, who have profited 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 and over
flow its banks, sweeping to destruction
everything before it. 1t is for this
reason that one never sees "cow" and
hunting camps located near the creeks
and rivers of the section referred to.
1t 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 lower coun-
try when on the trail. Instances are
known when herds of thousands OF
head of cattle have been swept away
by a sudden food.
The recent high waters in the
Nueces and Hondo rivers and Los
Moros creek washed away many thou
sands of cattle, horses and sheep. Los
Moros creek is ordinarily dry stream.
For several years no water whatever
has flown in its bed on its upper course.
The new settlers of that locality look
ed upon it as dry arroyo. What was
the surprise of these unknowing ones
a few mornings ago when they awoke
to fud in place of the dry bed Of the
insignificant creek raging river five
to seven miles 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 the course of former
large streams. 1t is related by old in
habitants that during the period Of
about 25 years, from 1928 to 1S4S,
there were frequent and terrific rains
in western Texas, and that many OF
the little water courses that are now
forgotten were large rivers then. In
1S45 there arrived in San Antonia from
Germany a young man named c. h.
Guentber. He was miller by trade,
and soon after reaching this state be-
gan to look about for suitable place
to establish a grist mill. He went to
what is now Gillespie county, west OF
here, where large colony of Germans
had located, but few years before.
On his way to that colony he came up
on stream of large volume, and he
picked out mill site on its bank and
proceeded to erect grist mill. He
ran the mill for three years, when the
waters of the stream began to recede
so rapidly that 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 flowing
ing the bed of that dry arroyo. 1t has
been dry for more than 80 years.
Many lives have been lost along the
courses of the Nueces and Hondo rivers
in sudden floods even within the past
Is years. About nine years ago a
party of Louisiana sportsmen came to
western Texas with a camping outfit.
They located their camp on the left
bank of the Nueces, not far from the
town of Uvalde. There were six men
in the party, among them being I. l..
Resseur, a wealthy sugar planter. The
first night they were in camp noun
tain of 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 thousands of dol
lars damage was done to farm and
ranch property.
Tom Kerson, a veteran Indian fight
er and Texas ranger, now residing IN
this city,, has vivid recollection OF
one of the "big rises" of a western
Texas stream, and he is thankful that
it happened, for it probably saved the
lives of himself and several members
of his company. In the spring of 1872
Kersen, who was corporal in Captain
Halls ranger company, was sent on a
scout after band of Comache Indians
who had been raiding the ranches along
the Concho, Nueces and Hondo rivers.
Kersen had seven men with him, and,
although they knew that they were
likely to run into a force of Indians
many times their number, they had no
fears. The trail of the Indians was
struck near where the town of Sabinal
is now.