The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-17
THE WORK OF A TEXAS FLOOD
tBY c. A. WILLIAMS

I 'NNN-
Had he spent few days OF last week ID
the BRACES bottoms he would not per-
! hans in making his famous and ott-quoteo
statement, have given to the doing oil the
grim visaged god all OF the questionable
dis.,nc.Ion lent by resemblance to the
Internal regions. SO far as loss OF lie IL
concerned war has had shade the pest
of II ever since that time when the Fatnef
q, uosts visited his dlspleasure on the
neople OF the earth by covering IL anu
hem with the waters of the sea; but war
can be avoided, while one might as Wen
attempt to turn back the earth IN ltS
course as to try to stay resistless torrent
Of water such as has just completed the
devastation OF one OF the fairlest ana most
tsrtile sections of the Lone Star Stale
The passage of an army like that wh'cn
marched from Atlanta to the sea couiu mot
have more thoroughly destroyed nappy
homes and peaceful. smiling heids than aia
that Hood In the Bra2os bottoms. Thous-
ands OF humble homely people VINO, lew
days ago, were happy in the CULTIVATION VI
their farms and in the anticipation Oh .ne
coming harvest, now rest on lne P'"ii 10
with only the star-studded SKY LOT d rooi'
hey have no fields to work, no crops u
garner; they live only through the bounty
of their more fortunate fellow-belngs' anu
instead OF the thought of the prosperous
fall, there Is only the gloomy prospect Vi
weeks and perhaps months to be tided over
before the meal barrel and the bacon box
will be filled, If only partially, end the
hundreds Of hungry little mouths wDich
now cry for bread will not so unsatished.
II is, perhaps, more than fortunate that
something like 90 per cent of the Hood sur
ferers are negroes The happy go-lucky,
devil may care nature Of the race comes TO
their aid now and enables them TO view
the destruction of their homes and crops
with a stoicism worthy OF the red man;
they will be happy even when hungry ana
in consequence the large majority of them
seem hardly to realize the misfortune
which has overtaken them. AS result of
all this there is no doubt that the work
of relieving the distressed and needy VIII
be made all the harder.
One who has not been in the bottoms
can hardly realize the conditions which
existed there last week. The pictures pub
lished by The Post l think gave better
and more adequate idea of the situation
than any amount of written or spoken
words could have done. The bottoms dur
ing the flood reminded me of nothing quite
so much as the everglades of Florida, al
though, Of course, these exaggerated
swamps have nothing in common with the
houses and gins, the inundated
fields of cotton and of corn, and the thous
ands OF domestic animals of all kinds
which sought refuge from the floods on
roofs, on logs and drift wood and In trees.
there to slowly succumb to the gnawing
pangs OF hunger and the peculiar effects
of the yellow death-laden water.
One can scarcely conceive the effect
made by the foods on the appearance of
Roads and lanes and fences
were covered and landmarks We're SUBJ
merged and in several cases which came
under my notice during week spent In
the bottoms men who knew every inch OF
the country in it's normal condition lest,
apparently, all knowledge of routes and
places and became hopelessly confused.
Near the original bed of the river matters
were In such a state as to make the work
Of guide even more difficult than farther
put in the bottoms; for here houses which
could elsewhere have served as land
marks had been swept away by the re-
sistless current and landed with other evil
iences of the fury of the food on the far
away beach
1t is little wonder then, that on several
occasions the rescue boats manned by per-
sons unfamiliar with the country should
have become lost-sometimes hopeiessly
;o--and should have regalned their bear
ngs only through the merest accident
The wonder is that some of the rescue
parties did not get into serious trouble as
1 result of these conditions
~ 4
Many of the unusual incidents and ex-
,eriences of the food have already been
old of in the columns Of The Post, but a
'olume of no nconsiderable size would be
equired If one wished to write The COM
,lete story of the flood.
A few Of the notable instances Of hero
SIN ard salf-sacriHee have been mentioned
" the papers, tut the names of all of lha
'rave men who imperiled their own lives
n attempting to save others will never
10 known. In this respect the situation Is |
lot unlike that observed during war, in |
hat the leaders got most of the credit,
While the followers, the humble yet noble |
elbows who did most OF the work, viii |
orever be unknown to fame. For the
most part the rescuers were modest men,
IS brave men always are, and team of
orses could not drag out of them the
tories Of their deeds. On the other hand,
here were, of course. men who did much
he larger portion of the work with their
avs and who never tired of telling Of
he hundreds Of starving refugees rescued
y them, To the credit OF all OF those
mo went over the waters on errands of
lercy, however, 1t should be stated that
he class last told of formed the exception
nd not the rule.
saw many OF these exhibitions of in
lvldnal heroism and have tried through
he columns OF The Post to give due credit L
each case; or, rather, to give credit.
OF II would be well nigh impossible 10
I'VE lhe run measure of praise to many OF
hese heroes.
one incident Is recalled In this connec-
ION which shows that beneath MANY
assed coat there beats true heart and
lat man may do brave deeds even
ioush no sword or saber bangles at his
ue and no gilded epaulets adorn his
loulders. 1t was on the last davis trim
own me river, when the sun beat I'M
lercltuily down, when tired muscles al
iosl JAILED to respond 10 the demands
ade upon them and bllstered hands all.
os1 refused TO do the bidding of the mind ,
take up again the rough and heavy
IT'S Inc current was as swift as a mill
VI ana the course lay directly against
/, over cotton patches and through corn
naA