The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-08
in FLOOD DISTRICT
Perilous Trip Made by Houston Re.
lief Party.
BROOKSHIRE TO fULSHEAR.
Only Two Persons We're Drowned IN
that Territory.
NEGROES ARE ALL ON THE PRAIRIE.
Relief Boats Have Removed Flood Suffer.
crs to Dry Land.
FIFET OE FIVE SklEES Mn cf0n WnpY
IEGRoES ARE ALL ON THE PRAIRIE.
FLEET OF FIVE SKlFFs DID GOOD WORK
Party of Negroes Taken from Pnul'a
Gin Housc--DnmnGc mt simanton.
The River Is Falling.

The San Antonio and Arkansas Pass train
which arrived here at ESQ last night
brought In from Fulshear, the present
western terminus OF the road In question,
the Ave boats and the. crew of nine men
which was sent TO Brookshre from this
city on Thursday. AS was told in yes
terdays Brookshire dispatches to The
Pest, the beats and the relief party were
not needed at Brookshire aud. at the re-
quest of MIR. j. II. Ferguson, chairman OF
the Brookshirc relief committee, they were
placed in charge of The Posts special cor
respondent. who has been In the bottoms
since Tuesday night and sent down tho
river to Fulshear and Simonton. AS re-
suit of the twenty -four hour trip made by
the party II may be stated with every de-
gree of certainty tina, all of the people in
the low lands from a point two or three
miles above Brookshlre to four miles be-
low Fushear have been removed to places
of safety, that only two deaths by drown
Ing have occurred in the territory named
and that the river In that section is fail
ing steadily. though slowly, The average
fall from o'clock yesterday morning to
the time tho party left the bottoms at
Flu 90 ear-about o'clock yesterday at
ternocn--was Ave inches
The two deaths mentioned were those
OF Austin Raymond, Jr, and Charles
Thompson, both colored, who met their
fates In n vain attempt to swim from their
homes near Simonton to the prairie On
| Tuesday. At tho time boats which had
been hastily constructed when the water
began to rise were being gotten into action
as rapidly as possible, the families of the
two men named were In comparatively
safety and the effort made by Raymond
and Thompson to reach the high land on
the prairie was, according to those who
were on the spot, an unnecessary one.
Austin Raymond Sr,, an uncle of the man
by that name who lost his life. was one of
tho large party taken from Psuls' gin
house near Simonton by the Houston relief
party yesterday morning. as was Mrs.
Charles Thompson the wife OF the other
deceased. Mrs. Thompson is a daughter
of the senior Raymond. Swans Raymond
IA brother of Austin Raymond, Jr, started
with the other two and reached the prairie
In safety.
The long trip made by the Houston party
yesterday and Thursday afternoon and
night developed the fact that. along the
entire route traversed, tho conditions are
practically the same as those which exist
in the immediate vicinity Of Brookshire,
which have already been accurately and
infinitely described In The Post The form
or occupants OF the bottoms have lost
practically everything they possess and
thousands OF poor negroes are thus added
10 the number already reported who will
exist for the next few months only
through the bounty Of their more fortunate
fellow beings. The white planters, OF
course, have all lost heavily, but large
percentage OF them are wealthy men and
are in consequence more or less able, in
proportion 10 the size OF their respective
plantations, to pull safely through the
hard times which tho flood has made In
evltable. Several OF this latter class.
notably Mr.. T. W. House OF Houston.
have given instructions to their various
foremen to supply the needs OF all OF the
negroes connected with their plantations
and TO have everything In readiness to put
in another crop or, to be more accurate,
other crops. as soon as the condition OF the
ground will warrant such action. Others,
1t is understood, will take similar action
and In consequences II is possible that some
OF the expected suffering and privation
among the blacks will be ayerted.
Although many of the reports sent on.
from various sources regarding loss OF life
as a result of the food have been enorm-
ously exaggerated, none of the estimates
of the damage to crops and the loss Of
live stock have been too large. Conserva-
tive business men In the towns along the
BRACES say that millions Of dollars will
be required to cover these losses. 1t would
be manifestly impossible to make anything
like even an approximate guess - to the
exact amount OF damage done, but any