The state herald., 1900-04-13
A RUSH OF WATERS.
breaking of Dam Mt Austin, Texas
Causes Loss OF Life and Great Damage
to Property.

To Property.
Austin. Tex, April s.-Thls city Is to-
night In pitch darkness, with a raging
river, one mile wide and swollen far be-
yond Its natural banks, roaring and
surglng through all the lower portion
of the town, having spread destruction
and death in its wake. In addition to
the vast loss TO property Interests, II Is
calculated that between thirty and for
~ lives have been sacrificed. and the
reports coming In from the tributary
country tonight do not tend to improve
matters. A train on the International
X Great Northern road was wrecked
to-day, but nobody was seriously In
jured.
Austin. Tex, April THE flood Is
not unlike the disastrous Johnstown
Hood some years ago, In that raging
river, already swollen far beyond Its
capacity. bore too heavily upon an I'M
mense dam spanning the river here,
breaking Il and letting n reservoir OF
water. thirty miles long. half mile
wide and sixty feet deep. 10 aid In car
rying destruction down the valleys Of
the Colorado river.
The great dam In the Colorado river
gave way at noon to-day from the cnor,
nous pressure of water and debris, and
with n roar and crash. swept the val
leys below the city. wrecllng the i'm.
mensc light and power plant and
drowning eight worlmen.
The released water poured into the
power house. catching eight employees
at work there, drowning all OF them
Instantly. The breaking OF the dam
f4attgAI kxttI .Natt Ia s1a ala
The telegraph companies at once
wired 10 places below here TO look out
for the great wave ANA runners were
dispatched on horses 10 notify those
living In the valleys below the city. The
telccraphlc messages served ms time
ly warning TO many. but the rushing
wnicrs ouistrlppcd the horsemon. and
many houses were picked up and swept
away before the occupants could get
together their vnluablcs.
Within n short lime nll the valleys 10
the south and west OF Austin We're flood.
ell 90 overiiowinr with wntcr and the
southern portion OF the city tributary
to the river was inundated. Large
crowds collected ON the river banks
aud several persons were swept into
tile river when the dam broke, bu, all
NfEf rINfn bN inulintus
\ crowd OF white people. numbering
about thirty, living Just below the dam
IN tents. were seen nt their hab,ntlon
lust before the dnm broke and have not
been accounted for since. II In gen.
orally believed that all OF them were
swept nwny.
Austin. Tex, April s.-Thc Increased
volume OF water which came down the
river lns, night undermined the power.
house NJ the dam NJ / 30 o'clock n. M.
and II fell Into the river. carrying with
II 100000 worth OF machinery.
Fully 10000 pcopl. gathered NJ the
dam and power house stationed north
of this city TO wlttess the ruins OF the
plant which cost the city one and three.
quarters millions OF dollars n few years
ngo The waters Of the Colorado river
were stlll plnnrlng nnd fonmlnr around
| The wreck onilng AWAY the big pile of
granite which once formed the dnm, M
I ihongli u was nothing more than chalk,
/ 'ock. SO fierce WINS the current TINT
/ great bowldefH were carried hnlf mills
I rom the dam, being rolled over md
Dvcr by the turbulent tide.
The country tributary 10 tho Colo.
rndo river. MI the way down It's course
being inundated, md while II IN be-
| l"rod the worst IN over. the loss nh cs'
flinntej tonight viii exceed 5000. 900
counting Ail~tln ns the largest loser
fortunately the list ~ drowned, accord
hn To reports NJ 10 tonight. II limited
- those reported In the Associated
rrcss dispatches last night. ns II seem,
' he only dfowningS reported were when