The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-09
81 OOO DAMAGE IS EXTENSIVE.
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF PROP
ERTY WIPED OUT.

,oss of the Great Power House
Leaves Austin in "a Bad Sanitary
condition For Miles Around
rvervthing Is Under water, and
.be Destruction of Crops Is Almost
complete -Ss Railroad Traffic Is
uIocI,ed-NO More Loss of Life.
Austin. Tex, April S-Fully 9OOOl peo-
nile gathered to-day at the dam and pow
.. house stationed south of this city to
r,tress the ruins of the plant, which cost
this cftv S1,750, O00 a few years ago.
The waters of the Colorado river were
still punging and foamiug around the
v,-eck. eating away the big pile of granite
which once formed the cam. as though
It was nothing more than chalk rock. So
fierce was the current that great boulders
we're carr ed half a mile from the dam,
beipg rolled over and over by the turbu-
lent tide.
The power house which succumbed to
the terrific wash of the water about 2
o'clock this morning, lies a mass of
wreckage on the edge of the river. all
the valuable machinery either having
been thrown into the river or badly dam
aged by the falling timbers of the power
house
situation is Most Serious.
The wreck of the plant is complete. The
situation in the city is most serious. The
wreckage of the plant means that it will
take several weeks to secure even a tenn
porary water and light system, if it can
be made possible even then. In the mean
time the city will be in a bad sanitary
condition. All the hotels, private resi-
dences, stores and the like are without
water, and there is no fire protection.
Churches were unable to hold services to-
night for want of light, and all public
meetings were abandoned The daily
newspapers are handicapped in their pub
lcations being deprived of their electric
power
The river is falling tonight.
Reports from the neighboring country
are to the effect that everything is un-
der water In Williamson county, north
of here, railroad bridges and trackage
have been laid waste and all trains have
stopped running. Hundreds OF head of
cattle have been drowned and miles OF
fencing torn down and washed away. In
Bastrop county and in the southern por-
ton of this county similar conditions
prevail, everything being under water
and much loss of property is reported.
The country tributary to the Colorado
river all the way down its course is be-
ing inundated and while it is believed the
worst is over. the loss it is estima ted to-
night, will exceed some three million dol
lars, counting Austin as the largest loser.
No More Loss of Life.
The list of drowned, according to re-
ports up to tonight. is limited to those
reported in the Associated Press dispatches
last night, all of whom lost their lives
mere when the dam broke.
A mass meeting of citizens has been
called for tomorrow, in order that some
steps may be taken to relieve the stua-
ton.
There We're no trains operated on the
international and Great Northern, as
much of its track and quite a number Of
bridges were washed away during last
1lsht- The Missouri. Kansas and Texas
imalroad is also heavy sufferer from a
like cause
reports from several sections of Central
ana southern Texas are to the effect that
d large acreage is under water and much
,u.amage has been suffered in property and
live stock