Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-04-12
DISASTER IN TEXAS
AUSTIN IS IN DARKNESS AND
FLOOD IS RAGING.
COLORADO DAM BURSTS
River Rises 40 Feet in 10 Hours-Iife
and Property Loss Immense-A
Scene Of Terror-GreaL Northern
Train Wrecked-Johnstown Disas-
ter Recalled.

Austin, TEX, April (Midnight)-i
The city is tonight in darkness, with q |
raging river a mile wide, swollen far
beyond it's natural banks, roaring and
surging 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, it'll
is calculated that many lives have
been sacrificed. The great. dam in the
Colorado river gave way at noon yes
terday from the enormous pressure Of
water and debris, and with roar and
crash swept the valleys below the city,
wrecking the immense light and pow
er plant and drowned eight worknen.
The food is not unlike the disastrous
Johnstown flood of some years ago, in
that a raging river, already swollen
far beyond its capacity, bore down
heavily upon the immense dam span
ming the river, breaking it, and letting
loose a reservoir of water, 80 miles
long, half mile wide and so feet
deep, to aid in carrying destruction
down the valley of the Colorado
river. Last Wednesday night it
began to rain very hard,
the storm extending north
along the watersheds of the Colorado
river. The precipitation continued
until yesterday morning, the downfall
aggregating six inches. All this vast
quantity of water along the water
sheds of the Colorado river rapidly
swelled it into raging torrent, which
rose 40 feet within ten hours. At day.
light it was evident that the immense
dam costing $550000 was in immediate
danger. To add to the terror of the
situation, frame houses, trees and de-
bris of every description in varying
quantities began descending the river,
piling up against the upper face of the
dam The crisis came shortly after IL
when, suddenly, with a report like
clap of doom, the great wedge 25 feet
high, 500 feet wide and 8 feet thick
rolled out of the center section Of the
dam, down space of SO foot depth
into the river below. This left
yawning gap in the very middle of the
dam through which the debris and
water fiercely poured. The re-
leased water poured into the
power house, catching eight
employees at work there, drowning all
instantly.
The breaking Of the dam caused ter
rible excitement in the city. The tel
egraph companies at once wired places
below to look out for the great wave,
and runners were dispatched on horses
to notify those living in the valleys
below the city. The Geographic mes
sages served a timely warning to
many, but the rushing waters out
stripped horses and men, and many
houses were picked up and swept away
before the occupants could escape.
Within a short time all the valleys
south and west of Austin were filled
to overlooking, and the southern por-
ton of the city inundated. Large
crowds collected on the river banks
the river when the dam broke. A
crowd OF white people numbering
about 30, living just below the dam,
in tents, were seen at their habitation
just before the dam broke and have
not been accounted for since. A fam
lily of six negroes living in the valley
south of the city is known to have
been drowned
1t is estimated that more than 100
houses have been destroyed. and the
loss to property is immense. Reports |
from points below here are to the eff |
feet that the food has been most dis
astrous. The surface Of the river |
throughout the day has been dotted
by small houses and drowned animals, |
along with trees and debris. all Of |
which bear testimony to the ravagas
of the flood in the mountainous region
above Austin. The south-bound train
from ST. Louis was wrecked at Mcneil,
as a result of a washout. The cars left
the track and rolled over into the wa
ter, but no lives were lost.