Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-04-10
G[OUDBURST and FLOOD.
Enormous Damage Caused in Tex
as by Sudden Rising Of the
Colorado River.
TRAIN IS WRECKED BY A WAsHoUT.
a Number of People Reported Burned
Wires Are Down and 1t Is Impos-
sible to Obtain Reliable News
Rumor of Loss of Life in Raging
Waters.


Rumor of Loss of Life in Raging
Waters.
Austin, Tex, April 9.-This section
was visited by cloudburst Saturday
morning and the entire county is in
undated. The Colorado river here has
risen II feet in three hours and is
still rising three feet an hour.
The storm was the most terrific on
record, sweeping everything before it.
AS result of the storm a bridge on
the International & Great Northern
railroad II miles north of here was
washed out, wrecking the st. Louis
south-bound cannon-ball train, ditch
ing the engine, the mail car, one pas.
senger coach and one sleeper. Quite
q number of people are reported
burned, but the list of casualties is
not obtainable at present.
The damage to this section of the
state will be in hundreds of thou
sands.
Another Flood Feared.
Another flood is feared, as the
cloudburst is in the path of the i'm.
mense food Of last spring, which
wrecked so many millions of dollars
worth of property.
The Austin & Northwestern rail-
road, operating to the northwest from
here along the Colorado river ridge,
is a serious loser as result of four
bridges being washed out and much
track washed away; no trains were
operated Saturday.
Reports from all sections tributary
to the Colorado river announce great
damage to property.
Rumor of Loss of Life.
Uncon6rmed rumors say that a
family of six negroes living on Shoal
river west of here were drowned.
Quite number of people living in
the bottoms had to leave their homes,
the water having flooded them to the
depth of three feet.
It looks from reports as though the
flood was going to be disastrous to life
and property here. Reports from
Concho river above here are that the
worst storm ever known is now rag
ing there, attended by loss of life and
property. All the water falling there
will have to pass here and 1t is feared
that this city's $1,5oo,ooo water and
light plant and dam will suffer, for
the water is now within two feet of
the danger mark.
News Is Alarming.
Dallas, Tex, April 9.-Flood news
from central and southern Texas is
alarming. The Colorado river has
risen ~ feet since midnight; the
Brazos and Trinity are also rising.
Five serious washouts on TIE Austin
e Northwestern railroad are reported
and traffic has been abandoned. 1t is
still raining.
Wires All Down.
At 12:46 p. M. all telegraph and
telephone communication with Austin |
and San Antonio was lost.
A telephone message received from
La Grange at noon states that the big
dam of the Colorado river at Austin
broke at 11:25. A large flood of water
was released, washing away the power
house.
An immense property damage is an
ticipated, but thus far no loss of life
is known to have occurred.
Austin Believed to Be Safe.
Although a great mass of water
would have been released by the burst
ing of the dam it is not believed that
the flood could possibly attain a stage
sufficiently high to reach the main por-
ton of the city. Austin proper is built
on range of hills at the highest nav
igable point of the Colorado river,
where the stream breaks through the
range. The principal part of the city
stands on the left bank of the river
and in the center stands the famous
marble capitol of the state of Texas.
It is thought here that the first rush
ofthereleased waters carried away the
buildings which supply water power to
the mills along the river bank and
then subsidized. 1t is possible, however,
that some of the squatters' houses be-
low the city and down close to the river
level were destroyed. In the valley be-
low the water may have destroyed con-
siderable rich farm property.
For several days past the river has
been at high stage owing to the con-
tinuous rain about the headwaters of
. the Colorado, and this fact, which was
we'll known about Austin, it is thought
probably caused the people residing
within reach of a possible flood to be
prepared for an emergency.
Was Something Terrible.
St. Louis, April 9. - The following
bulletin was received from La Grande
at 1880 p. M:
--latest information indicates that the
breaking of the Colorado river dam at
Austin was something terrible. People
along the water line of the river are fee
ing for high ground Smithville reports
people of the town nearly crazy with
fright"
Fight a Duel.
Paris, April 9. A duel between
Comte de Dion and NJ De Saint Alery.
the respective seconds of Comte de
Lubersac. and Baron Edouard de
Rothschild in their quarrel, was fought
in the Hippodrome at Neuilly-le.Val.
lois. M De Saint Alery was slightly
wounded in the sixteenth onslaught
and the duel was then stopped.
Anxious to Leave Manila.
Madrid, April g. - 1t is announced
that the minister of war, Gen. Polayie-
ia, has received an official disnatch
from Manila announcing that many
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