The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-08
Power House Costing ST.
100000 Destroyed.
RAIN-SWOLEN RIVER RAGING
a Camping Out Party of 80 People Be-
low the Great Dam of the Colorado
River Above Austin Disappear.
Wreck on the Information
al and Great Northern.
lRv The Associated Press

{By The Associated Press.l
Austin, Texas, April 7.-This city
is tonight in pitch darkness with
raging river one mile wide and sWoll-
en- far beyond its natural banks, roar
ing and surging through all the low
or portions of the town, having spread
destruction and death in its wake. In
addition to the vast. loss to property
interests it is calculated that betwce1
80 and 40 lives have been sacrificed
and the reports coming in from tn"
tributary country tonight do not tend
to improve matters. The flood is no.
unlike the disastrous YOUNGSTOWN flood
some years ago. in that a raging river,
already swollen far beyond its capav'-
ty. bore too heavily upon an immense
dam spanning the river here. breaking
it and letting loose, a reservoir OF wa
ter 80 miles long, half mile vide
and sixty feet deep. to aid in carr. ing
destruction down the valleys OF The
Colorado River.
The great dam in the Colorado Ri'
er gave way at noon today FROM the
enormous pressure of water and de
bris and with roar and crash swept
the valleys below the city. wrecliuG
the immense light and power plant
and drowning eight workmen. Fol
lowing is list of the known dead. in
GLIDING those killed in the power
house:
Frank Piucet, Frank Kinney, Wal
ter Flower, Walter Johnson, Aif"ei
johnson, Frank Fitzgerald, Waiter
Blossman, Joseph Newman, Dick Nor
ris, (colored), John Proes, Char les
Burchard.
Six negroes.
Last Wednesday night it began to
rain very hard at this place. the Storm
extending north of here along the
watersheds Of the Colorado River. The
precipitation continued until this
morning. the downfall aggregating
six inches. All this vast quantity Of
water along the watersheds of the
Colorado River rapidly swelled the
current until at o'clock this mora
ing the river which had been risins;
steadily since last evening, was Il
raging torrent, having risen fort feet
within ten hours.
After daylight this morning il be
came evident that the situation was
rapidly that it was evident that the
immense dam and all the poWe.
houses and contents. costing one and
one half million dollars. were in in
ninent danger. To add to the terror
of the situation, small frame houses,
trees and debris of every description
in varying quantities began descend
ing the river and piling up against
e In II tlI.
weight was augmented every moment
until by 10 o'clock there was Il mass
of debris lodged against the dam
which threatened the safety Of The
structure. In. addition. millions OF
gallons of water. muddy from It's long
journey, was whirling and pungiry
to the sixty foot fall and it wa evil
dent that no wall could withstand
the immense pressure.
The crisis came shortly after /
O'Clock when suddenly with report
like the roar of the ocean the great
wedge, p feet high. five hundred feet
wide and about eight feet thick roll
ed out OF the center section of the
dam. down the face of the sixty foot
depth into the river below This left
Il yawning gap in the very middle of
the dam through which the debris and
water fiercely poured while the fool
already raging, was threatening ey-
erything in its path. this sudden
breaking of the dam. but serving to
add to the horror of the catastrophe.
The released water poured into the
power house, catching eight employees
ut work there. drowning all of them
instantly. The breaking of the dam
caused wild excitement in the city.
The telegraph companies at once wiz
ed to places below here 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 messages served as u
timely warning to many, but the rush
ing waters outstripped the horsemen
and many houses were picked up and
swept away before the occupants
could pet together their valuabIes.
Within short time all the valleys
to the south and west of Austin were
filled TO overlooking with water and
the Southern part OF the city tributa
~ to the river was inundated Large
crowds collected on the river banks
and several persons were swept into
the river when the dam broke, but all
were saved by boatmen. 4 crowd OF
white people numbering about so liy-