The Worthington advance., 1900-04-13

plant, just below; the dam, were the
first to be drowned! "~: -
Many Missing. ~
Thirty or more white people who
were living just below the dam in tents
were seen at their habitations just be-
fore the dam brQke;<andsa as yet unac-
counted for. One man, attempting to
cross the roadway leading to the bridge
across the river just as the big wave
rolled down, was caught and, together
with his horse and buggy, went down
with the torrent. A family of six ne
groes living in t he valley south of the
city are known to have been drowned.
It is estimated that more than 100
houses have been destroyed. The
surface of the river throughout the day
has been dotted by small houses. or
fragments of houses and drowned ami
mails, all of which testify to the destruc-
tion in the mountain region above Aus
tin. :
A Wall of Water. =
It is below Austin for a distance of
zoo miles that the greatest havoc has
been wrought by the Colorado river
food. Reports received here show that
the wall of water came down upon the
homes of hundreds of families without
warming Almost every wagon road
bridge across the river between here
and Columbus, a distance of probably
$50 miles, was destroyed. This accu-
mutation of drift added to the destruc-
tive force of the flood. and few resi-
dences and other buildings that were
In its path are now standing.
Many reports of loss of life have been
received by telephone and messenger
from points below here. A few miles
downstream there is narrow bend in
the river, and there was situated quite
q settlement, known as Hornsby's
Bend. The flood struck that place in
all it's urirestrained fury and destroyed
Several houses. Thomas Kelsey. a
farmland. and Joe Burns, a negro,
were drowned Henry Hover and James
Faryes, aged IA and, l6 years, respective
~, are missing. They were fishing in
the river when the food came.
Whole Families Drowned,
Many cabins inhabited by negroes.
both above and blow Bastrop, were
washed away and whole families ag-
gregating probably 80 persons in num-
ber are reported to have been drowned.
Most of these negro cabins were only
FsrecentlySerected; the old ones hating
been swept away by the flood of last
year. They were placed on higher
ground than those which were de-
stroyed in the previous flood, but that
precaution did not save them when this
overflow came.
/ AT Lagrange and vicinity the flood
has caused great damage and some loss
OF life among the negro plantation la
borers and their families is reported.
A number of deaths from drowning at
other points along the river occurred.
but the particulars are so meager that
no account as to names and circum-
stances can be given at this'time.
Dimensions Of the Dam.
The dam which was wrecked was be-
gun in 1890 and finished in 1898 at a
cost, with the power-house, of g, ,400,-
OOVs ~ was OUlAt ~ ldkC Id 1eeC OF wa.
ter over it's crest, and the fall occas-
stoned by it has been called 1.-The Sec
ond Niagara" In the construction Tex
as granite was used for both faces of
the dam, and the core was made from
limestone found 200 feet from the river,
banks. The dam formed lake 25 miles
long and covering an area of 1000
acres. The length of the spillway was
1000 feet, and the head gates and bulk.
heads measured 27O feet. The heipht
OF the dam from foundation TO crest
was :6s feet, thus&ruising the water GO
feet from low water mark. The power
plant was situated just below the head
gates on the east bank of the river. the
side on which the city of Austin is To-
Gated. Seven iron penstocks, each nine
feet in diameter, were set in the head
gate masonry to convey the water to
the wheels. -Four, of these penstocks
were used by the city for it's electric
light plant and waterworks, while the
others were used by private manufac-
turerS.