Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-04-11
austin, TEXAS, FLOODED.
MANY Lives Lost by the Breaking O.
a Dam.
ALMOST EQUALS JOHNSTOWN.
Electric Light and Power Plant With
Operatives Go Downfall Damage
Hard to Estimate.

Austin. Tex, Special.-This city is in
pltch darkness with raging river one
nliie wlue ana swollen far beyond it's
natural banks roaring and Singing
through all the lower portions of the
town, having spread destruction and
death in its wake. In addition to the
vast loss to property interests. it is cal
culated that between 80 and 40 lives
have been sacrificed, and the renorts
coming in from the tributary country
do not tend to improve matters Th-
HOOD Is not unlike the disastrous Pohn-
Stowh Hood. some years ago. in that a
! raging river already swollen far be
! NHnd ITS capacity. bore too heavily
| upon an immense dam spanning the
river here. breaking it and letting loose
a reservoir Of water 30 miles long. half
mile wide and sixty feet deep. to all
IN carrying destruction down the val
ieys of the Colorado river The great
| dam in the Colorado river gave way
| from the enormous pressure of water
| ana debris and with roar and era sh
swept the valleys below the city. wreck
ing the immense light and power plant.
and drowning eight workmen. Follow
Ing Is Il list OF the known dead. includ-
! ing those killed in the power house:
Frank P!ncet Frank Kinney. Walter
Flower, Walter Johnson, Alfred John
son, Frank Fitzgerald. Walter Bios
som. Joseph Newman. D.ck Morris
| tcoloredD John Proes. Chas. Burchard.
Six negroes.
Last Wednesday night il BEGAN To
rain very hard at this place. the storm
extending north of here along the wat
er sheds of the Colorado river. THE
precipitation continued until the down
fall 2gSTegating six inches All this
vast quantity of water along the water
sheds OF the Colorado river rapidiy
swel!ed the current until the river.
which had been rising steadily was n
raging torrent having risen 80 feet
within ten hours.
After daylight it became evident tina.
the situation was serious. The river
began to rise 50 rapidly that it was
evident that the immense dam and all
the power houses and contents. cost
ing 100000. were in imminent dan
ger. TO add to the terrCr of the situa-
ton, small frame houses. trees and
debris of every description in VARYING
quantities began descending the river
and piling up against the upper face
OF the dam.
This weight was augmented ever,
moment until by 10 o'clock there was
mass OF debris lodged against the
dam which threatened the safety OF
the structure. In addition. millions OF
gallons of water, muddled from its
long journey, was whirling and plune-
ing to .he sixty foot fall. and ii was
evident that no wall could withstand
the immense pressure. The crisis camo
IN of ,'yf
ly with report like the roar of the.
ocean, the dam but served to add 10
the horror of rolled out OF the centre
section of the dam down the face of
the 90 foot deph into the river below.
This left yawning gap in the very
middle OF the dam through which the
debris and water fiercely poured while
the food, already raging. was threat
enlnG everything in its path. This sud
den breaking OF the dam. but served
20 add to the horror of the catastro-
phe.
The released water poured into the
power house. catching eight employees
at work there. drowning all of them
instantly. The breaking of the dam
caused wild excitement in the city.
The telegraph companies at once
wired to places below here 10 look oul
for the great wave and runcys were
dispatched on horses to notify those
living in thc valleys below the city.
The telegraphic messages served as a
timely warning to many, but the rush
ing waters outstripped the horscmen
and many houses were picked up and
swept away before the occupants could
get together their valuablcs.
Within a 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 tri5u-
tary to the river was i2undated.
Large crowds collected on the river
banks and several persons were swept
into the river when the dam broke.
but all were saved by hoatmon. 4
crowd Of white people numbering
about 30. living just below the dam. in
tents were seen at their habitations
just before ;he dam broke and have not
been ccounted for since II Is gcner-
ally believed that all OF them were
swept away