The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-28
SEVERAL ARE DROWNED
Three Bodies Recovered Three Others
Swept Away and Lost.
HOUSES ARE WASHED AWAY AT BELTON
A Heavy Rainfall Over All Texas. A Cloud
burst at Navaso'a. Enormous Damage
Dooe to Crops. An Overflow of
the Brszos Expected.
(By the Associated Press. }

Waco, Texas, April 27.--An electric
storm accompanied by rain in torrents fell
here today flooding half of the city and
uolng great damage to property The
bodies of two known and one unknown
dead nave been recovered and three other
persons are known to have persisted
The dead:
MRS. NANCY CAUDLE.
MISS EMMA CAUDLE, her daughter
AN UNKNOWN NEGRO
The business streets were converted
anso rivers. Such a flood was never be-
1ore seen here. The rain resembled a
succession of cloudbursts. Easements
were flooded on Franklin and Washing
ton streets and on Austin Avenue. Waco
creek on the south side of the city and
8arrons branch, on the north side pour
ed their surplus water toward the center
OF the city and formed sea in the bust
ness district At present the exact num-
Der OF persons drowned cannot be ascer-
ralned. Mrs. Nancy Caudle and her
daughter, who resided with Mrs. Norton
at the corner of Jackson and Seventeenth
Streets are among the dead recovered
from the flood. The house was in the
Waco Creek overflow and the ladies, in
spite OF efforts at rescue, were swept
away. Mr. and Mrs. Norton were saved
Their house was destroyed
William Walker, a negro, was drowned
IN the Barron branch overflow and his
body was recovered.
At the corner of North Second and
Barron streets, an arched brick bridge
which had withstood floods for thirty
years gave way and three negroes dis
appeared with the bridge. Their bodies
have not been recovered
The storm commenced at four O'Clock
THIS afternoon and the water fell in vast
sheets, one cloudburst followed the 9TH
er the watercourses rising above the
divides and uniting into a foaming and
raging sea-, The people in. the portion
OF the city suffering most fed from their
houses. The firemen and police and hun
dreds of citizens rushed to the rescue
Dut the water was too swift for them anC
at least six persons lost their lives by
drowning in less than five minutes
The main Bosque and its tributaries
are overfiowing large district and ruin
ing valuable crops. The Brazos River is
ten feet above the danger mark and is
still rising. The property loss in Waco
will De fully $50 000
ANOTHER HEAVY RAINFALL
Houston, Texas. April 27.-Today there
was an even heavier rainfall over Texas
than during the past ten days and as a
consequence small streams are out OF
banks and rivers are again rising fast
An overflow of the Brazos is expected
tonight at Hampstead
At Columbus on the Colorado River
the Southern Pacific bridge has again
been washed away and there will be nc
trains run for several days. The Hous.
ton and Texas Central, the Missouri, Kan
sas and Texas and the San Antonio and
Arkansas Pass have decided to run nc
trains tonight as a matter of precau-
tiCD.
At Navasota there was a cloudburst
today, four inches CT rain falling in for
ty minutes Great damage was done tc
farm lands.
At Bolton, dozen houses were washed
away by sudden rise in creek but
their occupants escaped. The lower part
of the town is flooded. The damage done
all over the State to crops is enormous.