Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-04-10
In the Floods in Southern and
Southwestern Texas.
Thousands Of Acres Flooded and Rail-
road Operations Suspended.
The Colorado Sill Rising-Property Loss A.
most Beyond Estimating.

'i"N' b''H lpSt, l!ltluuiIS lI'1e III
Austin. Reports from La Grardc in
dicate that the Colorado is still rising
and menacing more country districts
The stream is now four feet higher
than during the great flood Of last
year.
Bastrop il entirely surrounded by wa
ter The property damage il enor-
nous.
Railroad traffic in the southern half
Of Texas has been practically aban-
doned and All outlets t. California are
closed because Of the washouts On the
western divisions Of the Texas & Pa
cific.
At 2.3o O'Clock this afternoon. the fol
lowing food bulletins We're received:
Waco Water rrceding slowly in the
Brazos. but the weather IL threatening.
cnlumbus-Th Hood in the Colora-
d. river reached here. last night. A -
foot rise ana still going W The low
lands arr flooded ana property damage
Is heavy. No loss of life here
IA Grango-The river has risen
seven feet in the last hour II now
shows nearly a 50-foot rise ana Is II
feet higher than in 1899. Great prop
crty loss ~ anticipated.
Austin, Texas. April 9-Thc flood
situation here is improving somewhat
but the reports from points below indi-
cate that the fun effect If the immense
volume Of water il being felt in Whar-
ton and Lafayette counties. everything
being inundated ana much loss Of
property and live stock being report
"a. In Bastrop county. thu flood has
caused much damage to property I'M
tcrestS ana something like ~ WashOuts
ana losses uf bridges are reported BY
the railways. Advices from the area
surrounding the county seat of Bastr0p
county. state that there has been some
loss Of Iife among the farming class az
their homes Were inundated without
warning by the tidal wave. but outside
of an uncOnfirmed report that eight
lives We're lost. nothing can De learned.
In thu southern part Of this county
several people ar+ missing. the number
representing 4 family uf six Italians
ana Two negro families. whose homes
have been washed away. Tha river l.
receding rapidly here ana above. not
WithstanGing that another heavy rise
was reported early this morning on
the COncha. III miles north
Reports. tonight. from Lagrange.
Fay,ttr county. state that while many
NJ the lower portions nj the town are
under water the property loss j. small
The International ana Great Northern
Railway ana thu Missouri. Kansas ana
Texas have been seriously crippled
The first named road has had 800
washouts ana lost bridges from Hearnc
to the Rio Grande. The Missouri.
Kansas < Texas is likewise a heavy
loser, having had to abandon much If
its track ANA use the International &
Great Northern from Taylor II Milano
ana the Santa IT. tracks from there To
North Texas points.
1t IL not believed that the damage IL
the cotton CROP will b. M great extent
As the season IL yet early ana all thu
crop can be replanted.
The citizens Of Austin held a mass
meeting. today. at which the concen-
sus Of opinion was that ii was not feas-
ible to rebuild the dam ana power
house although no definite action Was
taken. a proposition was made tx the
meeting by the Oh water commission.
whose plant has likewise suffered much
much from the flood that they would
take all the piping ana wiring III Inv
city plant and such Of their apparatus
as could he recovered from the wreck
age. pay fair value for the same ana
rejuvenate their plant here and fur
nish the city with water and light
within two weeks.
hn "A
commission Of % citizens To BE- con
sidercd In the meantime the water
and light commission met and instruct
I'd the superintendent to at once sp-
cure a steam engine with which il ~
hoped that the city can operate one Of
its big pumps which remains intact
and furnish the city with water until
some more definite arrangements can
be made. Much fear is being enter
tanned with regard to the sanitary sit
uation Of Austin as the city is already
beginning to show the effects If lack
OF drainage water.
Coy. Sayers. today. gave the city
$500 ont &c the food sufferers fund To
be expended in behalf Of the poor Of
the city who have been made homeless.
Houston Tex. April AIT the town Of
BaSteron thc river il rapidly falling ~
Columbus. the Colorado river il still
rising Int will hardly Set into the town
The main food has reached Wharton
The water IL likely to stand in that vi
entity tur some time. MI u miles Of drift
block The river snlidly M its mouth At
Bryan the BrIzos river ms spread over
The entire bottoms where farmers had
finished planting corn Ample Wlrnin,
WlS given ANA there WAS M lus- Of life
The \IvaSutI river il booming aud
joins thr BRACES mt NlvaSotI- MI uf rhIt
section will ~ under water IN morning,
hut III, damage viii ~ confined To crops
ana bridges. The BraznS II now only nvt
feet below it, record W last June ma
more water il coming down. hut tine loss
will MT ~ ont-trnth ~ great aS expect
ca. The Guudeloupc ana S.n Marcos
rivers have, come together nj Gonzales
The town itself is in no danger. Accord
ing ta the best information ohtlinlblr,
most No the corn ANA cotton sO fIr plant
IA il ruined Tho reports from southern.
central ana southwestern Texas indicate
Il probability III further rain.
4 special from Lagrange SAYS. M !
o'clock INV river had risen iG feet ana i
still slowly rising. business haE been
suspended. The power
house IL completely inundated ann thc