Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-04-12
Reservoir Of Water Thirty Miles
Long and a Half Mile Wide
Is Let Loose.
PROPERTY LOSS IS IMMENSE
Estimated at Least 90, 500, 900 With
Austin the Chief Sufferer.
Eight Lives Known to
lie Lost.

ting loose a reservoir of water thirty
miles long, half a mile wide and sixty
feet feet deep I' and ,, carrying destruction
river. With a roar and a crash il swept
the valleys below the city, wrecking
the immense light and power plant
and drowning eight worllmen.
Following is list of the known
dead, including those killed in the
power house:
FRANK RINCET.
FRANK KINNEY.
WALTER FLORER.
ALFRED JOHNSON.
FRANK FITZGERALD.
WALTER BLOSSMAN.
JOSEPH NEWMAN.
|, DICK NORRIS, colorcd.
JOHN PROES.
CHARLES BURCHARD.
SIX NEGROES.
Beginning of the Flood.
Last Wednesday night it began to
rain very hard at this place, the storm
extending north of here along the
long water sheds of the Colorado riv-
en-, continuing until Saturday morning,
Inc vast quantity of water precipi
tated caused the current in the Colo
RADIO river to swell rapidly, until at 8
O'Clock i'll the morning the river be-
came raging torrent, having risen
forty feet within ten hours.
After daylight the rise was so rapid
that it was evident that he immense
dam and all the power houses and
contents, costing S1,500,O00. were in
imminent danger. To add to the ter
ror of the situation, small frame
houses, trees and debris of every de-
scription, in varying quantities. began
descending he river. which piled up.
against the upper face of the dam and
threatened its safety.
The crisis came shortly after IL
o'clock, when suddenly. with "a report
like the roar of the ocean, the great
wedge 25 feet high, 500 feet wide
and about $ feet thick, rolled out of
the center section of the da,n into The
valley below This left Il yawning gap
In the very middle of the dam,
through which the debris and waters
fiercely poured, while the flood all
ready raging was threatening every
thing in it's 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
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 to look out
for the great wave, and runners were
dispatched on horses to notify those
living in the valleys below the city
HIn f1.1n nr,1,
timely warning to many, but the rush
and many houses were picked up and
swept away before the occupants
could get.together their valuables
to the south and west of Austin were
filed to- overftowf1gg with water. and
the southern portion of the city tribu-
tary to the rEer was inundated. Sew
eral persons we're swept into the river
when the dam broke, but all We're
saved. -.
City-in Bad Shape.
The power house, which succumbed
to the terrific wash of the water at 2
o'clock Sunday morning, lies a mass
of wreckage on the edge of the river,
all the valuable machinery having
been thrown into the river or badly
damaged by the falling timbers OF the
power house.
The situation in the city is most Sc
rious. The wreckage of the plant
means that it will take several weeks
to secure even temporary water and
light system, if it can be made posi-
BILE even then. In the meantime the
city will be in IL bad sanitary condi-
ton. All the hotels, private resi-
dences, store and the like are without
water and there is no fire protection.
Churches were unable to hold services
last night for want of light and all
public meetings We're abandoned. The
daily newspapers are handicapped in
their publications, being deprived of
their electric power.
Reports from the neighboling coun-
try are to the effect that everything
is under water. In Williamson coun-
ty, north of here, railroad bridges and
trackage have been laid waste, and all
trains have stopped running. Hun
dreds of head of cattle have been
drowned. In Pastrop county and in
the southern portion of this county
similar conditions prevail, everything
being under water and much loss of
property is reported.
The country tributary tp the Colo
RADIO river all the way dowh its course
is being inundated, and willie it is be-
lieved the worst is over. the loss as es-
timated will exceed $3,OOO.O0O. count
ing Austin as the largest loser
mass meeting of citizens has been
called III order that some steps may
be taken to relieve the situation.
There We're no trains operated on
the international and Great Northern,
as much of its track and quite Il num-
Der of bridges We're washed away dur
ing the night. The Missouri. Kansas
and Texas railroad is also Il heavy
sufferer from like cause.
Reports from several sections of
central and southern Texas are to the
effect that large acreage is under
water and much damage has been suf-
fered in property and live stock.
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