The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-03
WATERS RAGING
 IN TEXAS TOWNS
Gainesville Flooded and Great
 Disaster is Imminent
ALARM SPREADS RAPIDLY
Reports from Neiohbcrns Towns lndi. cate Situation is equally as Bad and Danger to Life and Prop
 erty Is Rapidly Increasing.

Gainesville, Tex, July s.-At this hour 1 a. m, the city is under four feet ol water. Thousands of people are on the house tops. Rumors of loss of life impos- sible to confirm, as city is in total dark : ness.
 Damage will reach sl50,oOO to $2O0o,OOO Two creeks which flow by the town. one through centre and one west, are mile wide Water Is rapidly rising
 Started With a DrIzzle.
 Dallas, Tex, July "A dispatch to the News from Gainesville, Texas. says:
 It started raining here today about 1o:SO a. m. in a slow drizzle which lasted until about s:ao D. m. and then started to pour down. It is the greatest flood known here in many years. In fact many old settlers say they never saw It's equal. No accurate estimate can as yet be learned as to the damage done by the waters. The streets resembles flowing rivers.
 Al midnight there was no abatement in the heavy downpour.
 A fierce electrical storm has been rag ing for the last half hour.
 Waters Raging.
 Pecan Creek which flows through the city also Elm creek are past their highest mark and they are rising rapidly. Num- erous houses along the banks are in great danger of being momentarily washed away. The distress signals are sounded throughout the town and numerous par ties are striving to reach and aid those pressed by the waters, The entire fire company has come out but can do but lit- tie good on account of the culverts and some sewers being washed away, which makes it impossible for the heavy wagons to reach those needing aid,
 Around the Santa Fe railroad depot water is flowing to the depth of six or seven feet Lloyd and Simpsons whole sale house Is In danger if being flooded.
 Fight the Flood.
 thousand sacks of four have been carried there and are being stacked around the store in an effort to keep out the water. If the flood should break into the store, thousands of dollars worth of property will be damaged, if not destroyed entirely. Streets are crowded with bare footed and rubber-booted men, running here and there ready to do what they can against the water. All those residing in the lower portion of the West End of the town have been compelled to leave their houses on account of five feet Of water flowing through the houses. Tele- phone messages from adjacent towns re- port flood equal to the one in Gaines vile.
 Situation Is Desperate.
 Gainesville, Tex, July 3.-At a. m. the situation lis momentarily growing more desperate. The water Is rising faster and faster and the report comes that still greater flood Is coming down upon this place from the direction of St. Joe. The cries of terror-stricken people can be heard on every hand. All around the de- pot and all along the main street of this place the water is so deep that even horses are compelled to swim. It is re- ported that a Santa Fe passenger train has been ditched three miles from this point on account of washed-out tracks, and 1t Is thought that many lives have been lost. A relief train has been sent out. 3:10 A. MA telephone message from Gainesville states that the engineer, fire- man and express messenger on the wrecked Santa Fe train are reported missing. The waters in the city are re- ceding and there are so far no deaths reported