The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-09-03
TWENTY THOUSAND
RENDERED HOMELESS
BY MEXICAN FLOOD
UNPRECEDENTED RAIN FALL
CAUSES RIVERS AND STREAMS
TO RISE RAPIDLY.
FIFTEEN HUNDRED KILLED
Property Loss Was Incaleulable.
Many Blocks Swept Away at Mon
terey-Rsilroad Lines Washed Out
other Damage.

MATAMORAS, Mex. Aug. 3O-The
West Indies hurricane which rageo
Sunday along the stretch Of the coast
OF the Gulf Of Mexico. between the
mouth OF the Rio Grande and Vera
Cruz produced meteorological condf'
tons which are unprecedented in this
part of Northern Mexico.
Rain has been falling in torrents for
three days over scope Of territory
extending west from Matamoras TO
Torreon, a distance OF 800 miles and
south nearly 400 miles. Many thou
sand of square miles Of territory are
under water The rivers and smaller
streams are all far out of their banks
ana low estimate places the number
Of people drowned at 1,50O and the
number rendered homeless at 10000.
In the Monterey district alone the
death list is placed at 1000, including
The lives that we're lost in the city OF
Monterey and nearby villages. The
property losses are almost incalcula-
BILE Outside Of Monterey, where sew
eral blocks of buildings were swept
away and great damage was done 10
big industrial plants, number OF
smaller towns were wiped out OF exist
ence according to meager advices
which were received here.
It is stated at the Offices of the Ma
tional Railways of Mexico IN
Matamoras, that more than sixty
miles of track and roadbed of the Mat
amoras-M Monterey division is washed
away This road follows the San
Juan river between Milpa and Ca
MARCO, and it is this portion that suf-
fered most The national line between
Saltillo and Neuvo Laredo is washed
out in many places.
The Santa Catarina river which
runs through Monterey, emptied It's
flood waters into the San Juan, aug
menting the big rise in that stream
so suddenly that the inhabitants of the
valley were not warned OF the APP
preaching crest of the water and
many were unable to escape.
Reports from Aldamas, Herreras,
Ranlones. Salinas and Sabinas and
many other small towns tell of terri
Bile destruction wrought by the foods.
The crest of the San Juan river flood
has never yet emptied into the Rio
Grande 1t is feared that 1t
will cause an unprecedented
overflow of the lower Rio Grande on
the Texas and Mexican sides.
Millions Of dollars worth of irrigat-
ing canals and bitches would be de-
stroyed if this should happen.
Arroyos that are ordinarily dry are
now great rivers of water, some OF
them spreading over the country for
many miles. The Soto La Marina
river, which empties into the gulf fif-
teen miles south of here, is also on
rampage.
The hurricane also caused the wa
tiers of the gulf to sweep over the Is
lands along the cosat and inland for
some distance all the way between
Matamoras and Tuxpam.
Considerable damage was done at
Tamico and in that vicinity. The ter
minals OF the Mexican Central at La
Barra, six miles west of Tampico, were
partly destroyed.
The Tampico-Mo Monterey division OF
the road is out of commission on ac-
count of washouts.
Scores of towns, situated in the In
terror far from railway and telegraph
communication have not been heard
from. 1t Is known they suffered the
brunt of overflow and the fate OF
their inhabitants is problematical.
Refugees from villages situated
adjacent to the gulf coast, east and
south of Matamoras, arrived here to-
day and give thrilling accounts of the
destruction of their homes by wind
and water.