St. Tammany farmer., 1909-09-04
MANY WERE LOST.
Over Two Thousand are
Drowned i'm Floods
Iu Mexico.
Fifteen Thousand Home.
less, With % Loss of
Of $50, 900. 900.

Monterey, Mexico, Aug. 29-At
noon to-day it stopped raining for the
first time since last Thursday after
noon, and some idea of the horrors OF
the food of Friday night and Satur,
day could be obtained. 1t was at first
reported that 800 lives were lost, but
to-day it seems that the number will
. reach 200, and probably more. The
river has fallen considerably, and
while still high, the danger is now
over. Seventeen and half inches OF
rainfall is the official record during
Friday, Saturday and to-day. This
rain was steady downpour, and at
no time approached the status of q
cloudburst. The river was higher than
4 it has ever been in the>history of Mon
terey, and at one time the Plaza lara
. gosa, the highest part of the city was
flooded to depth of about one foot.
This was early Saturday morning, and
only lasted until the approach on the
south side of San Luisito bridge was
washed out.
Fully $4,000 people are homeless
from the food, and are being cared
for by the city government in the best
way possible. At noon to-day 5000
were given bread, coffee and soup at
the municipal offices, but there are
many more on the south side of the
river still out of reach of aid on ac-
count of the still oyerfowed river.
Conservative estimates of the prop
erty loss place the figures at 100000,
600 throughout the city.
All through the day and up to late
tonight the bodies have been taken
from the debris and ruins in the path
of the flood and over five hundred have
a been recovered. The greatest loss of
life occurred Saturday morning he
tween the hours of and IL O'Clock,
when the large building on the south
side of the river commenced to crum-
4 BILE and fall. Many of the houses had
from ten to one hundred people on
their roofs and all disappeared in the
food. In one school building in the
south side of the river ninety women
and children were drowned when the
walls of the building collapsed. This
was one of the most pathetic incidents
Of the flood. The women and children
fled to the school for safety, but the
water there drove them from room to
room, until they were all clustered in
one room. Two priests were with
them in the room and while in the act
of blessing them the walls fell and the
whole ninety were swallowed up in
the flood.
Thousands Of people were standing
on the north bank of the river unable
to render aid to the unfortunates or
the south side, for nothing could have
lived in the current of the Santa Cata.
rina, which was half mile wide and
flowing at the rate of at least twenty
miles an hour. Watchers saw build
ings loaded with people collapse anc
the people disappear in the waters
1t was sight never to be forgotten
and there is practically no establish
ment in the city that has not some
story of the loss of employees. The
electric light and power company hae
As men employed as linemen, and o.
this total ten were all that reported
for work this morning.
The main water supply pipe iron
the Estanzuela Reservoir was broke
and the city is absolutely withou
drinking water to-day, and it will b'
several days before the break cal
be repaired. Street car traffic ha'
been abandoned after two or three IN
effectual attempts to run the cars
and Friday night the light and powe.
plant was forced to shut down on &C
count of falling wires and the DANCE
from electricity. The electric hght'
were turned on Saturday night, bu
were again cut off to-day. Throughou
the city houses have been falling o.
account of walls having been softene
by the continuous rains. Many act
of heroism were noted during the flood
H. H. Reader, an American, VIII
owns a large hacienda in the State 9
Tamaulipas, near Cruz Station, alon
saved thirty persons. Others did q
in their power to help, and Japaf
ese cook employed by the chief 6
police saved two little boys from
tree in the middle of the river after
fight of over three hours in the Watel
The two boys had been in the IRE
from IL o'clock Friday night until
o'clock Sunday AFTERNOON, exposed
the rain, and were almost exhauste
when help reached them. The boy
are and 10 years of age, and state
that their father, mother, two slsteI
and an uncle had been drowned IN Il
flood. The boys were adopted by :
American family Of this city.
Romuldo Marty, prominent me
chant Of the city, and family we
rescued from a tree near the Pa
Purisima. about 5 o'clock Saturdt