Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-29
MONTEREY
SCENE OF
DISASTER
Mexico City Is in Complete
Darkness
PROPERTY LOSS FROM DELUGF
RUNS INTO MILLIONS
UNITED STATES is ASKED TO Ex-
TEND ASSISTANCE
For seventy-two Hours Rain Fell in
Torrents and Four City Blocks
Have Completely Dis
appeared
UNITED STATES is ASKED TO Exa
TEND ASSISTANCE
[By Associated Press. ]

-+'HNNA'-S1N
nj ONTEREY, Mexico, Aug. 2s--
wi Eight hundred persons have
NA been drowned as result of a
flood, which still continues at Mon
terey. Fifteen thousand people are
homeless and the damage is not less
! than $12O00,00 The city is in dark
ness. Among the losses are:
The Monterey Steel company, $1,0O0,-
900; the Mexican Smelter and Lead
company, $3OOO,OOO,
The city begs aid from the United
States.
The scene in the floodswept section
of Monterey tonight is one of utter
| desolation. Four city blocks on the
south side have completely disap-
! peared.
For seventy-two hours rain has
fallen in unprecedented volume
throughout this section, and the Santa
Catarina river rose gradually all day
Friday, the crest of the flood reaching
Monterey early today. At first it was
thought that there would be no loss
of life, but the water had reached q
height never before attained and swept
| buildings from their foundations by
! the score. The electric light plant was
| put out of commission last night and
| complete darkness has an added horror.
Cries of the drowning could be heard,
/ but the onlookers were powerless to
render aid. When daylight came the
| scene was indescribable. All through
the flooded districts groups could be
| seen huddled on the tops of two-story
| buildings, entirely surrounded by Il
seething mass of water. One by one
| these houses appeared with their hu-
| man freight. Nothing could live in the
| wild current, which was running at
| the rate of twenty miles.
During the early morning hours the
water remained stationary, and it was
noon before a fall of four feet began.
BY o'clock this afternoon the river
was back in its banks, only to go out OF
them again at 6 o'clock because of the
continued downpour of rain. The great
steel plant at Monterey suffered loss
of nearly a million dollars by the flood,
and the smelter of the Mexican Lead
company is cut off from the city ana
submerged. 1t is estimated that the
loss at this plant will be over $3,OOO,00O
The Santa Cartarina river runs al
most directly through the center or
Monterey. Along its right banks IS
located the suburb of San Luisito, in
habited by the poorer element. 1t was
in this section that the greatest loss or
life occurred. For the greater part the
suburb is composed of one-story ADO
bes.
When the flood waters struck these
buildings they collapsed as though
composed of paper and buried thelr
inmates beneath a mass of debris IN
such a manner that they had abso-
lutely no opportunity to escape. Many
families remained in their dwellings,
until compelled to seek refuge on the
roofs, but too late, for they found
themselves entirely surrounded by
nf a
stream
For many months throughout the
wear the Santa Catarina river is dry
bed, absolutely devoid of water, but
during the rainy season it becomes an
important stream.
The Santa Catarina river has broken
it's banks and flooded large portion
of the city on both sides. NO Amer
leans were drowned.
The food situation in the city is very
serious, as no rail connections are left.
The flood shas destroyed the water
mains and the city's abbatoirs.
Most Disastrous Flood
Word reached here late this afternoon
of one of the most disastrous floods
ever known in northern Mexico. 1t was
caused by the overflow of the Santa
Catarina river. According to rumors,
many lives were lost, some estimates
being as high as 1000 This is believed
to be a gross exaggeration. The finan-
cial damage is estimated at from ST.
900, 900 to $2,000,000.
For the last forty-eight hours ver-
table deluge of rain has been falling,
which, together with the flow of water
from the adjacent mountains into the
Santa Catarina river, so swelled that
stream that it reached width of a
mile and a half and completely over
flowed certain portions of the city of
Monterey wrecked houses and causing
loss of life.
1t is certain that the flood was the
most disastrous in the memory of the
oldest inhabitants and that the loss of
life will be great.
Not a train from Mexico has reached
this city thus far today. Telegraphic
communication is crippled and the
exact location of some trains is un-
known.
In the city of Monterey telephone
communication is impossible, the cleo
trio light plant is flooded with water
and out of commission, the city's car
service is paralyzed and the water sup
ply is crippled.