The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-06
By a WashOut on the Texas &
Pacific r.. r..
GREAT SCARCITY OF BOATS
Retards the Work of Rescue in
the Flood District.
Heavy Loss of Life Is Reported
About TOrras.

Bachelor, La. May 6-The last link
binding this town with the outside
world by rail was severed late last
night when the swift waters from the
Torras crevasse swept away a Ions
stretch of the Texas & Pacific railroad
tracks short distance east of here
Bachelor had been a sort of con-
centration point for the food sufferers
in the surrounding country. Hundreds
of them were brought here and later
taken to New Roads to be distributed
among the various relief camps at
Baton Rouge and other places.
With the last means of rail commun-
ication cut off and with the scarcity OF
boats so much needed in the work Of
rescuing the homeless, the situation has
grown extremely serious. There still
are hundreds of others who must be
rescued Immediately. Reports reach
here at all hours of the day of people
marooned in houses, barns and on tops
of houses. A message was received
late last night from Lettsworth, six
miles north, that so people were crowd
ed into one house west of there and
were in imminent danger of being
drowned. The house was washed from
it's foundation and was floating around
in the water. Boats were hurriedly dis
patched there.
Another appeal for help came from
small village several miles west or
here where a score of persons were said
which was being buffeted about in the
torrent A boat left here at daylight
to take them off.
Boats Arrived Too Late.
New Orleans. May 6.-F1ood refugees
reaching here early today declare there
has been loss of life in that part OF
Louisiana inundated by the Mississippi
river, which rushed through the breach
in the 1evee at TorraS.
1t is said that motorboats sent to take
numerous persons from floating house
tops arrived too late.
How many persons perished cannot
be determined. Refugees brought to
the concentration camp are hurried
hither and thither. Some times fami-
lies are separated and persons have been
reported missing who simply have been
sent from one camp to another.
Nevertheless, large numbers of the
refugees claim they have seen entire
families swept from housetops. Lead
ers of the rescue corps admit that sew
eral times they have sent motorboata
to points where families had taken
refuge on the roof of a house and
that when the boat arrived its crew
found only the building buffeted about
by currents, and half it's roof surface
submerged.
Appeals for Help.
Appeals for help reached here last.
night from Lettsworth directly in the
path of the Torras torrent. Half a hun
dred people were reported to be in i'm
minent danger of drowning. The house
in which they had taken shelter had
been dislodged from its foundation and
was being tossed about in the current.
There are at least 1000 persons who
remain to be rescued from the inunda-
ted country west of Lettsworth and
Bachelor. Some of them are drifting
about on hastily constructed RATS. The
crevasse water is spreading at a rapid
rate. inundating sections of Pointe
Coupee Parish which never before has
been reached bv overflow.
Town after town is being swept by
the muddy waters. The last of the
special trains which have been bring
ing refugees out of the country around
Batchelor arrived here last night. When
the two relief trains were about ready
to leave Bachelor word was received
that there was grave danger of being
cut off by threatened washout in the
tracks several miles east of that place.
When the first train arrived at the
point of trouble water was flowing over
the tracks for distance of FIVE miles.
But the train passed over safely.