Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-05-11
WIND ADDS To
FLOODS TERROR
Water Driven Over Weake.
ned Levees and People
Are Panic Stricken
FROM BATON ROUGE SOUTH
Caught In Cloudburst Gentle.
men Wade With Shoes
Around Neck.

(By Special Leased Wire to New MexIcan)
New Orleans, La, May 11.-Dawn
today brought relief and hope to thou
sands of people and ended a night of
excitement and terror for those living
in upstate towns and villages behind
levees considered none too safe be-
cause of the terrific storm that swept
down the Mississippi river from the
northern portion of Louisiana to the
gulf. The deluge was accompanied by
hail and lightning, and a near hurri-
cane that dashed river water over
levees in cascades from Baton Rouge,
south, tearing away temporary earth
works recently constructed.
Near Panics Reported.
From scores of towns belated tele-
grams tell of conditions almost border
ing on panic where hundreds of fright
ened people left frame dwellings and
sought safety in brick and stone build
ings. Many places reported as much
as six inches of rain within about four
hours ending at 10 O'Clock last night,
flooding towns and villages.
Worked All Night In Rain.
At dozens of points up and down the
river where levees We're thought weak
.ening, hundreds of citizens, worked
beside gangs of convicts all night
long in the driving rain, digging mud
and piling sand bags on levee tops to
keep the torrential waters from the
north at New Orleans, the wind back
ed up the water until the gauge at 10
O'Clock registered 21,9 feet.
Water Blown Over Levees.
Water was blown over the levees
here at many places. At the southern
Pacific transfer ferry, the water lit
orally poured over the lines of sand
bags placed about the ferry house by
the railroad people. Emergency gangs
stopped the overflow after half an
hours work The city streets was
turned into torrents, the water in sew.
eral instances flooding business
houses to the depth of four inches, fill.
ing easements and man-holes.
Wade Home ShoeIess.
In the twenty-five minutes ending al
o'clock last night, IL inches of rain
fell. In the residence district the wa
ter was over the sidewalks by several
inches. Hundreds were caught in the
down pour, unable to get to theil
homes because of the crippled car ser
vice. Scores OF well dressed men or
Canal street took off their water
logged shoes, slung them over theil
shoulders, rolled up their trousers tc
| their knees and waded home.
Rain, hail and Hurricane.
| An inferno of the elem ents gripped
the city for hours last night. Rair
| fell in sheets, the wind blew a gale
hail added to the terror, the river ROSE
by leaps and Tapped across the levees
and over it all there was continuous
| display of lightning and roaring thun
| der.
City in Darkness.
| Streets were flooded to a depth O.
from three to fifteen inches. Peopl
in the downtown district were ma
rooned for holrs within the block up
on which they were caught by tht
cloudburst. Electric light plants were
! flooded and many parts of the city
were in darkness.
) The same alarming conditions pre-
vailed up and down the river in sever
al towns, and people who have fol
days lived in fear of further disas
trous breaks in the levees were panic
] stricken A force of men was put tt
work today at the 2,000-foot Celestt
street wharf to stop an overflow
caused by the rapid rise in the rive
last night.