The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-12-06
Most OF the Victims of the
Floods in Texas Are
Negros
BRAZOS RIVER THREE
TO FIVE MILES WIDE
General Manager of International and
Great Northern Railway Drowned
While Attempting to Make Rescues
at Valley Junction.

DALLAS, Texas. Dee. Ga death
roll of more than 80 persons. with
scores OF flood refugees spending last
night in imminent peril and possibly
1000 others marooned and suffering
from prolonged hunger and cold. was
Indicated by last night s reports from
the flooded Brazos river bottoms in the
Bryan section Of south central Texas.
For over 80 miles the Brazos was three
to five miles wide and running with
miIl-race speed.
The known dead in Texas foods
numbered 80 before reports from the
inundated territory in the BRYAN dis
trict began coming in late yesterday
The late reports were carried bv man
on horseback and Indicated at least 20
more persons had been drowned About
two-thirds Of the dead were Negroes.
the property loss would total 81 .000,-
coo or $1,000, 600 when losses along the
Brazos are added TO the already heavy
damage IN other portions of the state.
Henry Martin, Vice-president and
general manager of the International
4 Great Northern railway. was drown
ed ut Valley Junction, near here, late
yesterday, while attempting to rescue
marooned flood victims Mr. Martin
went to Valley Junction, where the
confluence Of the Little and Big Bra
zos rivers made swirhng lake siX
miles across. to direct personally the
road : relief forces, ana was attempt
ing TO navigate boat alone when it
was upset His body had not been re-
covered last night.
stationed ut Galveston and a train-load
of motor boats from Houston, which
started for BRYAN late Yesterday, were
stopped by high water at Navaeota.
The boats were launched at that point
shortly after dark, aud last night
started upstream over the flooded bot
toms to rescue persons reported cling
ing to trees. houSetops, or occasionally
standing in shallow water cut off from
shore. Bryan had 20 boats out all day
which took to high ground several
hundred persons, the majority terrified
and halt-clad Negroes. Anxiety wa,
felt last night for scores of Negroes
whom the boatmen reported clinging It
trees. These Negroes, wet, chilled ana
hungry, already had been in the trees
for ~ hours.
Thursday night. eight miles from
Bryan, Lee Cortmeha, an Italian, was
heard calling for help from his half
submerged cabin. Yesterday morning
the cabin had disappeared and Cort
melia, his wife and several children
had been drowned. Prominent plant
crs IN the bottoms have refused offer
! Of rescue, sending out their wives anC
children to Bryan, but themselves re
manning behind in the water. tearin;
down portions of their buildings to i'm
provise platforms for their stock
Anxiety IS felt for the safety of scv
eral planters. Seth Mooring was las
seen Yesterday afternoon on top Of hi
house near the river. He refused t
Leave.
san Antonio yesterday reported il
/ first flood death, when John Gonshot
! a farmer, was drowned in the Leo
/ river. At Highhank it was learned tina
/ tx Negroes lost their lives, instead 0
] two. as formerly reported, when III
rise struck there Wednesday night.