The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1913-12-04
DAMAGE is PLACED
AT SIX MILLIONS
Railroad Traffic Crippled and
Towns Inundated Rescue Peo-
pie from Tree Tops--Waters
are Still Rising
Telegram by United Press.

f . N-%N- - I1ANN4 t~A@+
Fort Worth. Tesas, Dec. Twenty
dead, eighteen thousand homeless. and
property damage amounting to six mil
lion dollars, are results Of the floods
throughout Texas.
It is feared that great loss of life
win be reported when communication
Is restored with scores of villages.
Nearly all railroad traffic is partly
suspended. All rivers are out of their
banks. The Brazos is five miles wide
IN Falls county and is still spreading.
Leon river is mile wide and has
cut off Temples water supply. Five
hundred bales OF cotton were washed
away at Waxahachie.
Fifty persons between Hillsboro and
Malone are awaiting rescue in tree
tops. Two miles OF the l. & G. N. track
is out at Maypearl. One hundred and
fifty passengers were rescued from
marooned train near Marlin By boats.
Mayor Mackey OF Waco today called
on carpenters to build beats for res
cue work. The water continues to rise
there, driving many more from their
homes.
L. Armada. q city prisoner. who was
released because OF lis ability as
swimmer, saved five persons. He re-
fused to accept offers OF mony but
went back to Jail and will be released
later.
The Colorado river at Austin began
to rise again Wednesday. coming up
at the rate of six feet en- hour Aor a
time Wednesday night. Three men
riding on log floated down the river
at dusk. one getting into a tree far
out from shore and the other two on
top Of the partially submerged grand
stand Of the baseball park. Rescue
parties started to get the men, but re-
turned, saying they had been unable
to find them in the darkness. Who
the men were and their fate is not
known.
The rains which since Monday night
have been overflowing creeks and riy-
ers. driving many thousands from
their homes and cutting new high rec
ords in both damage and height into
the adjacent property. continued stead
lily all day and night
The territory affected covered three
river basins. occupying a district
about two hundred miles from north
to south and more than one hundred
miles wide with Waco. where the flood
was most serious. nearly at the center
In this district it was estimated that
about 5000 persons had been driven
from their homes, several thousand
Of them by creeks scattered all through
the country districts and which ordin-
arily can be waded the year around.
Fatalities were confined to five At Bel
ton. with rumors OF drowniags near
Waco.
SO sudden were some Of the rises.
however. that throughout the central
part of the state isolated families were
driven into trees, from which their
neighbors rescued them, some times
hours later. In the Leon river bottoms
near Temple, several men, women and
children, after spending twenty-four
hours in the trees are still uncertain
when improvised boats could be nav
igated through the swift water They
were hungry and exhausted. Near
Dallas boatmen yesterday, rescued a
dozen person from trees in the Trinity
river bottoms, and earlier in the day
boats picked up refugees off trees near
waxahachie and at .other points.
Railroad communication rapidly
brxe down. At Terrell officials OF the
Texas Midland, a 1o0-mile long line
built BY Hetty Green between Ennis
and Paris, reported thsA. entire sys-
tenn stalled. with water over the tracks
in some places for miles At a time.
Creeks in that section had broken all
records and it was stiIl raining. The
town CT Hetty on this road was twelve
| lContinued from Page Ora