The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1913-12-16
NARROWING SCENES IN TEXAS
cpEAT DISTRESS is REPORTED
FROM OVERFLOW DISTRICT.
Woman Gives Birth to Child on Roof
Of House, and Man Dies in Tree
TOP. Property Damage Heavy.

u-or,an Gives Birth to Child on Roof
Of House, and Man Dies in Tree
Top. Property Damage Heavy.
WELBORN, Texas.-The problem
- rescue along 40 miles of flooded
p.qzos valley today was succeeded by
.ha Greatest problem of providing for
tro thousand or more refugees. Re
,or-s direct from the flooded terri
torv today brought by motor boats
.boved between 700 to 1000 people
,,arooned in gin houses and large
plantation residences, but safe from
the hood.
white school teacher on the west
side bank near Koppe's bridge took
ra-rse in a tree with five negro men
and women. They were not rescued
nnt. thirty hours later
Child Born on Roof.
child was born on top of roof
Thursday near Horseshoe Bend. The
infant died and the mother, critically
IN rescued by a motor boat, was
moved up the river to a doctor. She
wa. the wife of a tenant farmer, and
her name was not known by the res
cuer,.
The death of a man who died in a
Tree top, where he had taken refuge,
is also reported.
One Planter Lost $4,000.
The flooded section is one of the
most beautiful and prosperous in
Texas and the plantations are of feu-
dial extent. Several of them run from
five TO eight thousand acres, tenant
a5 Inv A score of white families and
hundred or more negro families.
With farm stores ruined, all small
houses washed away or overturned
and stock and feed stuff lost some
idea of the damage, which cannot be
estimated, may be gained.
Obfe Alexander said the Hoppe
farm loss would easily be SIS, 900.
The other large farms are equally
hard hit Mr.. Alexander summed up
their loss as follows:
Fifty bales of cotton, 700 hogs, Z
cars cotton seed and 1900 bushels
of corn, unknown number of cattle
and horses, with untold damage to
property, houses, fences, stock, etc.
On the east bluffs, like signals of
disaster, flap the once gay patterned
quilts and bright-hued dresses of a
few darkies who managed to save
something
Around camp fires are groups OF
negroes, unconcerned and laughing
and recounting anecdotes of the
food. how Wash and Sam swan like
alligator" or how Susan clung to a
bit of fnery when she had a chance
for life They don't know who is
dead
Friday night at Horseshoe Bend
six miles below Welborn, a light
bobbed up and down on the river and
there came the frantic voices of men
and the terrified screams of women
The dim bulk of a house could be
seen, but it would have been suicide
to try to reach the doomed victims
The careening structure whirled out
of sight with it's human freight.
Fifty Negroes Face Death.
As night comes on at Horseshoe
Bend over the roar Of the torrent
comes the eerie singing and praying
of fifty negroes facing death in
rocking gin house on an island a
mile and half out. "Oh, my Lord
think I'm goin' ter droWn. Boats
up the river can't come down. Oh
Lawdy," is the paraphrase which the
darkies have made of a camp meet
ing song to. fit the occasion.
1t was in this gin that four white
women and three small children
spent nearly forty-eight hours Of ter
ror Thursday and Friday. Mrs. E.
L. Meyers told of their experiences.
We lived between the levee and
river, and when the water began to
rise we moved across the leyee to my
fathers house" she said. THAT was
Wednesday; Thursday the water
reached the second story of the
Hodges house, but only when we saw
numerous cottages floating down the
stream, bales of cotton, horses, mules