The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1914-01-03
Texas Flood Routes A Dinner
Party.
LSt. Louis Republicl.

Louis newspaper man, now presl-
dent of the Farmers Bank at Olvey,
Ark was in San Antonio, Texas at
the time OF the recent flood. In a
letter to a St Louis friend he thus
describes the experience:
eve were seated in a Mexican res
taurant in San Antonio when the
food struck us, The little old san
Antonio river, which winds in and
around through the very heart Of
the city, has been laughed at and
ridculel by everyone who has ever
been there. Even the natives crowd
it's banks with their chop suey
Joints and restaurants, never dream
ing the little brook of a stream
might rise up and wash away their
bridges and shops, This is precisely
what happened on the night of De-
cember 3.
For four days the rain had been
falling, drilling part of the time,
but on the night Of the 3rd it fairly
poured. The tables in the Mexican
restaurant we're all filled and there
were several late corners standing
at the cashiers desk waiting for
tables,
1T is the usual dinner crowd eX'
planned the manager; not the man
ager Of the restaurant but the man
ager of Il local industry who had
steered the boss and me up against
this Mexican dinner game
CALLS MEXICAN TASTE PERVERTED.
It's a perverted taste said the
boss, but like it.
This hot stuff won't seem 50
hot after you haye>eaten it awhile,
consolcd the manager,
THE waiter placed our dishes be-
fore us. The boss and watched
the manager who emptied dish of
rice in his plate He then emptied
another dish containing red.look-
ing stew of some kind on the rice,
He then emptied another dish con.
tanning beans and other ingredients
on top of the rice and stew. All Of
these dishes had a red color, made
so, understand, by red pepper,
THE manager began deyouring
! his meal like any hungry man and
the boss and | completed our mix.
ture and found that we were really
enjoying the meal There were fiat
corn cakes made from meal and wa
ter, another corn cake wrapped in a
corn husk, Where they get so many
corn husks so far away from the
corn belt is n mystery. Each guest
was given two corn husks, which
contained a cake Of some kind with
a little red layer resembling red pep,
per,
THE dessert was hottest of all
anu MAJ uCSl w iONIs ~ wan dlo'
Of the corn cake variety with a thin
red red dressing with something
sprnkled over it which looked like
grated cocoanut and tasted like
onions. Then black coffee was
served
LIGu1S SUDDENLY Go OUT.
The electric lights were toned
down, giving a very pretty effect,
The red Japanese decorations on the
wall were the most glazing With
all the Mexiean's idea Of color, it
seemed strange they should use Jap.
onese decorations,
But, as was saying, we were half
through our dessert when the food
came, and the dessert was hottest
Of all, Therefore the flood seemed
most timely No one had noticed
any unusual noise like rushing wa
ter, The food elept up quietly and
stealthily like a thief in the dark,
and the first thing we realized it
was very dark The lights went
out with u flash, or It seemed like a
fash just before the sudden dark.
ness
There was murmur and scfams
bic. Candles were lie, men and wo.
men were struggling 70 get ont, and
waters were hurrying about in the
confusion We reached the street
and found we were stepping in little
pools Of water, so we got on the
sidewalks, wadng and picking the
high places we reached Guenther
Hotel The hotel basement was full
of water, and furniture and fixtures
were being rushed to the second sto'
ry where temporary office was ar
ranged,