Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-19
HATCH IS SWEPT
BY YCLOUDBURST;
900 HON Eli SIS
Town Is Flooded with Water
Seven Feet Deep; Walls of
the Adobe Huts Reported
CrumbIing.
tBy The AssocInled rress.l

(by The Associated Press.)
Las Cruces, N. M, Aug. 49,
Five hundred residents of Hatch,
N. NJ, forty miles north of Las
Cruces, were driven from their
homes last night by heavy cloud
burst. The town was flooded with
water seven feet deep in place and
the inhabitants were forced to flee
to the hills.
Appeals for aid for the homeless
have been received by the chamber
of commerce here from federal re-
elamation service officials who
went to the flooded town. Automo-
bile trucks are carrying provisions
and clothing to the stricken village.
Most of the houses are OF adobe
construction and the mud walls are
reported to be crumbling before the
washing of the flood waters. At
tempts are being made by Las
Cruces chamber of commerce to es-
tablish radiograph communication
to replace telegraph and telephone
lines which are down between
Hatch and the outside world.
Only One Dwelling Left.
The cloudburst struck Santa
Teresa, a village in the foothills
two miles west of Hatch, shortly
after o'clock this morning. Only
one dwelling was left at Santa
Teresa.
Two hours later the wall of
water rushed down the arroyo into
Hatch, the male residents assisting
women and children to the hills.
Many of them were forced to flee
in their night clothes. abandoning
everything,
James Clapp, business man,
who was bedridden by a long Ill
ness, was carried to the hills by
neighbors. So far as learned there
was no loss of life.
Dean Goddard of the New Mex
leo College of Agriculture and Fine
Arts and Thomas Brownless have
installed radiograph to keep the
office of the local chamber of COM
merce advised of the situation.
Drainage Difficult.
Tonight from three to seven feet
of water lies in the stricken viii
lage. Officials of the United States
reclamation service and railroad
men say there is no way to drain
the water off except to dig deep
canal as the town lies in a basin
below the level of the arroyo.
One hundred and fifty Of the
residents are being cared for with
supplies sent under charge of re-
lief committees from the Las
Cruces chamber of commerce.
Farmers. armed with shot guns,
are guarding the bank of the Rio
GraHde south of hero TO prevent
raising Of the flood gates. The
farmers insist that raising of the
flood gates will ruin their crops
without being a material benefit
to the flooded district.
A telegram from Patrick r.
Campbell, cashier of the Bank of
Hatch. telegraphed tonight that
the town and vicinity were conn
pletely under water and that every
business and dwelling house was
demolished He said federal aid
was essential.
State aid has been asked In tel
egrams to Governor Mechem at
Santa Fe. Representatives of the
western division of the American
Red Cross and the Salvation Army
are reported on their way to Hatch
to aid in relief work.
Las Cruces, N. NJ, Aug. 49,
Flood waters of cloudburst which |
struck Santa Teresa shortly after |
3 o'clock this morning demolished
the town of Hatch, thirty eight |
miles north of here. No lives are
reported lost tonight. The town !
is under from three to seven feet OF
water. One hundred and fifty res
idents of the town, driven to the
hills are being taken care of by
relief committees of the Las Cruces
chamber of commerce. Reports
from Rody are that armed farmers
are guarding the bank of the Rio
Grande south of Hatch to prevent
the lowering of the flood water
which they say would destroy their
crops If let loose now and would not
be of material benefit to the
flooded district. Officials of the
United States reclamation service
and the Santa Fe railway say there
Is no way of getting the water out
Of the town of Hatch, which lies
In a basin, except by cutting deep
drains. This they report will take
time.
The western division of the Red
Cross and the Salvation Army have
sent representatives and SUPPLIES to
the flooded district.
Dal ;oi- T1ffnnhn11 RQd1lpT 0f
the Bank of Hatch, wired as fol-
lows: "TIatch and vicinity COM
pletely under water. All business
and dwelling houses completely
demolished. No known loss OF life.
Federal aid absolutely essential.
Only one small dwelling house
the cloudburst at Santa
Teresa.
The water swept to Hatch with
a rush, and the town was flooded
In less than two hours. 1t Is esti- \
mated that the loss Of buildings at
Hatch and Santa Teresa, and on
crops in the district will reach a
half million dollars.
c.. F. Knight, president OF the
Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce,
has wired Governor Mechem,
United States Senator Bursum and
other officials at Santa Fe to pro-
vide aid for the farmers and 9TH
srs who have lost everything ex7
,ept life.
Dean Goddard of the New Mex
co College of Agriculture and Me-
,hanic arts and Thomas Bfownlee
have installed a radiograph to
keep the officers Of the chamber