The Washington herald., 1921-09-11
Nearby Towns Suffer
Damage by Flood and
Storm.
CITY DEATH LIST
MAY REACH $50
Conservative Estimate Is
100-SOldiers Get 500
To Safety.

SAN ANTONIO. Tex, Sept 10
With forty-one bodies in morgues at
San Antonio as the result of storms
and floods, reports OF havoc in other
parts of South Central Texas began
to filter in over crippled wires to-
night
Extensive damage was reported
from Hutto, South Austin, Cameron,
Bolton and other small towns as the
result of rain and wind. The es-
innate of s5.o0o,o 900 damage in San
Antonio, was augmented by re-
ports of 100000 damage near
Cameron. hundreds of thousands
dollars damage to the South Central
Texas cotton crop, railway bridges.
highways. villages and farm prop
erty.
100 to I5s Dead I'm City.
Some estimates place property
damage in San Antonio as high as
$4,000, 900 and loss of life at $50.
These estimates were made by city
officials or police. but more conserv-
ative hazards let the death list
stand at 100.
More than 1000 homes were in
undated in San Antonio. most of
them wrecked by the twelve to fIf-
teen feet of water that rushed into
the city from the San Antonio River
near midnight, as most of the city
was asleep. hurfQg buildings from
foundations and Ncrumpling them
against one another.
Heavy Residence Damage.
Scenes of tragedy and horror were
uncovered by soldiers. police and
other rescue workers in the resi-
dence district. Debris was piled high
tonight, where the water had reced-
ed almost as quickly as it swept
into the streets.
Heaviest property loss was in the
city's downtown district. Blocks Of
street paving were swept away.
Heaviest damages to residences was
in the vicinity of AIazan Creek.
where a strip of residences two
was wrecked or swept away.
Soldiers Hold Back Mobs.
Loss OF life was heaviest in this
district where the water. crushing
in walls on persons asleep. snuffed
/ out scores Of lives All day today
| relatives and relief workers cleared
away mud-blackened piles OF debris
| uncovering victims. while regular
soldiers from army camps of the
| Eighth army corps near San Anton
10 held back the thousands Of curl
Gus and scores Of looters who tried
TO surge into the stricken resi-
dence district-where nothing had
been left but a two-mile strip OF
chaos, buildings warped, twisted and
blackened by mud
Heroic work of soldiers rushed
here from Forts Sam Houston and
Travis was responsible today for
hundreds of lives being saved.
Braving the whirling waters and
crosscurrents, the men risked their
own lives to bring 500 or more per-
sons to safety from floating houses.
tree tops and every imaginable
place of refuge.
PASSES Necessary.
| Military passes were necessary
to get into the wrecked districts
tonight Although the city was not
under martial law. il was virtually
under military control and soldiers
stationed at entrances to the re-
stricted zone kept out all but re-
lief workers and others with mill
tary passes.
Relief work will continue
throughout the night and in the
meantime efforts will be made to
get in touch with the territory
around Austin. Cameron, Taylor and
several other points where violent
wind storm and rains ranging
from six inches to cloydbursts
were reported.
Reports from Country.
| Houses were reported blown
down in a number of small towns
in Milan County. in dispatches re-
ceived tonight The sheriffs office
here was trying to verify a report
that the towns of Hutton-and South
Austin, near the State capital.
were wrecked.
A half score Of persons were
known to have been injured there.
Raialroad traffic was demoralized
in South Texas by the storms and
foods. he Katy's crack Texas
Special" was marooned between
| Georgetown and Austin. according
to latest available reports.
Five persons were held at police
headquarters tonight on a charge
of looting which was well under
way before waters had begun to
recede.
Relief work was organized and
s2l,500 was subscribed to relief
| funds at a mass meeting called
this afternoon by Mayor Black
and as the result of which IL was
arranged for military authorities
to supply the homeless wit htents.
Sylvan Lang was appointed head
Of the committee to solicit funds
for the relief work. Civilian heads
to cooperate with the Red Cross
and arrange for taking care OF
bodies of victims we're also named
| The market house was selected as