Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-13
DEATHS ESTIMATED
At 100 AND DAMAGE
RUNS INTO MILLIONS
More Than 1000 Homes
Inundated as Waters Rush
In - Havoc Reported in
Several Texas Towns

SAN ANTONIO, Tex, Sept. IL
With forty-seven bodies in morgues
at San Antonio as the result ol
storms and. floods, reports OF havoc
in other parts of south-central TeHas
began to filter in over crippled wires
Sunday.
Extensive damage was reported
from Hutto, South Austin, Cameron,
Bolton and other small towns as the
result of rain and wind. The dam
age in San Antonio, estimated as no
less than 100000 was augmented
by reports of 100000 damage near
Cameron, hundreds of thousands OF
dollars damage to the south-central
Texas cotton crop, railway bridges
highways. villages and farm prop
erty.
Some estimates place property
damage in San Antonio as high as
s12,00O,000 and loss of life at l5o.
These estimates were by city OIL
Gals or police, but more conservative
ones LET the death list stand at 100.
1000 Homes Inundated
More than 1000 homes were IN
undated in San Antonio, most OF
Them wrecked by the IL to Is feet
of water that rushed into the city
from the San Antonio river near mid
right, as most of the city was asleep,
burling buildings from foundations
and crumpling them against one an
other.
Scenes of tragedy and horror were
uncovered by soldiers, police and
other rescue workers in the residence
district. Debris was piled high to-
night in the places where the water
had receded almost as quickly as 1t
swept into the streets.
Heaviest property loss was In the
city's downtown district, where estl-
mates of damage ran as high as Slo'-
100000. Blocks of street paving was
swept away. Heaviest damages TO
residences was in the vicinity or
Alazan creek, where a strip OF resi-
dences two miles in length and
half mile mide were wrecked or
swept away.
Loss Of life was heaviest in this
district where the water, crushing
in walls on sleeper5, SnuI1ed OUT
scores of lives. All day today rela-
tives and relief workers cleared away
mud-blackened piles of denrlc, un-
covering victims, while regular
soldiers from army camps OF the
Eighth army corps near San Antonio
held back the thousands of curious
and scores of looters who tried 10
surge into the stricken residence DIS
but a two-mile strip or cnaoS'
warped, twisted and blackened by
mud.
Heroic work of soldiers rushed
here from Forts Sam houston ana
Travis, was responsible today Tor
hundreds of lives being saved. Bray
ing the whirling waters and cross
currents, the men risked their own
lives to bring 500 or more persons TO
safety from floating house, tree
tops and every imaginable place OF
refuge.
Military passes were necessary to
get into the wrecked districts to-
night. Although the city was not
under martial law, it was virtually
under military control and sold ers
stationed at all entering places to the
restricted zone kept out all but re-
lief workers and others with military
passes.
Relief work will continue through
out the night and in the meantime
efforts will be made to get in touch
with the territory around austin,
Comeron, Taylor and several other
parts where violent wind storms and
rains. ranging from SIX lnches to
cloudburstS were reported.
Houses were reported blown down
in a number of small towns in Mil
ton county in dispatches received to-
night. The sheriff's office here was
trying to verify a report that the
towns of Hutto and South Austin
near the state capital, were wrecked
A half score Of persons were
] known to have been injured there.
Rail Traffic Hit
Railroad traffic was demoralized
] in south Texas by the storms and
floods. The Katy's crack Texas
Special was marooned between
/ Georgetown and Austin, according to
latest available reports.
d FLYER persons were held at police
headquarters tonight on charge OF
looting which was well under way
before waters had begun to recede
Relief work was organized and
s21,5OO was subscribed to relief
4 funds at a mass meeting called this
4 afternoon by Mayor Black, and as
\ result of which it was arranged for
military authorities to supply the
homeless with tents.
Sylvan Lang was appointed heat
of the committee to solicit funds fol
relief work. Civilian heads to CO.
operate with the Red Cross and ar
range for taking care Of bodies OF