The New York herald., 1922-04-26
Many Homes in Lowlands Near
Fort Worth Destroyed When
Trinity River Bursts.
CITY In TOTAL DARKNESS
American Legion Aids Police
in Guarding Streets, Which
Are All Flooded.

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 25.-John
J. Mccain. Fort Worth City Engineer,
declared tonight that the levees OF
the Trinity River which burst early
this morning and let in a flood that
already has destroyed more than a
thousand homes and killed seventeen
persons in the Trinity Valley and in
the lowlands of Forth Worth, had
been dynamited by unknown parties
"The Ievees did not break Of their
own accord nor from the weight of the
water pressing against thenn," said Mr..
Mccain. They were dynamited. The
city authorities will demand an i'm
mediate investigation by the Grand
Jury,
The estimate OF seventeen dead was
made by Major l.. G. White, in charge
of Red Cross relief However, none
Of the local undertaking establishments
has received body
The food was confined chiefly TO the
lowlsnds adjoining the tributaries of
the Trinity River. Marine. Sycamore.
Clearforks, and the Trinity rivers we're
swollen. ovcrnowing the bottoms nearby.
Water stood three feet deep in the
stock yards here and was only a foot
from the Live Stock Exchange Building
tonight. This water was expected to
subside quickly, however.
The flood is the most severe in the
history OF the city. according to old time
residents. Trinity River stood at 3s. Z
feet at noon and was still rising.
Coming on the heels OF nine inches OF
rain, the heaviest in the history of Fort
Worth, and wind and electrical storm.
the flood took scores Of people by sur
prise. The lowlands adjoining Syca-
more Creek were the first to suffer, and
at one time water was standing level
with the roofs of residences.
Word reaching tonight from points
north of Fort Worth indicate that a fur
ther rise OF the water is expected and
that every effort was being made 10 pre-
vent additional loss OF life and property.
Rescue workers are laboring tire
lessly in bringing relief to flood suffer-
ers and attempting to rescue the flood
stricken.
With boiler rooms OF the City Power
and Light Company flooded. residential
Fort Worth is spending a night in dark
ness. No drinking water has been
available since early morning.
Five hundred members OF the Amcri-
can Legion are patrolling the streets
tonight. augmcnting the police force.
which is working In the flooded areas.
Telephone service was crippled and
street car service was suspended in
parts of the city.
New ORLEANS. April 25.-The Missis-
sippi River rose one-tcnth of a foot here
to-day. the gauge at the foot OF Canal
street standing at 22.6 feet at o'clock
tonight. compared with 22.5 at that hour
this morning. The previous high record
here was 90 feet, in 1912. \ maximum
OF 234 feet has been predicted by May
10 TO 20.
At Arkansas City. where sand boIls
developed during the day, more than
1000 men were at work, with 500 more
expected to arrive from Louisiana on n
special train. In Bolivar and Washing
ton counties. Mississippi where ten
miles OF low levee are being topped.
more than 5000 men are at work. More
than 5000, 900 sandbags arrived at
Greenville to-day and were distributed
10 threatened points.