San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-09
Detailsof" Snake of Water"
More Than 100 Years Ago
Brought to Light on An
niversary Of 1921 Flood.

Two years ago today, San Antonio
was visited by perhaps the worst of a
number of floods which have occurred
at various periods in the city's his
tory.
These floods always have been due
to sudden cioudbursts in the valley OF
the Olmos which pours its double bur-
den into the San Antonio river. The
San Antonio river in turn overflows
its banks and floods the city. This is
what happened ON the night Of Fri
day, September 8. 1921, as it had so
many times before when the city of
San Antonio was a mere village.
The closeness of the city to the
head of the river gives floods a sud-
den start on the city which is usually
without warning. Many times the
floods are small and little property
and few lives are lost, and then again
they wreak great havoc, as they did in
1919 and 1921.
In the dust-covered archives of San
Fernando Cathedral is "Libro de
Difuntos" or book of Deaths" which
gives list of six white people and
ten Indian children drowned in the
ulOSl llJou lut uds VI
San Antonio. Father Eugene SUI
cranes of the San Fernando Cathedral
has brought to light the contents of
these archives and has given the
world the story of the "Culebra de
Aqua" or snake of water which burst
in the valley of the Olmos, July D,
1919, and swept away a large por-
ton of colonial San Antonio and cost
the lives of the six whites and ten
Indian children. Victims of this early
flood were buried from San Fernando
Cathedral in the San Fernando Gene
terry.
Victims of 1910 Flood.
Padre Jose DARN Zambrano. in
charge Of the parish at that time. re-
cords that I'm the city of San Fer
nando de Bexar. on the fifth day of
July, 1919. l, Don Jose DARN Fam
brano, pastor emeritus, having at
present charge of the parish, gave &C.
clesiastical burial to the following
bodies: Conce9cion Davila, widow
Perfecta Hernandez, maid; Maria De
Ia Cruz Hinojosa, widow; Maria
Guadalupe Zambrano, widow;
Francisco Montaya, unmarried man.
and Josefa Varela. widow. They did
not receive the last sacraments, for
they were drowned by the flood"
Then followed the names of the ten
Indian children: Juana Chimara
Hernandez, Jose Nepomuceno Rodri-
Dolores Ramirez, Conception Bustilles.
Miguel Laro, Jose Remigio Ruiz and
Carmel Hernandez. "All these and the
above mentioned were given free
graves and free funeral services.
(Signed) Padre Don Jose Dario Fam
zrano."
This first flood, recorded in 1910,
came when Texas was still Spanish
province. Spain was governed by Fer
dinand VII. and Antonio Martinez was
governor of Texas. Records of the
flood are still TO be found among the
Spanish archives in the Bexar county
courthouse. These records deal with
government properties swept away by
the flood and are reports to the gov
eminent of its losses.
Results of the flood may be found
in these records, for. on July s, 1919,
one petition to move awav from the
river on account Of the flood is re-
corded. Another petition on July 10.
1919. was TO rebuild a stone mouse
which had been destroyed by the flood
a few days before.
Plaza Hit Hardest.
The "Culebra de Aqua" of which
the church records speak. precipitated
the waters of the San Antonio river
and San Pedro creek upon the little
village of San Antonio. These two
streams met at what is now Military
Plaza and Soledad street. Two stone
houses on the south side of Market
street in the block extending TO Ga
Ian and Doloroso street were swept
away, the military garrison threat
ened. and other houses at the corner
of Main and Main Plaza washed away.
Several houses on Curbelo street, now
Soledad. one on the east side of Main
Plaza. and another on the corner of
Dwyer. known as Quinta street, and
Doloroso. were destroyed. The east
and south sides of Military Plaza and
the side opposite the present city hall
were inundated. Five feet of water