San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-15
=. I'D MENACES
y, .::;;;;;;;eailAHOMA CITY
BUSINESS ROW
River Threatens to Aban-
III don Bend and Cut
Through City.
ALL RECORDS TO FALL
60 Laborers Bolstering
River Banks With
Sandbags.
ALL RECORDS TO FALL
Oklahoma City, Okla. Oct. 18th,

Oklahoma City, Okla. Oct. 15.-The
business section Of Oklahoma City, for
the first time in its history, is con.
fronted by the menace Of being flood
cd, it was indicated today in the an
nouncement of J. H. Slaughter, chief
of the United States weather bureau.
that the North Canadian river would
reach stage of 20 to % feet between
midnight tonight and noon tomorrow.
AThis is four to six feet higher than the
vrecord flood of last spring.
Danger for the business section here
results from the fact that the river
makes a wide bend. skirting til. city
10 the south. \ straight course through
the city would pass almost directly
down Main street. the princir ! thor
oughfare of the city. Engineers have
expressed fear in the past that. if the
water once rose TO the point where it
would break through to Main street,
the river might shift its course.
Stores Remove Records.
Some business houses have made it
practice to remove records from their
easements at every flood period. al
thought the water has never come with
in ten blocks Of the fringe of the BUSH
ness area.
Wire communications from Okla
homa City with all points north and
west of Canton is impossible today.
Ten miles west of the capital 10
Amen in boots and slickers, aided by 10
< cams, have been sandbagging the en-
1taukments of the city waterworks
am since Saturday. More men will
he sent there before the first crest,
Expected tomorrow, to wall up the
Nmbankments at either end of the
liam and to reinforce a bypass into
Nhe huge lake.
| The lake is expected TO hold nine
4 let more water. major part of the
n ! esday flood crest. according TO G..
n Brett. waterworks superintendent.
w Interurban service from Oklahoma
"A ETY. west has been suspended due
% weakening of the bridge over the
North Canadian at the city reservoir.
1.-THE tracks are under water for some
distance.
Suburbs Are Isolated.
Packingtown and Capitol Hill.
suburbs south of town. were isolated
today with the exception of one
street car bridge, which was still be-
ing used by pedestrians. This is to
be closed before evening.
Relief work was on in full force
as family after family fled from their
homes in the path of the flood.
Fraternal and religious organiza-
lions have established barracks for
the refugees and the city administra-
ton is cooperating actively in the
work of rescue and salvage.
Al l..N lat-
in the city were Communicated today
by the city and manned with fire
men and other city employees, who
are searching the lowlands for
refugees.
Railroads throughout the flooded
area have sustained heavy losses.
Miles of track have been washed away
and many bridges damaged or destroy
ed. Traffic out of Oklahoma City
except to the north and northeast is
virtually demoralized.
Approaches Washed Out.
Both approaches TO the South
Canadian river bridge of the st.
J.ouis-San Francisco railway at Mus
tang have gone out. Approaches TO
the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf
bridge over the North Canadian at
Watonga are gone. and an approach
to the Rock Island bridge at North
Junction also has been washed away.
The Missouri. Kansas-Texas rail-
1xay from Oklahoma City TO Atoka
4completely bloodhound. A fill near
1aWnee has gone out and tracks are
Insler four feet of water for some
distance near Hario.
The $1,000 600 bridge of the Rock
Island at Calvin was still standing
today, but long stretch of track SIX
miles west of Calvin had been swept
info fhe angry river,