, 1935-05-19

oA@4 Wv NAk~N~a -
augmented by rolling offshoots CT
the headwaters In Hill, johnson and
Ellis counties.
The Trinity river was still over
flowing In the Trinidad sector and
crops were believed heavily dam
aged by the hard rains which fell
during the morning.
More than 10000 acres Of farm
land in Bell. Milan and Williamson
counties were under water and every
stream In that section was on a ram
page.
All main streams were rising. The
Leon, largest tributary OF the Lit
tie river. was rising at q rate Of o
foot an hour and was 20 feet up dur
ing the afternoon. A $500 CWA
bridge on q small tributary 70 the
Leon was washed out above Bolton
Traffic was blocked on many
highways through central Texas.
More than q thousand motorists
we're marooned between Gainesville
and Valley View on u. s. Highway
~. Scores OF head Of livestock were
drowned, thousands Of dollars OF
property damage done and rail and
motor traffic through Gainesville
were hampered.
The first motorists to cross the
Elm Greek bridge on Highway ~
reported five people, including q wo-
man with a baby in her arms, were
in tree tops on creek banks. out OF
reach of rescuers until the water
subsidies. and that they had been
there fer more than IL hours.
The Guadalupe river. rising rap
idly at Gonzales In south Texas. was
creating a new menace there with
hundreds OF farm families leaving
their lowland homes as the water
began spreading TO lay waste grow
ing feed crops. Cattle pastured In
lowlands in that area were endan-
gered, and many already were being
swept away in the swift currents.
The sudden rise Of the river prevent
ed stock from being taken to safety.
Rainfall was unofficially reported as
10 inches at Waelder and eight at
Harwocd. northeast Of here.
Rivers Rising Fast
At noon the Guadalupe was 20
feet above normal at Gonzales and
three hours later II had risen four
feet more, still rising rapidly. AT "a
feet IL would 60 over highways IN
that section. Traffic from Gonzales
TO Houston was routed by Yoakum
and S~chulenburg. Tornado winds
hampered communications In that
part of the state. A small twiSter
tore down tenant houses north CT
Gonzales but no deaths were report
ed.
The San Marcos river at Ottine, IL
miles above Gonzales. was reported
I'D ~ feet and rising fast.
Cuero expected a IS foot rise OF
the Guadalupe by Sunday night. The
peak OF the flood which caused $780,
600 estimated damage in that area
two weeks ago was only % feet.
Around Meridian crop damage
from BoSque river flood waters ran
to many thousands Of dollars with
the river al its highest stage since
1928. A half mile section Of high
ways 81 and q was covered.
In the Palestine section n house
was partially blown down and 80
barns and outhouses destroyed by
a twister that struck the Oakwood
area IS miles west. The young child
CT j. w. Barnett was injured, not
seriously, as the wind took the Atch-
en- and dining room off his home.
The roof was blown off the Henry
Dorman store in the downtown dis
trict. Heavy rains accompanied the
storm.
A freakish windstorm tore through
the Polytechnic and Riverside Sec
tions of Fort Worth, injuring at
least four persons and damaging
numerous houses. The roof of q ma
chine shop was blown off and skid
ded across the Rock Island rail-
road tracks. Fort Worth's rainfall
in "a hours measured Ito inches,
making nearly nine inches for May.
Rains upstream put the Trinity riv-
err on another rise with a crest Of
Is feet predicted. Seventeen feet Is
flood stage there. MI. and Mrs. Tom
Perkins, w. H. Bell. Sarah Benson
were hurt. Levee board crews were
feverishly labcring to patch holes
in the dykes along the main river
near the ball park with q work relief
force OF 200 men In readiness to
evacuate residents Of the bottoms
should the stream continue to rise.
Sullen waters of the Rio Grandt
river were stirred late Friday night
by heavy rains In the Eagle PasA
vicinity and Saturday were rising
slowly. Residents Of that section be-
lieved. however. the river would be-
gin to recede by nightfall.