Evening star., 1938-07-24
Town F0LKFLEE
TO TREES, ROOFS
IN TEXAS FLOOD
Rivers Five-Day Siege Of
Menard Wins-Rises 10
Feet in Two Hours.
MAIN BUSINESS STREET
SUBMERGED FOUR FEET
Stream Stationary at Brady as
800 Are Homeless Wide
Area Hit by Rains.
local Weather Story, Page AZ

local Weather Story, Page AZ
By the Associated Press.
SAN SABA, Tex, July 23.-Swift
San Saba River floodwaters rose 10
feet in two hours tonight at Menard,
near here, rushing four feet deep
down the main business street and
marooning residents in trees and on
rooftops.
Continuing downpours Of rain
pushed the river rapidly toward even
higher levels and increased the men,
ace from flooding streams over an area
100 miles long and so miles wide.
The latest upsurge Of the San Saba
climaxed five-day assault on the
town which had seen its business dis
trict threatened four times since Tues
day.
M. H. Leverett, manager Of the
Southwestern State Telephone Co.
branch at Menard, reported over the
only communication line into the
plagued town Of 5000 residents that:
Our town looks like a river" 80
Its still raining here and the water
is rising fast" he said. Il can see
folks now trying to wade in water on
the main street. They can't do 1.-THE
water is too swift. The gas and water
lines have been cut of but our lights
are still burning We only have this
one telephone line left and its liable
to 60 at any second.
Trees Smash Into Poles.
"The line stretches across the river
and I can see fence poles and trees
smashing into it now.
Merchants have boarded all the
stores but the water is seeping in.
Sandbags are lined along the street.
but this river just keeps rising.
don't know what we will do about
drinking water-no one has had time
to think about a drink for the last
two hours"
Nearly l8 inches Of rain had fallen
in Menard since Tuesday
Two blocks OF the main street
were inundated. The water vas surg
ing into the residential district
TITS spreading out so fast" said
Mr.. Leverett, "it's hard to estimate
how rapid the rise really is. We
don't know what to expect from up
the river. All our lines have been
cut or"
Meanwhile. the river stood station
ary at Brady. where 800 were home
less and the water was tapping over
the town square. L. B. Smith, veteran
Brady resident, reported by telephone
tonight: "The water is only two OF
three feet from awnings on business
houses"
The town Of 5000 was without
lights. Residents were marooned or
rooftops and in trees.
The water remained at 39-foot level
in San Saba, but the town steadied
for an expected rise tomorrow.
Plea Sent for Nurses.
The little sheep capital was left iso-
lated as the last highway was made
impossible by raging waters from the
San Saba River. Between 400 and
500 were homeless. An urgent plea
was sent out for nurses.
Only two lives. so far, were reported
lost. but desperate efforts were being
made to rescue several families ma
rooned in treetops at Pecan Grove,
miles east of here.
Fourteen Mexicans, marooned for
several hours on a barntop, were res
cued by boats.
The North Side residential section Of
San Saba was inundated, and it was
estimated 80 homes had been washed
away The water continued to climb
closer to the business section.
Menard, about IS miles southwest
Of here, was threatened again late to-
day after muddy waters which barely
encroached upon its main street last
night receded this morning.
Livestock loss in that section was ex-
pected to be great.