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LIGHTVOL. XLI—NO. 235.SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1921.-EIGHT PAGES.PRICE, FIVE CENTS ~Darkness fell on San Antonio Saturday night after a day of ceaseless activity during which all interests of-the community'labored to care for the thousands of residents made homeless and destitute by perhaps the most disastrous flood in the city’s history.The number of dead is not'known, but at 9 o'clock Sat-.v .urday night reports from all available sources showed that a total of 38 bodies had been recovered.It Will be days before the full list of those who. perished in the fury of the flood is established..- Many bodies, it is believed, were carried miles down stream and tKe most diligent search will be required for their recovery'. Some probably never will be found. The great mass of wreckage and other debris' piled up in the stricken areas is adding heavily to difficulties of searchers.Even after a day of checking by the police and organized relief agencies, estimates could not be. made with any degree of certainty as to the total number of dead. The best of information indicated that the-loss of life was not less than100, and that it might run as high as 250. ’ •Aside from the heavy loss of life, the flood* wrought enormous property damage. Conservative estimates place the damage at more than $5,000,000. This figure may even be exceeded when complete reports have been received.By nightfall the situation was well in hand so far as the care of flood victims and the protection of property was« • • 1 r f ’ i « 1 . * •concerned. Order was brought from chaos after a day of herculean effort on the part of city and county officials and employes, officers and soldiers from the army camps, .the Chamber of Commerce, American -Red Cross, American Legion and other agencies and* the hundreds of men and women who volunteered for any service iq which they couldbe used.The general relief organization formed shortly before noon Saturday to handle all phases of the situation was functioning in all of its departments by night. Everything possible that can be done is being done to restore conditions approaching the normal.,A 4-Vin orona rnnaf nf flio /Iav. ■ . ■ ■ .. . . / . •'to floods in the past did not realize their danger until it wastoo late for, escape. This fact is believed to account for the/• , 9 % t * • % mheavy loss of life.In other sections never before touched by high water the surprise of residents was even greater. And because they were oblivious of any danger/many of them had narrow escapes from death. * ’From the time the flood struck until about 6 o’clock Saturday morning, when its greatest force was spent, members of the police force and hundreds of volunteers toiled to rescue the many caught in it. Had it not been for their efforts the loss of life would have teen far heavier.The flood waters from the San Antonio river and from Alazan creek and small tributaries, inundated an area approximately two miles long by one-half mile wide including the heart of the business section and a portion of the residence section along River avenue and adjacent streets as well as the thickly populated West Side where today,thousands of Mexicans are homeless and their dead not yet counted. • •. This flood is the greatest disaster in the history of San Antonio. The water rose almost to the mezzanine floor in the Gunter hotel.. Such structures as the Brady building, Wolff and Marx department store, Stowers, St. Mary’s church and school buildings, the St. Anthony hotel, the Elks club formerly the Travis club, several hospitals, the central telephone exchange, the city hall and police, and fire headquarters and ^countless -other structures ' along the low-lying river valley were in the pathway of the flood.These were the things visible to the eye when day dawned, cloudy, gloomy, and threatening. But what occurred in the blackness of the night when scores of men, women and children met death in' the oil coated waters, of the flood, as . houses collapsed, bridges were swept out, trees and electric light and telephone poles dropped with a crash and their wires became entangled with the other wreckage is something that will never be known in detail. Countless acts of heroism aregot out, I stiil held one of the pickets in my hand, I do not know how I got out.Large houses were swept about on th^e flood’s crest asthough they were paper boxes. Some of them were sweptalong until they encountered trees or other obstacles when they were wrecked and boards and timbers of all kinds whipped about like clubs in the water undoubtedly brought death to many. In fact some of the bodies takwi from the flood waters and awaiting, identification in the morgues, were cut and crushed and bruised as though beaten with a mighty flail.Through the darkness of the night, the terrified screams of women and children echoed now and then across the flood waters. Men and women sank to their knees in the mud and water and prayed. Others ran about in distracted manner, seeking relatives and friends, talking incoherently,weeping and wailing,/When the waters reached the business section of the city, they came with the same rapid swirl with which they swept the residence portions. But after the first rush of waters when the river and Alazan creek left their banks, it was possible for rescuers to work at the edge of the flood retreating steadily backward like a battle line yielding inch by inch before the charges of an enemy. The waters quickly swept up and down Houston and Commerce streets for blocks, running over sidewalks, and into basements and rising steadily ever higher and higher.Quickly marshalling their forces, the fire and police departments responded.nobly and wholeheartedly to the call for rescuers. At every danger point, wherever people were appealing for aid, the blue coated figures of San Antonio’s policemen and firemen could be seen, doing yeoman service without thought of personal safety.About midnight, as it became apparent that the waters were still rising, a big truck rumbled into San Antonio and stopped short/ A sharp command rang out and a detachment of khaki clad soldiers snrano- into flip, streets, fivp.rtThe Identified Dead.it• N. A. McCALEB, about 40 years old, claim agent S. AV’JU. GoMRS. J. D. VASBINDER, Cass street.MRS. IGNACIO LOPEZ, body found near stockyards,- * MRS. FRANCISCO PALOMA DE SOTA, 314 Chihua-ihu a street. . • *MRS. EMMA GORIN, 414 Furnish avenue.GORIN BABY, same address.MARIE RAMON, 12 years old, same address.MRS. ELENA HERNANDEZ, 1820 South Laredo street,ESTELLA HERNANDEZ, 5 years old, same address,ADOLFO HERNANDEZ, 4 years old, same address. lt;iVIRGINIA CAVAZOS, 10 years old, 322 1-2 North San Saba.i *Cadena infant, same address.• xJUAN JOSE FALCON, 60, 705 South San Marcos.■MRS. VICTORIANO FALCON, same address.JAMES ELLIS WEST, Boy Scout, 508 Tampico street.ROSA RAMIREZ, 55, El Paso and San Fernando streets.ALICE DREAGER, 8 months old, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Dreager, 2425 South Flores street.MRS. RODRIGUEZ, address unknown.FELIPE CARDENAS, siXk years old, 540 Mitchellstreet. 1t •THEODORE CARDENAS, two years old, same address. ANDREA SOSA, fourteen years old, same address. Mrs. GUADALUPE B. FALCON, 50 years old, 322 1-2 Santa Rosa.
Newspaper Details
San Antonio Light
San Antonio, Texas, US
Sun, Sep 11, 1921
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Sarah G.
USA 18 Jul 2018
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