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A steady downpour of rain in the Rockdale area Monday and Tuesday sent creeks and rivers surging out of banks at flood crest, damaging roads, bridges and crops and completely isolating sev eral communities. Official measurement of the rain in Rockdale was 9.23 inches, ac cording to records kept by local observer W. C. Marrs. The rains began falling shortly before midnight Sunday and con tinued as an almost constant downpour until late Tuesday eve ning. Marrs measured .10 inch for Suoaday, 7.24 for Monday, and 1.89 ferm Tuesday. The 9.23 inches this week brings Rockdale’s total for the year to 47.85 inches, only 1.3 shy of the all-time record of 49.16 set in 1936. Marrs’ weather records date back to 1924. Rainfall reports in the Rockdale area varied. Mrs. Jim Harlan, The Reporter's Gause correspond ent, said Monday rainfall reports varied from 6 to 10 inches. At Tanglewood, 4.1/2 inches was reported Monday, 4 forthe to Mrs. Simo Lynn, Reorder corre spondent. Florenes t Hortes, Pleas ant Grove correspondent reported 3 7 2 inches Monday, while at Forest Grove, rain, was a masurert at 4-inches, reported Mrs. H.C. Spence, in Rockdale, Ham Branch flood ed Monday and Puesday, but never reached the stage it did in April, when several houses were flood ed and street damage heavy Victor Wy, Moerbe of 214. W. Belton sald waters from Ham Branch threatened four times to flood his home, but each tine subsided at the critical moment; the Moerbe home was hardest hit by the April flood on Ham Branch. The waters from Ham Branch came within an inch of flooding his home at one tine Monday, and within two inches twice that same day, Moerbe said. Tuesday morning, water reached the steps of the Moerbe home, then sub sided, he said. “We were lucky,” Moerbe com mented. “The rain always stopped long enough for the water to run down before it started raining again.” Rockdale streets suffered some damage from the deluge, city manager N. E. Alford said, with Brandon Street and ‘Third Street hardest hit. Other street damage was minor, Alford said. Roads and bridges in precinct four are in “pretty bad shape” after this week's floods, commis sioner Byron Neal said, ‘The roads are in pretty, tough shape everywhere,” Neal said, “all over the county as well as in my precinct. ‘Well have everything straight ened out by the middle of next week if nothing happens,’ he added. The heavy rains washed away shutmenty of several bridges in the county, One bridge on the Black Jack road, was repaired Wednesday. The Sharp school was closed the first three days of this week because of flooding rivers. Classes resumed there this morning The Thorndate school was closed Monday and Tuesday, then re sumed classes Wednesday, al though buses did not make their routes. Classes continued at the Rock dale school, although classes were dismissed early Monday and Tues day. Buse had considerable trou ble making their routes, but at tendance was good considering the weather, superintendent J. M. Moorman said, “We always dismiss classes early in extremely bad weather,” Moor man said. During a big rain suck, as the one this week or when roads are iced over, classes dismiss early, Moorman added, but if it’s just a rainy or cold day, classes meet as usual. Classes are dismissed early in extreme bad weather to allow buses to have students home be fore dark, Moorman said. The Tracy and Sharp communi ties were completely cut off Mon day except for the Bartlett road, as Farm road 487 leading to Rock dale and 486 to Thorndale and Cameron were closed by high wa ter, said Jim Bartlett, who lives near the Tracy community. Bartlett said Little River lacked about six inches getting as high as it did during the April floods, and the San Gabriel River lacked 2 1/2 feet getting as high. The floods completely ruined the late cotton crop, Bartlett saint, although fall outs apparently weren't hurt .il had 40 acres of oats com pletely covered with water,” Bar tlett said, “and when TF looked at them Wednesday, they didn't seem to be hurt much,” Bartlett said road workers tole him the flood on Brushy Creek was “the worst since 1936. Rockdale weather records for the week, as kept by W. C. Marrs, are as follows: High Low Rain Thursday 64 Friday 37 52 Saturday 78 55 Luna an 7 AO i] 60 724 Monda Tuesday 4 5h 5 Fag Wednesday 47 2
Newspaper Details
Rockdale Reporter and Messenger
Rockdale, Texas, US
Thu, Oct 17, 1957
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Curah B.
USA 27 Jun 2026
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