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Show i Lion in ITEIS0FT1 1000 Marooned in Gin Houses and Plantation Residences, in Urgent Need of Food and Clothing. MUCH SUFFERING AMONG REFUGEES Singing and Praying of a Band of Negroes in Danger of Death HearH Above tjie Roar of the River. HOUSTON, Tex., Deo. 7. Fifty persons, per-sons, mostly negroes, arc reported to havo been drowned at Sunnysido, a small town on tho lowor Braaos river, according to a long-distance telephone message received hero early tonight. The message said between 400 and 500 persons were marooned on a small mound at San Fclipo and ivere in great danger. A special train loaded with motorboats -was dispatched from Houston Hous-ton to rescue them. J. .K, Garrett, a.plipter, who. telephoned tele-phoned to Houston for assistance, reported re-ported that tho entire Brazos bottom in Waller county was flooded, that a number of houses had floated . away, and that refugees wero clinging to trcos and housotops. Boats aro boing constructed con-structed as rapidly as possible to rescue those imperiled. Sunnysido is eight miles north of Brookshiro. 2vr. Garrett said residents of tho lowlands were warned yesterday of tho approaching flood, but many ro-fused ro-fused to leave their homes. NUMBER OF KNOWN DEAD INCREASING .HOUSTON, Tex., Dec. 7. Tonight's dispatches increased tho number of known dead in the Texas floods to six-ty-ono with the possibility that a heavy death toll by drowning reported at Suunyside, but not yet confirmed, would increase this number. Tho additional known deaths in today's reports included in-cluded four at Hungorford and a liko number near Wollborn, Tho crest of the Brazos river flood tonight was noaring. Brazoria county, which bordors on tho gulf, and the crest of tho Colorado rivor flood was approaching Matagorda county, also on the gulf. Tho director of tho weather bureau hero said he did uot oxpeet tho Brazos floods to pass into the gulf before be-fore Wednesday. Eoporta last night from Wellborn that twolvo negroes and a Mexican had met death on tho Allen plantation, at tho junction of the Navasota and Brazos rivers and that twentv-flvo negroes had been drowned on tho marker plantation nearby were uot couGrmed today. Governor O. B. Colquitt today issued an appeal to the people of .Texas asking ask-ing aid for tho flood sufferers. CHILD IS BORN ON A FLOATING HOUSETOP WELLBORN, Tex., Deo. 7. The task of rescuing inhabitants along the forty miles of flooded Brazos valley today was succeeded by tho problem of pro-viding pro-viding for 2000 or moro refugees. Bo-ports Bo-ports brought b' motor boats from the flooded territory showed that between 700 and 1000 persons aro marooned in gin houses and plantation residences, safe from tho flood, but in urgent need of food and clothing. Tonight at Ilorseshoo bond abovo the roaring of tho river could be heard tho singing and praying of more than fifty negroes who wero racing poril of death in a rooking gin house on an islaud a milo aud a half out. Fifty moro refugees wero in a gin house opposite Koppo's bridge. In tho residence of John tK. Parker wore eighty other flood victims and similar numbers in various plantation houses alone tho forty miles of the valley up to Mum ford. Suffering of Refugees. A rapid faU in tomporaturc and a cutting wind increased the suffering todav, especially in the tent colonies along tho rivor banks. Almost all those at'focted wore negroes. ne-groes. Throe hundred rescued negroes wero gathered at Koppc's bridgo. Dr. P. II. Ttnyxor or Bryan, who was , active in rescue work, said thero wero no refugees remaining iti the trees. TIow many negro tenantB in tho (Continued ou Page Two.) H0WIDI1THE SIGIi WATERS (Oontinuod from Pago One.) flooded section wcro drowned ib still unknown. The flood strotches over tho valley for six miles, tho water dotted hero and Micro by a housotop or tho stooplo of a submerged church. Tho forty milo levoo is now the refugo of horses, mules, and cattle at points whero it did not cave in. Many of tho rescued negroes today appeared unconcerned ovor their au ventures. Thoy grouped around camp-fires, camp-fires, laughing and recounting incidents of their erfcaoo from tho flood. A child was born on a housotop near Horseshoo bond. Tho .infant diod and tho mother, who was roscuod by a nio-torboat, nio-torboat, is in a critical condition. |