Brownsville herald. [volume], October 02, 1932, FINAL SUNDAY EDITION, Image 1

About Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current

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THE WEATHER JT [MAI
For Brownsville and the Valley: ■ ■ • ” * * I
staff's “ -un ciiiunav cniTinM [
i. .. '
FORTY-FIRST YEAR—No. 77 BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1932 EIGHTEEN PAGES TODAY. 5c A COPY
«■"".- ,,J“ ' '""IM I
IN OUR
VALLEYI
THOSE THOUSANDS OP HER
ald readers (at least it seemed like
there were thousands who remind
ed The Herald during the late un
pleasantness centering around the
rise of the Rio Grande—
"That you never read any stories
out of California about floods”—
Are respectfully referred to a
atory on this page of this issue—
Which relates under an Associat
ed Press symbol of the terrible ca
tastrophe which befell Southern
California yesterday.
These things Just will happen in 1
all parts of the country, and—re
grettable and to be deplored as they
are—
They constitute news and will be
published—
Just as the present rise in the
Rio Grande is news—
And is being published In news
papers all over the United States.
We are grown up now—
Amount to something in the
world
And that’s why a flooded Rio
Grande Is important news now,
|v When It did not amount to so
r much back in the days before—
The Valley was settled up.
THINGS SEEM TO BE PICK
lng up in the navigation district
business, what with three candi
dates already announced for the
place on the Brownsville Naviga
tion commission on which we will
vote in December.
Tnis column is glad of one
thing—that any move looking to
the dissolution of the Brownsville
district is not to be made an issue
bv a group of candidates.
We honestly feel that one of the
main hopes of ever securing a port
for the Valley hinges on the
Brownsville district and its ability
to finance a port.
At any rate, whether or not we
•re right, there can certainly be
no hr.rm in continuing the district
•nd we cannot feel that the people
of Brownsville feel any icps the
need and the advantages of a
Brownsville port than they felt
them when the district was form
ed and the bond issues, which have
not been sold, were authorized.
• • •
THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES
of district courts have long been a
puzz! to us—
Not the whys of the courts so
much, as the way In which they
are distributed.
That’s why a bill to be intro
duced in the next legislature—
Sounds reasonable to this column.
J This bill would give ' Cameron
■ and Hidalgo counties each one dis
* trict courts—
Composed of the two counties.
We have never been able to fi
gure out why Hidalgo county—
Should have two district courts.
Ma le up of that county alone—
And why Cairwrons two district
court • —
Should include plenty other coun
ties along w’ith Cameron.
• • •
AMONG THE THINGS WHICH
this Valley needs and which some
bqdy should see to it that we get
is some source of authentic in
form. uon from Monterrey along
the 1 nes of weather.
Acc irate and reliable reports
fror. the San Juan watershed
would prove invaluable to the
Brownsville Weather Bureau and
to Valley engineers when the Rio
Grant.e is on a rampage.
Ma'be when the flood control
works of this section are taken
over by Uncle Sam for operation,
the federal government will be
able to figure ou some way of se
curing this so much needed in
forma‘ion.
FOR LETTER WRITING ACT
ivity we recommend the Kiwanians
of the Valley.
Somr 15.000 members of Ki wants
clubs in all parts of Texas and
Oklahoma are going to receive per
sonal Mters from member* of Val
ley Ki.vanis clubs, urging them to
\ttend the district convention to
L§ held In Harlingen next month.
M Each service club member has
fBaen Riven a list of some twenty
names and to these 20 the Valley
Ktwanian is addressing his appeal.
It’s a fine idea, and whoever
though' of it is to be congratulated.
The friendly spirit of a personal
letter cannot but make the reci
pient want to come to the Valley
conver ion, whether he makes it
or not.
And if he cannot make it this
time, mayhap he will be able to
make :t some ether time, spurred
on by ihe friendly greeting he re
ceived from soma ValleyiU.
COURT HEARS
ARGUMENTS IN
VOTING SUIT
Hughes Urge* Demos
To Write In Ma’«
Name on Ticket
■. ■—
AUSTIN. Oct. 1. (API—Mrs.
Jane Y. McCallum. secretary of
state, said tonicht that her off ire
already had mailed out election
certificates prepared earlier in the
week. Mrs. Miriam A. Ferguson’s
name does not appear on them.
The certificates were mailed as
soon as the supreme court an
nounced that she might send
them. They were printed last i
Thursday before the Ferguson
mandamus action was begun but
were held up at the behest of the
supreme court.
AUSTIN. Oct. 1. —tAV- Texas’
turbulent political storm Increased
its intensity today, its fury center
ing in a special meeting of the de
mocratic state executive committee
and the Texas Supreme Court.
In unmistakable language, the
executive committee denounced the
action of Gov. R S. Sterling in
filing a suit contesting the legality
of the nomination of Mrs. Miriam
A. Ferguson as the democratic
standard bearer for governor. The
committee passed a resolution de
claring the suit was a move to
twart the will of the people and
was an “unfair, undemocratic, vi
cious and unparalleled attempt to
deliver the reins of the govern
ment into the hands of the re
publican party.”
“Write in Mas Name”
The committee called on all de
mocrats to vigorously support Mrs
Ferguson in the general election
and to write her name in on the
ballot should it be kept off by court
action.
Arguments of attorneys for Mrs.
Ferguson and Gov. Sterling on Mrs.
Ferguson's application for leave to
file a petition to mandamus certi
fication of her name as the no
minee were heard by the supreme
court. The action was directed at
Mrs. Jane Y. McCallum. secretary
oi state, who was enjoined from
certifying Mrs. Ferguson as the
nominee by Dist. Judge W. F. Ro
bertson, in whose court the gover
| nor’s contest suit is pending, ten
i tatively set for trial next Monday.
The governor contended he re
ceived a majority of the votes le
gally cast.
Should the supreme court grant
the mandamus, it probably would
result in abrupt termination of the
district court suit. The courts de
cision on the motion for leave to
file was expected early next week.
"Stirring Appeal”
In a stirring appeal, Maury
Hughes, chairman of the executive
committee, called for a “write in’*
campaign in Mrs. Fergusons be
half should her name not be on
the ballot. Hughes’ appeal met with
a hearty response from the executive
committee, which loudly cheered
his declaration. Hughes asserted it
was the duty of democrats to write
m her name where it “rightfully
belonged” and that she still was In
the party's nominee even if her
name was not on the ballot.
At the start of the meeting a
deputy served committee members
tontinued On Page Two>
Chile's President
Resigns His Office
SANTIAGO. Chile. Oct. 1. <TP)—
Gen. Bartolomc Blanche, acting
president of <”hile since provisional
Pres. Carl06 Davila was forced out
by a revolt last month, resigned to
night.
Gen. Blanche retired a few min
utes after his cabinet had resigned
in response to sentiment here as well
as in Antofagasta against continua
tion of a military government.
There was also feeling against
Gen. Blanche because of his friend
ship with former Pres. Carlos Iban
ez, who returned to Santiago on
Thursday from exile in Argentina
Brinkley To Be
Tried at Del Rio
DALLAS. Oct. 1. i.*P -Dr. John R
Brinkley of Kansas today won In the
j district court of civil appeals here
the right to be tried in Del Rio.
Tex., in the state's case seeking re
vocation ol his Trxas Medical li
cense.
In an opinion written by Chief
Justice Ben L, Jones, the appelate
court reversed and rendered the ac
tion of Judge Roy all R. Watkins of
last spring bv which it had been
held Dr. Brinkley should be tried *n
Dallas.
Tennis Star Weds
PASADENA. Oct. 1. <X>>—Ellsworth
Vines. Jr., na >nal and Wimbledon
English tennis champion, and Miss
Verle Low, his school mate during
junior college days when he was just
another net .tar, were married here
at the bride's home late today,
i The newly weds plan to leave for
, Santa, Barbara and San Francisco
! tomorrow'. From San Francisco they
i will go to Australia where Vines is
appearing in i four months tour of
1 exhibition match*:, with several
'other American tend* *tar&. ^
#
VISITS VALLEY
*
Joseph von Sternberg. Para
mount director, made famous to
the movie going public for hts
connection with Marlene Die
trich. whose most famous pic
tures he has directed, will visit
Brownsville this morning. Von
Sternberg and two companions
will arrive by train at 7 o'clock
this morning and leave on the 9
o'clock Pan-American plane for
Mexico City. Cuba, and Haiti
where it is understo.|i he will
direct •shots” for a new picture.
Both Von Sternberg and the
actress he has directed to star
dom are pictured above. j
MISSING MAN
FOUND BURIED
Auditor Believed Slain At
Fort Worth and Taken
To Galveston
GALVESTON. Oct. 1.—-'*»>—'The
decomposed body of a man identifi- !
ed to be A. G. MacGuerty. missing
auditor, was unearthed today from
a shallow grave under an isolated
cottage on Galveston Island after
William Raymond Ryals had lea
officers to the place.
Points Oat Grave
"He is buried right there, about
three feet deep." Ryals said, pick
ing up a stick and throwing it on
to a low mound of freshly turned
earth. The deserted cottage was 13
miles from Galveston.
Ryals had been arrested for in
vestigation relative to the disap
pearance of MacGuerty in Fort
Worth last Sunday night. Authori
ties planned to file murder ana
robbery charges against the 22
year-oid suspect.
After his arrest ia Fort Worth.
Ryals made a lengthy statement in
which he purportedly confessed to
shooting MacGuerty rear Arlingtou
in a quarrel. MacGuerty was kill
ed with his own gun.
In the iiatement Ryals ^as
quoted as saying he had stuffed
the body under the turtle back of
MacGucrty’s car and driven to
Galveston at night. En route he
cast MacGucrty's hat, coat and
shirt out of the car.
MacGuerty was a man of 33 and
had been employed in the news
paper field auditing circulations.
He was wen known in Texas cities
and had lived in Chicago and Bos
ton.
Ryals h Held
Justice of .ie Peace John R. Har
ris held an inquest at the cottage
and returned a verdict of death
from gunshot wounds. He ordered
the body sent to Arlington, a town
near Fort Worth for burial.
After Ryals had located the body
for officers, he was ret imed to j
Galveston and held in the county
jail. Officers planned to return
him to Fort Worth later today,
where charges will be filed.
The arrest of Ryals occurred
when he went to the private resi
dence where MacGuerty had been
staying in Fort worth and asked
for the auditors personal belong
ings.
Curtis Meets Braves
PONCA CITY. Okla., Oct. l.-tft
—Nearing the end of his three-dav
Oklahoma campaign tour. Vice
Pres. Charles Curtis traveled today
| into the Osage Indian country ana
! to the state free fair at Muskogee
At Pawhuska, the Osage capital,
he will be greeted by a delegation
of Indian friends, including a group
from the Kaw tribe, cf which the
v;ce president is a regularly en
rolled member. •
40 BELIEVED
DROWNED IN
CLOUDBURST
12 Bodies Recovered
In California’s
Disaster
BAKERSFIELD. Cal.. Oct, 1 .—OP
—'Twelve bodies had been recover
ed tonight In the mountainous Te
hachapi Pass region where upwards
of 40 persons were believed to
have perished in last night’s cloud- .
burst.
The deluge flooded canyons and
streams, wrecked two freight trains
at Woodford, hurled a 45-foot wall
of water down' the pass, tore up
hundreds of yards of railroad track,
washed out at least 9 bridges and
flooded at least half a dozen vil
lages.
Train nrwfcnl
The bodies were taken from the
wreckage of a Southern Pacific
freight train, six cars and the lo
comotive of which fell through a
trestle at Woodford. The victims
were believed to have been itiner
ant men and boys riding the train.
As many as 62 were reported to
have been on it.
No effort was made at identifi
cation tonight, searchers rat,urn
ing here said.
Other bodies were visible in the
water and highway patrol officials
estimated possibly 30 plunged to
their deaths.
At least 13 other persons were
reported dead. These Include A. H. [
Ross. Bakersfield, engineer and
Harry Moore, brakeman, of the
wrecked train.
The others were the Peter Kaad
family of four at Woodford; Mrs
Nell Cooper, telegraph operator at
Caliente and a two-year-old niece: I
three patients at the Kern county
tubercular hospital at Keene, and
two unidentified men.
Ten of the 15 persons who took
refuge at the Kaad service station
at Woodford still were unaccounted
for. but it was believed possible to
night most of them escaped.
Area Cut Off
The body of one of the two Kaad
boys. Peter, Jr., was recovered to
day. It was the only one identified.
The stricken area was complete
ly cut off from wire and rail com
munication, and the 40 mile jour
ney from here over washed out
highways required an hour and a
half, highway patrolmen reported, i
Efforts were continued tonight to
recover additional bodies from the
Continued On Page Two
Honduras Escapes
Hurricane Danger
BELIZE. Honduras. Oct. I.— **—
Belize, stricken a year ago by a
disastrous storm, tonight reported
no damage from a hurricane re
ported about to strike this area,
and it was assumed the force of ;
the storm had been lost before
reaching the coast.
•
Turman-Ellis Cases
Are Set for Monday
The twice-postponed Turman
Ellis cases are scheduled for trial
in the criminal district court be
ginning Monday morning. Four in
dictments charging F. B. Latham
with embezzlement are scheduled to
be called early in the week also.
The trials of Helen Baker and Floy
Smith on charges of passing ■•hot”
travelers' cheques are slated for
this week.
The Turman-Ellis cases were
postponed last week because of
missing up-state witnesses.
Steagall Attacks
Land Bank Measure
WASHINGTON. Oct 1. (A»>—
Chmn. Steagall, of the house bank
ing committee, said in a statement
issued today through the demo
cratic national committee that the
administration o: the federal land
bank law has been marked by
“heartless and wholesale foreclos
ures of hundreds of thousands of
families.”
He also said the republican ad
ministration was taking credit for
relief measure forced through con
gress by democrats.
Hoover Arms Plan
Studied By League
GENEVA. Oct. 1.—(TP—The ef
fectives committee of the worla
disarmament conference agreed to
day to an immediate discussion or
Pres Hoover’s plan for limitation
of effectives.
Taking up the plan submitted by
Hugh Wilson, American minister to
Switzerland yestprdajJ, the com
mittee began the first study of
division of effectives into police and
national defense force *.
It then adjourned until Monday.
NICARAGUA GETS
SAN JUAN DFT. ST'1?. Nicaragua.
Oct. !.—TP- A rheuake
jarred this c.rca of N.carafua to
night at 9 p. but no damage
itu reported.
Bennett, Singer and Smith
Seek Navigation Offices;
Gregg Succeeded By Willman
_ U—■— ' ■— - V n - .
New Commissioner Is
Well Known As
Civic Worker
•
W. G. Willman. owner and pro
prietor of Willman’s pharmacy here,
and a lifelong resident of the city,
was appointed Saturday as com
missioner of the Brownsville Navi
gation district, filling the vacancy
created by the resignation of John
Gregg, chairman. j
The other two commissioners are j
J. G. Fernandez and Z. A. Rosen
thal.
Gregg Statement
Mr. Gregg In announcing his res
ignation Issued the following state
ment:
“I regret exceedingly in view of
the condition of my health t-nd
other circumstances that confront
me. that I feel it is necessary to
tender herewith my resignation as
commissioner of the district.
• For 20 years I have labored for
the success of this project, and I
wish to express the earnest hope
that your effort* will meet with
early success and be of great bene
fit to the community.”
Active in City
Mr. Willman has taken an active
part in civic and community af
fairs of Brownsville for many years
In accepting the commissioners'
post he said “I feel that the port
project means much to Brownsville, j
There is work to be done, and I #.r.
glad to do everything that I can 10
help this project along.”
120 PLEAS OF
GUILT HEARD
14 Penitentiary Term*, 11
Of Which Suspended
Are Assessed
Fourteen penitentiary sentences,
eleven suspended, were assessed in
federal district court here Saturday
when Judge T. M. Kennerly heard
120 admissions of guilt in immigra
tion and liquor cases.
Many Suspended
Joel Soto was given two years
straight in a liquor and immigra- j
tion case. Jesus Sanchez was sen
tenced to 13 months in the reforma
tory on a liquor charge, and Mar- i
iano Diaz was ordered to the refor- j
matary far 13 months an an immi
gration offense.
Thirteen months suspended sen
tences in immigration charges were
assessed against Maria Sanchez.
Concepcion Rocha, Guadalupe
Perez. Gregorio Huerta. Juan chlca.
Manuel Camarillo. Sebastian Bel
tran. Leonardo Garza and Lucas
Gomez. Lucas Gomez also was given
a concurrent 13 month suspended
sentence in a liquor charge. Inez
Torres drew a 15 month suspended
term in an immigration case.
77 Deported
In 77 other imr igration cases,
defendants were given time already
served and ordered deported. Nine
were given short jail sentences and
five others suspended Jail sentences.
Liquor convictions were as fol
lows: M. Rivera and Alfonso Ruiz,
four months; Aldredo de Leon. 60
days; Guadalupe Garcia. 90 days;
Florentino Guajardo and Teoltlo
Lopez. 70 days; Jesus Cardenas,
four months; Anselmo Torres and
Jose Sandoval, six months; Tlburclo
Garcia.* VW fine suspended fh-e
years Ramon Balboa. 90 days sus
pended.
Jilted Man Shoots
Girl, Kills Self
MINERAL WELLS. Oct. t.——
Because his sweetheart refused to
marry him. Claude Robbins. 34.
shot her in the face and killed
himself.
The woman. Miss May Bradford
29. had gone riding with Robbins
last night in an automobile. He
stopped on the Brazos road seven
miles south of Mineral Wells.
The couple was accompanied by
R. Y. Fmley. 22. cousin of Miss
Bradford. In a statement to police
Finley said there had beer, no
quarrel, but Robbins wanted Miss
Bradford to marry him and she
declined.
\nti-T. B. League
To Meet Thursday
SAN BENITO. Oct. 1.—The Ca
meron county anti-tuberculosis so
i cietv will hold Its annual meeting
1 for the purpose of electing officers
! at the San Benito Chamber of
Commerce Tuesday night. Oct. 4
at 7:45 o'clock, it was announced
; today.
Plans frr the annual Christmas
I seals sales also will be made at
t tfca meeting. ^
14 DROWN IN
MEXICO FLOOD
Thousands Homeless; Rivers
In Northern Areas Go
On Rampage
MEXICO CITY. Oct. 1. —</t^—
Harrassed by floods brought on by
a week of continuous rainfall, i
northern Mexico counted 14 dead i
today and thousands homeless.
Seven persons were trapped by a
sudden rise of the San Pedro at ■
Mineral Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua,
today, and were drowned before
help could reach them.
Seven lives were lost early In the
week, one near Monterrey and six
at Neujualt, Hidalgo, as the rivers
lose near those cities under the
scourge of seemingly incessant
rainfall.
A score or more of villages have
been inundated by the Pesqueria
river, which runs near Monterrey
in the state on Nuevo Leon; the
the San Pedro river, in Chihuahua
and the Chuviscar.
The San Pedro has flooded se
veral villages and was reported as
more than three miles wide at
Mineral Santa Eulalia.
Communications have been dis
rupted throughout the northern
part of the republic. The railroad j
bridge at Ortiz was so badly dam- I
aged that traffic between Torreon
and El Paso, Texas, will be crip
pled for two weeks.
The Chuviscar swept through the
suburbs of Chihuahua City today
rising more than a foot in a very
short time.
More than 30 homes were de- '
stroyed today alone, and pol£p had
to rescue many suburban residents.
Pour hundred and thirty homes
have been washed away near Chi- !
huahua City and more than 500
families are homeless in that dis
trict this week.
Tax Rate To Be
Set On Monday
Cameron county’s tax rate is sche
duled to be set at a meeting of the
commissioners’ court Monday morn-1
ing.
The substantial saving in taxes
expected from the state highway
remission plan will not likely be
apparent in me rate set. This*sav
ing Is being passed to the tax payers
in the form of reduced valuations ,
Values are being trimmed for some
4.000 tax payers, while rendered
valuations are being upped for 1,-1
000.
Tammany Man Is
Made Dem Keynoter
LOWELL, ’lass., Oct. 1. pi—Gov.
Joseph B. Ely, who placed the name
of Alfred E. Smith before the Chi
cago democratic national conven
tion today made a strong plea be
fore the democratic state convention
for support _i the national ticket of
Gov. Franklin Roosevelt and Speak
er John N. Garner.
The convention, which previously
adopted a platform endorsing the
Roosevelt-Gamer candidacies and
supporting the party’s national plat
form, gave C jv. Ely a tremendous
ovation as he concluded hts address
with a request for party unity.
Walker Is Yet In
Touch With Office
GIBRALTAR. Oct. 1.—0P)-Foi
mcr Mayor James J. Walker of
New York left for Madrid this
afternoon, on his way to Pans,
and it was understood that ms
principal purpose was to commu
nicate by telephone with political
advisers back home in connection
with the mayoralty election to be
held next month, the court* per
mitting.
The mayor had been one of the
passengers abard the new Italian
liner Rex, which was delayed here
two days on It* maiden voyage to
New York.
Perry and Austin
In Tennis Finals
ALBANY. N. Y.. Oct. 1. '/»>►—
Leaders of New York democracy to
night chose U. S Sen. Robert F.
Wagner for temporary chairman
and keynoter of their state conven
tion, while Herbert H. Lehman, Gov. j
Roosevelt’s choice for the guber
natorial nomination, continued to
hold his ground.
Wagner is a member of Tamany
Hall. He also is the man whom the
Roosevelt forces once sought to have
place the governor in nomination at
iChlcaso. t . c?- t:
Full Information On
Affairs Trio
Platform
J. C. Bennett. Otis W. Singer and
George M .Smith, all of Brownsville,
late Saturday afternoon announced
their candidacies for the three
places on the Brownsville Naviga
tion district commission which will
be voted on n December.
Announce Platform
Their platform was announced as
follows:
1. We are opposed to the dissolu
tion of the Brownsville Navigation
District and to the cancellation of
the district's bonds.
2. On account of the present In
tolerable tax burdens we are unal
terably opposed to the sale or hypo
thecation of the bonds of the
Brownsville Navigation District un
til such time as an improvement in
the economic situation justifies their
disposition.
3. we favor the complete satis
faction a« promptly as possible of
all just and legal obligations and
contrasts heretofore incurred by the
Brownsville Navigation district.
4 Recognizing the right of the tax
payers in the Brownsville Naviga
tion district to full and complete in- :
formation concerning its affairs, we
favor the audit of the accounts and
records of ihe district as the law
provides and we further favor full
publicity of all matters in which the
district is concerned.
The three candidates are under
stood to have the endorsement of a
(Continued on Page Two)
GIRL IS FOUND
TIED IN WOODS
” .—
Missing Young Woman Is
Located, Gagged,
Near Rice
HOUSTON. Oct, 1. i/P—Miss Vir
ginia Brides, 22, was found late to
day in a small woods near Rice In
stitute here, her hands bound and
a tag over her mouth. She said she
had been kidnaped from her room
at home and had escaped her cap
tors—two women and a man—early
today.
Police were Investigating tonight
but had announced none of their,
findings.
Two brothers. Arthur and Abner
White, with two chums, found Miss
Bridges.
Miss Bridges, who lives in an ex
clusive section of the city said the
man in the part.- entered her room
and carried her from it, being Joined
later by the two women.
J. H. Bridges, the girl's father,
discounted the possibility that a
nervous disorder might have been
involved in the incident because of
the manner In which her hands
were tied.
Home Loan Banks
Meeting Is Set
WASHINGTON. Oct. 1. —m—
Plans for opening 12 federal home
loan banks about two weeks hence
will be drawn here Wednesday at
a conference between members of
the system’s board of directors and
officials of the regional banks.
Franklin W. Fort, chairman of
the home loan bank board, has
summoned the chairman, vice
chairman and prospective pres
ident of each of the banks to the
conference at 9 30 a. m. Wednes
day. It is expected to last three
days.
On their return home, the re
gional officers will begin organ
izing with a view to opening the
banks for business the morning
of Oct. 15.
Texan Slays His
Neighbor and Self
CAMERON. Oct. 1.—Paul
Pfarrdrescher. 68. committed sui
cide yesterday after killing Joe
Hampel. 65. a neighbor in the Ad
Hall community west of Cameron.
He killed Hampel with a shotgun
ss the latter was working in a com
field, walked back to %he barnyard
at his home, and shot himself
through the Temple.
A coroner's verdict of murder and
suicide was returned. Both men had
families.
Meet Postponed
The meeting of the Valley Ama
teur Radio club scheduled to be
held at McAllen Sunday afternoon,
has been postponed due to the death
of Mrs Frank Matejka, wife of the
i club’s president.
LEVEE BREAK \
IS repaired;
AT MIGHT{
Water Near* Previous
High Marks In
New Rise
Crest of the Rio Grande flood tp«
pcared to be at Mission and Hidalgo
at midnight, report* from both the
Hidalgo river station and the Mia*
sion pumping plant elating that th*
river at both places had been i:ung
at the rate of only one-tenth of ft
loot every two hours since 6 o'clock
Saturday night.
At the Mission pumping plant of
the United l-rlgation company if j
stage was given at 29 feet "
seven tenths of a foot below 'he
highest point reached in SeptemtxC
Hidalgo reported a stage of 2St>y^
feet, 2.35 feet lower than the Sep
tember high water mark.
Bridge BeUeved Safe
About 11 p. m. the dirt approach
to the international bride on the
American side started washing out.
but workmen who were on the spot
quickly repaired the damage and na
fears for the bridge were felt.
The stage at Brownsville wag
still 18.3 feet at a late hour Satur
day.
Water in the north floodway south
of McAllen was reported at mid*
night to be rising at the rate q|
4 inches an hour. Water in the south
floodway had been stationary 1cm
the past six hours, and stood at ft
depth of seven feet.
A break in the west levee which
protects the town of Hidalgo from
the direct current of the river waa
repaired by 20 volunteers who were
called out by the fire alarm after 11
o'clock Saturday night.
Residents of the Lower Rio
Grande Valley had their first real
flood "scare'* for a time early Sas
urday night when three mis-read
ings of the Hidalgo gauge resulted *
in a report that the Rio Grand*
there stood at 29 and a fraction feet,
a point at least two and one half
feet over tlie previous high water
mark for Hidalgo.
First report giving the Hidalgo
standing at 29 feet was received by
The Herald from it* McAllen cor
respondent and an immediate tele
phone check was mado resulting to
the same reading. A third check
gave the same reading
River at 25.JS
With the help of W. E. Anderso*
of 8an Benito, consulting engineer
of the International Boundary com*
mission, who likewise doubted the
correctness of the reading, % correct
reading of the Hidalgo gauge wag
obtained at 7 o'clock which placed
the river standing there at 25.5 leet
at that time.
Particular alarm over the report
from Hidalgo was felt in view c^n
the fact that the Ban Juan Is know*
to have diverted Its course near
Cainargo and has split Into two
streams. One branch is follow ini
the original course of the river and
is emptying into the Rio Grande
near Rio Grande City. The other
branch is following an old bed of
the San Juan river and is empty*
ing into the Rio Grande at .ien4
Miguel opposite Los Ebanos on tne
American side.
Higher readings at Hidalgo and
Mission than would be expected
from the river stage at Rio Grand*
City are believed to be the result 5f
this dive ranee of the waters of iha
San Juan.
The town of Hidalgo was practi
cally all under water late last nights!
for the second time within ao day*1
as the river continued to rise at th*
rate of about one tenth of a fool
every two hours there. W. ter waa
washing at the American side erf Jie
international bridge, but no parttcv
ular fears were felt for re safrfl
of the structure. J
On the Reynos-a end of hr /bridge]
the water was reported to be five!
feet deep.
Canal Reported Bifcen
A swiftly flowing strei a of water
separates Hidalgo Irony the sotrth
floodway between Hid/ o and Mc
Allen as a result of Mi >ak» «n tne
flood levees whWi /ay* not oeea
repaired since the /j*. of early in
September, but corf; relief lor in
digo itself is t' the report
that the Pharr mram canal htvr
broken is correct/
A considerable amount of water
is backed up toward Hidalgo by thl*
canal which was reported to have
broken early Saturday night.
Water in the floodways south of
McAllen was said to be one foot
deeper early Saturday night than
, the highest stage reached in Sep
tember, due, It is thought, to th*
’ fact that the water began entering
j the flood inlets much sooner than
i in the previous rise.
A much swifter current was a]«q
noted In the floodway than fa
September. Water was already
I standing between the levees when
the river came out ant. began to
move as soon as any Impetus was
given by the flood waters from the
river.
The Mercedes floodways were filled
with water to a depth of a foot or
more by early Saturday night and
was still rising at last reports. The
Arroyo Colorado was carrying aboui
i iCoatinued on Page Two)