LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS' MONTHLY JOURNAL.

1009

ing remained in their possession but the

citadel. On the morning of the 24th

General Ampudia capitulated and was al-

lowed with his army to march out with

the honors of war. It was a small town

then of perhaps 15,000 souls, but in 1900

had grown to 72,500.*

On August 27, 1907, in the quiet of the

night, the most disastrous storm Mexico

has experienced for many years came to

this section of Mexico, the water rush-

ing down the mountain side to the valley,

swelling the Santa Catarina River, which

rushed down the valley at floodtide, strik-

ing the old historic town of Monterey at

2 o'clock in the morning, and the rush of

completed a situation of horror witnessed

by those of the 75,000 inhabitants who

were out of the water's reach, that can-

not be described.

The greatest loss of life occurred in

the suburb of San Luisito, situated on

the opposite side of the river on lower

ground and inhabited by many of the

poorer class, whose houses were one

story adobe and seemed to melt with the

great rush of water, aud the occupants

were swept from the roof or buried be-

neath the ruins.

We are indebted to Bro. Joe Wood,

F. A. E. of Subdivision 614, Monterey,

for the photographs from which the

SCENE FROM PAP.1SIMO PLAZA DURING I

water was so sudden and great that a

large number of the inhabitants could not

get to safety in time to save their lives.

Generated on 2015-03-11 20:36 GMT / http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3874744

Public Domain, Google-digitized / http://www.hathitrust.org/access_use#pd-google

The electric light plant was soon put

out of commission, adding total darkness

to the horror of the situation.

The flood increased until it reached a

height never before known. The river

reached a width of a.mile and a half and

the current was so swift that assistance

could not be rendered those who sought

refuge in and on the tops of the houses in

the submerged part of the city, and the

roar of the onrushing water, the falling

buildings, and the cry of helpless victims,

Reference Encyclopedia Americana.

look.Courtesy Hro. J. Wood, Pi v. 614.

accompanying half-tone illustrations were

made, and he writes that 4,000 lives

were lost in and about Monterey, among

them the wife and son of Bro. B. F.

Slater, of Div. 453, and that 90 blocks of

buildings were washed away in Monte-

rey, the loss running into millions.

The railroads lost heavily in roadbed

and bridges, the farmers in stock and

crops; but Monterey is an important

commercial center of commerce and

mining, and with the help which was

readily extended to them, evidence of

the destruction of August 27 and 28 will

soon fade, leaving little behind but the

memory of those who lost their lives.

So goes the commercial world. Editor.