The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 227, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 14, 1957 Page: 1 of 22
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MILD
Ohe Abilene Report
32rms MORNING
"WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SKETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS IT GOES"—Byron
VOL. LXXVI, NO. 227
Associated Press (AP)
~ ABILENE, TEXAS, TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 14, 1957—TWENTY PAGES IN TWO SECTIONS
PRICE DAILY 5e, SUNDAY 10c
Lampasas Damage
5 Millio
Four Dea
SWOLLEN ELM CREEK — Sam McBride of 425 Briarwood St., peers off of a small
wooden bridge on N. 12th St. and Elm Creek Monday afternoon is waters raced down
the creek slightly less than a foot below the bridge. With McBride are his two chil-
dren, Carolyn, 5, and Kenny, 3. A crest Monday morning sent the water over its
banks and by afternoon it was down again. Another crest is expected around 6 a.m.
Tuesday. (Staff photo)
New Rise Expected
On Big Elm Today
By HARLAN WOODS
Reporter-News Staff Writer
Another crest expected to arrive
sometime around 6 a.m. Tuesday
had residents along Elm Creek on
guard through the night Monday
as waters from a rise Monday
morning continued to drain off the
area.
3782 Woodridge St. His terraced
lawn is about flood level, but he
said it was one - half inch higher
on the gauge than in 1955 when a
flash flood roared down Elm.
Water stood deep in the streets
in the 1600, 1700 and 1800 blocks
west of Minter Lane.
In the area of Grape St. from
5 Still Missing
In Flash Flood
By FRANK N. MANITZAS
Of The Associated Press
Shocked residents counted four dead and 5 million
dollars' damage Monday from a 10-foot wall of water
that crashed through a broken levee into the Central
Texas town of Lampasas Sunday night.
Five persons still were unaccounted for and searchers
probe debris fearing there may be many more bodies.
The wall of water destroyed the----------
business section of 45 establish-
ments, damaged 150 homes,
sweeping some of them away, and
paralyzed this town of 4,689 per-
sons 130 miles southwest of Fort
Worth. An estimated 750 persons
were driven from their homes.
More than 30 were hospitalized.
Cars and houses, even a church,
water collapsed floors, which
crashed with stock and fixtures
into the water-filled basements.
Places that tornadoes, tornado-
like winds or lesser but destruc-
tive winds struck this morning in-
eluded several areas in Tarrant
County (Fort Worth), Dallas, Gar-
land. Murphy, Copeville, near
Weatherford, Paris, Wylie, Bon
Roosevelt St. north, the area was
a lake of water just shy of going
into houses.
Lew Hoile, civil defense adminis-
trator, said Monday that there are
still several families out of their
stacked up on obstructions. ™._, . _._, ...______
Rescue parties carrying food, ham. Mount Vernon and around
water, cots, blankets, milk, and
medicines streamed into Lampas-
as today. The city water supply
was contaminated.
Picked Up Houses
Here is a description of what
happened, from photographer
George Smiley of the Wichita Falls
Times, who was approaching Lam-
pasas from an outing at Austin:
“It picked up houses like a cy-
clone and swept them downstream. m •
"Store fronts just caved in after D
a few minutes. A church two stor- JACCOTO
ies tall hit a bridge and lodged. " • "
“Cars and houses stacked up on
See LAMPASAS, Pg. 7-A, Col. 2
3 Jets
Set New
obstructions
“The water went down almost
as fast as it came up."
At Red Cross headquarters,
cold, wet refugees shivered on
homes and that he did not think
they would set Aa Mfonda"capicht cots throughout the night. There
A. Bill Haneman, city water su-
perintendent. said Monday night
that he expected the latest crest DEA A If VC Ilaan
to be less than Monday's rise, but KEA VACYS LUall
• added that it could be enough to — ■
overflow the banks of Elm Creek Rising siar firm
again. *
At 6 p.m Monday, red swirling RISING STAR. May 13 — A
waters raced bank high along Elm loan of $545 000 to Kaiser Tele-
Creek in the Westwood Dr area phone Co. of Rising Star was ap-
and north of there. Monday’s rise proved Monday by the Rural Elec-
started about 6 a.m. Near the trification Administration in Wash-
home of Mrs. Darrell Knight at 80 ington.
Harvard Place, water was well The money is for providing ru-
over the banks and into the back ral telephone service to 1.230 sub-
yard before it started receding in scribers. The company, of which
the afternoon. Edgar 0. Kaiser is president.
Most of the homeowners in the serves five counties, Brown, Cal-
area had dug drainage ditches to lahan, Comanche, Easland and
drain the water from their yards Coleman.
into the street.
Feet Below Bridge
Farther north along the creek
NEWS INDEX
ed.
He estimated between 45 and 50
families still out of their homes.
Holle said he did not believe the
new crest would do any additional
damage in the area.
Mrs. Neil Inman, 1625 Roosevelt
St., said water came into her liv-
ing room with Saturday's flood and
with water bumper deep in the
streets, everytime a car drives
down the street water pours into
her home.
Furniture Stacked
She said her busband had stock-
ed their better furniture and bed-
ding on top of tables and cabinets
to keep it from being ruined by the
water.
She and her husband have been
staying with a daughter during the
flood period.
weren't enough blankets. Adults
slept two on a cot. Most children
slept five to a cot, huddled to-
gether for warmth.
Went Down Swiftly
The water went down swiftly
and skies cleared by noon
in north and east Texas, it was
a fear-breeding morning.
Dozens of tornadoes skipped
about the countryside, causing
considerable damage but no
deaths. Flash deluges put creeks
out of banks and brought lakes to
dangerous levels. Trees were up-
rooted by tornadoes or tornado-
like winds and structures dam-
aged or destroyed.
Lightning killed one man and
set fire to at least two homes.
Flooding was widespread
Barefoot teen-aged girls pitched
in to help in Red Cross relief at
LOS ANGELES. May 13 —
Three youthful Air Force pilots
flew 6,710 miles from London to
Los Angeles today, the longest
single engine jet plane flight ever
made.
The pilots flashed past the Los
Angeles International Airport tow-
er in their swept-wing F100C Su-
per Sabre Jets at 2:22 p.m. and 14
minutes later landed within sec-
onds of each other to complete
the epochal 14-hour, five-minute
flight.
After a shot of brandy, a check
AFTERMATH — The stunning flood at Lampasas left scenes such as this in its
wake. Pictured is the Western Auto Store, where merchandise including new re-
frigerators, washing machines and other items floated out the back door. The shot
was taken through the broken front window. (Photo courtesy The Brownwood Bul-
letin. Other photos on Pg. 7-A)
SMASHED BY HIGH WATER
Everything Helter-Skelter
In Lampasas After Flood
Editor's note — Associated
Press photographer Carl E.
Linde flew over shattered Lam-
pasas today and made some
dramatic photographs of what
happens when a flood smashes
into a quiet community Here
is his description of what he
saw from the air.
By CARL E. UNDE
the air today like a boy in a
tantrum who had gone kicking and
stamping through a toy village.
Everything was helter-skelter.
Houses lay across streets, block-
ing traffic Rubble and debris were
everywhere. Trees were uprooted.
In one block about 19 houses
were washed away or piled up
against one another.
pushed them. A house trailer lay
on top of a car in one place.
Foundations were all that show-
ed where some houses had been.
Water still stood in many low
places. The water was a dirty,
muddy brown All the streams
and rivers were full to the brim of
their banks, a Park muddy color
up by a flight surgeon and a show-
er, the pilots met with newsmen LAMPASAS May 13 (A—The lit-
and described the hop as "a rou-
tine. long range, cruise control
flight."
Get Congratulations
Gen. Otto P. Weyland, comman-
and flowing hard.
There was a lot of activity in
Mud lay thick over the ground - — . ___, -
LAMPASAS. May 13 u-rne ui- and you could tell where cars and the town, though. People were
Ue Central Texas town of Lam- trucks had been from the tracks trying, to Sean P SILTS
pasas, smashed by a 10-foot wall Cars lay on their sides in un-
of water last night, looked from likely places where the flood had
where it narrowed the waters rac SECTION A
ed barely a foot below a wooden Obituaries
bridge on N. 12th St. and Elm Oil news
Creek while an overflow from Mon Amusements
day morning's crest formed small Sports
lakes on both sides of the creek SECTION B
At the S. 14th St. bridge across Editorial: u
Elm, water created at 36 feet. 5% comier ........
inches Monday, according to Wylie Legislative ....
* Norwood who maintains a gauge Redio, tv logs ...
on Elm behind his residence al’ Ferm, market news .
Water was deep in many places
in the Carver Addition, but all of ___, .
_____— the houses were free from water helped II rescue.
.....4. 5 and families evacuated during the
6 flood have started moving back in
scse T Aa.
2
.3.
. 4
. 8
. 8
. 9
Cedar Creek was going over the
bridge about a foot at ES Sth and
Crow Sts but was racing on down
the creek.
Lake Abilene and Lake Fort
See FLOOD, Pg. 7-A, Col. 4
IKE SPEAKS TO NATION TONIGHT
Johnson Asks Ike to Stop
‘Revolving’ Spending Policy
WASHINGTON, May 13 —Sen-
ate Democratic Leader Lyndon B
Johnson of Texas said today the
Republican administration has
adopted a "revolving dodr philos-
ophy" about government spend-
ing He asked President Eisen-
hower to put a stop to it.
Johnson told the Senate that Ei-
senhower's scheduled nationwide
TV radio defense of his budget to-
morrow night "may well be a
night of decision.".
Eisenhower is going to have to
deride, Johnson said, “whether he
wants an economy administration
or a spending administration "
The Democratic leader said that
from the record of what he called
conflicting statemenu by admin-
istration official*, “the confusion
has now been completely com-
pounded"
Johnson said Secretary of, the
Treasury Humphrey was for cuts
in the President’s $71,800,000,000
spending budget and Vice Presi-
dent Nixon was not. He quoted
the President as saying on Jan. 24
that Congress has "the duty to
cut the budget,” and on April 3
that no substantial reductions
could be made.
Subsequently, Johnson went on,
presidential assistant Sherman
Adams had said the budget could
stand reductions of up to two bil-
lion dollars. Republican Sens.
statements as indicating there
Knowland of California and Bridg--------
es of New Hampshire, who have was any “basic change in White
urged cuts of three billion dollars House policy on the budget."
or more. .at silent as Johnson
told his colleagues “confusion”
had hit a new peak.
Earlier Knowland, the Senate speech tomorrow night
...,____i leader, had told re "A review of this revolving door
porters he didn't regard Adams' philosophy of budget making indi-
cates clearly why the American
people have been so completely
bewildered by the developments.”
Republican
Lampasas
Military" from nearby air bases .ca. .
and Ft Hood patroled streets and occurs -
der of the Tactical Air Command,
telegraphed his congratulations,
saying: “Your flight gave added
emphasis to TAC's position as a
global deterrent to limited war 3 DAY TOTAL
As demonstrated by the mission ABILENE
Municipal Airport ...
Total for Year ......
Normal for Year ....
WHERE IT RAINED
moving things out of houses and
clearing away the mud and rub-
ble
All roads were open and there
was a let of traffic in the main
part of town army trucks and sol-
diers were petroling the streets.
A lot of Army trucks were lined
today, TAC’s atomic forces can
reach any point when aggression
State Police and local officer. The three planes were “spares ”
on a nonstop flight over the Atlan-
tic to Jamestown, Va., celebrating
provided organisation, communi-
cations and help for refugees.__
The Lampasas flood climaxed the founding of the Jamestown
26 days of destructive tornadoes, colony 350 years ago. Three other
cloudbursts and floods in Texas, F100C‘s landed at Langley Va.,
where a few weeks ago the state AFB after flying over the James-
had been left a drought disaster town festivities.
909 Hickory St.
1450 Clinton
1829 So. 8th .
1026 Cedar ....
882 Palm ......
3117 Hunt . ...
2233 Walnut
ACC Farm ...
ALBANY ........
area by seven or more years of They were buzzing Jamestown ANSON
scant rainfall. In many, places seven hours and 48 minutes after BAIRD
more rain fell in April and early takeoff from England
May than all last year together I One Pilot Injured
30 Have Died Capt J Brant. 28 Musko- BRONTE
An estimated 30 deaths have oc- the “roub here BROWNWOOD ......
curred from flood drowning, with Bryant exhibited • cut sen eye. BUFFALO GAP .
an official Red Cross figure of and shattered cockpit cano- CISCO
more than 9,000 driven from their brow and shattered coCKPIL, COLEMAN
py He said the canopy Was COLORADO CITY
The devastation in Lampasas smashed during an inthe-air re- CROSS PLAINS ..'.’.'.
waa everywhere The crashing fueling operation over Texas.,
water splintered furniture in some The other planes were piloted IN WIDE AREA
business places like matchwood by Capt. Alan Engle, 28, Aden, 2-
Some stores were swept away—Mich., and U. Theodore Work-
walls, ceilings, stock and fixtures man. 25. Oxford, Mich.
down to the mud-covered concrete
BIG SPRING
BRECKENRIDGE
EASTLAND ....
HAMLIN .......
3.75 HASKELL ......
16.55
6.90 JAYTON ........
3.36 KNOX CITY.....
4.70 LAWN .........
3.52 LORAINE ......
. 5.20 LUEDERS ......
5.21 MERKEL .......
5.10 MUNDAY .......
. 4.56 RANGER
4.40 RISING STAR
. 2.31 ROBY ...........
. 2.65 ROTAN .........
. 5.00 ROSCOE’ .......
. 2.25 RULE ....--....
. 2.08 SNYDER ......
. 4.10 STAMFORD ....
4 63 SWEETWATER
. 4.00 TRENT ......
6.70 TUSCOLA ....
3.70 TYE ...........
2.06 WINGATE ....
3.25 WINTERS ....
floors.
The flight from London’s Inter-
Johnson suggested, however, that
perhaps Adams was "forecasting
the shape of the President’s ’WILLIE THE WANT AD”
IKE ENDS VISIT; _____ ., _ ___
STARTS WORKING Johnson told the Senate
“It is understandable why even
the members of the President’s of
ON MAJOR TALK
WASHINGTON, May 13 un
President Eisenhower flew
back tonight from a long
weekend at Gettysburg, pre-
paratory to going on the air
tomorrow night with a speech
in defense of his budget
The speech is to be car-
ried over television and radio
networks beginning at 8 p.m.
EST.
The President left Mrs. Ei-
senhower and her mother.
Mrs John S. Doud, at the
country estate near Gettys-
burg. where they will remain
for the rest of the week
Before boarding his plane
for the trip to Washington,
Eisenhower got in an after-
noon of golf. He complained,
though, that he hadn’t had a
good round since he was ill.
ficial family are somewhat, con-
fused After all. It was not so very
long ago—the fall af ‘1952—that
this administration promised to
cut the budget ‘to something like
60 billion dollars within four
years.’” .
Johnson said he recognizes that
times and customs change and ‘‘I
am not going to criticize an ad-
ministration because it missed by
nearly 12 billion dollars a goal
that was set four years ago"
"But in considering the budget
we are supposed to be consider-
ing administration recommenda-
tions,” he said. “Just what are
they?”
Johnson said Congress will lis-
ten to the President’s address to-
morrow night “in the hope that it
will settle once end! for all just
exactly what the administration is
recommending,”
-.... 429
......1.95
......1.5%
up around the courthouse
Bedding and clothing hung from
many wash lines to dry, and had
even been spread out on the roof
2.00 of one house
.... 1.38 The air wax full of planes and
...helicopters, some delivering sup-
1.45 plies, some photographing and
3.44 some just sight-seeing. I guess
2.90 The ground was soaked all
.—. 2.08 around the city Many plowed
3.10 fields had water standing in them.
... 4.00 Where the ground was on a slope,
1.30 long fingers of eroded topsoil
1.40 pointed downhill
... 1.01
...167
... 155
Suez Canal Busy
PORT SAID. Egypt, May 1 0-
Twenty-six ships passed through
the Suez Canal today, the largest
number to transit the 103-mile
waterway since it reopened last
national Airport bettered the non-
to older buildings, the weight of stop record for single seat fighter,
set two years ago by an F84F
_______. ‘" fighter-bomber from England to
Bergstrom Air Force Base Tex..
You want—We got!
Yep, regardless of what you wont
to do—buy, rent, sell, hire, offer
services or what hove you—we
have o special place for your mes-
sage. This makes your ad im-
mediately available for people
looking for you.
Look at this Ad that ron under
Classification L4 — Houses for
Rent
GAJP=
Mrs Hyram Cossey of 928 Store
Street placed this ad to run for
one week She colled to cancel it
the first day. She stated: “Rented
by noen on the first day, I'm very
pleased with the response "
Why don’t you follow a successful
leader—call and place your ad
today — RIGHT NOW. Just dial.
OR 2-7841.
a distance of approximately 5.000
miles.
Giri, 4, Saved
From Drowning
Lakes Over Spillways;
Water Impedes Traffic
By BOB BUNDY
Reporter-News Staff Writer
West Central Texas weather
Monday was a study in contrasts
While some areas guarded
against rising waters and possible
further flood threats, a light hare
of dual from the South Plains fil-
Monday night. None have bee nter supply for Colorado City. It
swept away or completely inundat- holds 10.6 billion gallons of water
ed at capacity. It is over that point
at capacity. It is over that point
Main Supply now. -
State Highway 101 nearby was The search for Ed Hansen, 33, of
Big Spring, who was believed
drowned Saturday below Inks Dam
near Burnet was delayed Monday
clear of water.
A four-year-old Abilene girl tered down over the area.
owes her life to an alert citizen Lake Colorado City Monday was
and police officer threatening to discharge some of
Deborah Cooper. 4, daughter of its a swollen waters from Morgan tX DE
M. and Mrs A R Cooper of 3825 and Cherry Creeks through IS ABILENE
Mia St fell into a cistern in the emergency spillway. Monday eiaotant
block of Grape St which night, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Mier N
comainea about five sea a water office reported that the water had
The child sank to the bottom, wit- not reached the emergency Su thundersters
The lake serves as a main wa-
THE WEATHER
r
ECOMMERCE
nesses said.
way level.
First Time
A man who gave his name tel The lake, six miles southwest of
police as Webb, who resides at Colorado City, has been flowing
3821 Grape St., pulled the girl over the regular spillway since
from the water and officer W. A Friday night. This is the first time
Ritchie of Abilene Police Depart since the lake was built by the
mem applied artificial respiration Texas Electric Service Co. that
Deborah was pronounced in fair
condition Monday night in Hen-
drick Memorial Hospital. She was
token there by Elliott’s Funeral
Home ambulance.
The accident was reported at
5:38 p.m. Monday.
since the lake was built by the
the normal spillway has been in
use. Monday, water was three feet
deep flowing over the spillway as
heavy runoff from the two creeks
tumbled into the lake
Many cabins around the lake
edge were still in hip deep water
1
een
tures for no moors
miei
night due to raging waters.
Hansen’s boat overturned below
the dam Two companions, How-
ard Swain and Jack Collins, were
Floodgates at Lake Buchanan
have been opened to carry off the
floodtide and sent a raging torrent
Of water downstream, impeding
the search.
On Fishing Trip
Hansen, district engineer for the
Continental Oil Co. at the Big
Spring production district office,
was on a weekend fishing trip with
Swain and Collins.
Mrs. Hansen and the couple’s
two children remained in Big
Spring.
The threat of high water in East- -
land, which would have inundated
a Negro district there, had dimin-
Bee AREA, P$. LA. Ca4. B
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The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 227, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 14, 1957, newspaper, May 14, 1957; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1654461/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Public Library.