The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-10-16
A STORM In THE GULF OF MEXICO.
Great Destruction Of Property at
Galveston.

From the Galveston lTexas} News, Oct. a.
All Wednesday night the strong
winds from the east prevailed, doing,
however, very little damage. About
FIVE o'clock Thursday morning 1t in
creased, accompanied by rain. From
that time the waters began to rise and
overflow the island, creeping up from
had on fremont Street reached as
high as Church Street. The lower
floors Of the stores on the Strand
were from two to four feet under wa
ter at noon, and goods and property
damaged to the amount of near a
quarter of million dollars. 1t is
Impossible at this time to estimate
with any degree of certainty the dam
age already resulting throughout the
city. To the wharves, the shipping,
and to goods and buildings, some esti-
mate it at half million dollars, and
some even go beyond this; figure.
We do not believe the first esti-
mate will cover the entire dam
age. The wharyes were submerged
by the waves at noon and before, and
vessels tied up to them were chafed
and damaged, the bay being rough.
Lumber was floating all through the
streets, and signs were more plentiful
on the waters than On the houses.
Hacks and drays were covered with
passengers hunting high ground. Mer-
chants were hunting laborers, to re-
move their goods from the lower floors
to high places, and paying them from
four to six dollars per hour. Vast
piles of salt along the sidewalks Of
the Strand melted away and returned
to the mother sea, leaving the sacks
where they belonged. Sugar boxes
IN the warehouses. under cover of the
flood, gave out their sweetness TO the
deluge. The great top knot on the
front of Sauter's building resisted the
wind up TO about ten o'clock A. NJ,
and just as this local had passed in q
hack, came down withga crash that
startled the whole town. The third
story of the new brick hotel was blown
down upon the Odd Fellows Hall,
crushing it to a shapeless mass Of
splintered boards and timbers, and
later in the day the next lower story
also came down. The most of the
slate roof of the Masonic Hall was
torn off. Freedman's Hall is report
ed to have blown down and one mar
killed. the water. submerged Me
chanicsville, and did great damage t
the property in that vicinity, which
is, very low ground and covered with
water in ordinary high tides-7all the
old storehouses Gin their vicinity
were invaded and to each oneimore Q:
less damage done. The bayous were
al out of bank, spreading water il
places entirely across the island. The
city railroad track was submerged,
and the trains stopped running at an
early hour. - - - - : = = 2
There was no mail or passenger
train on the G. III. & III. Railroad
and it was reported early in the day
that the Bay bridge had been washed
down. Sheds and galleries and china
trees were twisted off by the wind
and fences blown down in every par
of the town. A drenching rain &C
companied the storm all day, pre-
venting the people coming out to tel
their mishaps and report the dam
ages. The records OF the Odd Eel
lows were saved from the ruins q
their hall, very slightly damaged.
Several of our old citizens, wht
have been all over the city. estimate
the total damage at not less than hal
a million dollars. Mr. ~Hawley, tn,
wharf builder, estimates the Hamag
to the wharves at fully one fourth O
their value, and we rely upon tn
correctnesssof his statement, as he i
good judge and never exaggerates
He goes to work at once, repairipi
with all the force he can command
Many of the tin roofs ofthe, city hav
been blown of, and some. few Stat
roofs damaged. 'cN,5 ~ AaO MA
.AIA6 = = = = = : - J-AO0A
FORTUNE HUNTING.