Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-10-01
THE GULF STORMS
Later Particulars from the Disastrous
Tidal Wave.

trucIton of ucrcS,a All ESc-A3ut
sVh"ie>aI~ sssaiss oHs sh. Island
NntA ppr-:lend e<i-se" Men
Drowned Gas the Break
water at the SsSir.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 20.
The Times, from information OBJ
taintl from papers aud passengers,
gives tho fnitowing account OF TIE
storm a. Galveston. TO briefly sum
marizr, the disaster A gall from tue
south by "Wednesday at IL .ddAY reach
ed such proportions that the capta'hs
of steamers accustomed for generation
to traverse this portion If the Gut
declined to put TO sea. Ainnat >lTnu'-
taneOu~Iv with this. ,irteT minnt1on,
a ship-yai ut the extreme EASTERN end
of the isard had be,r inundated, aud
men were fi.eiug for their lives. A
rapidly falling barometer ind Gated an
increase of the storm, and the waters
of tue Gulf, which is on the south side
of the island aud in the rear OF the
CITY, gradually cummenc. q TO tncroach
The gardens of scattered residences
skirtIng the, beach were soon over
flowed, the water during the day reach
ing drp.h of two feet All day long
and during Thursday it blew II hurrI-
cane, pushing the Gulf water over the
entire island, and covering even the
highest elevations to the depth OF two
feet and hall. This side embraces an
! area of perhaps twelve blocks of build
| ings. extending from Mechanics street
| to Market, ii distance of two squares,
Inti.udinal!y and from Centre street
to b 9TH avenue, about six squares,
| lougitudinaiy. In the entire rear
east and west ends Of the city the VIII
ter rose to a sufficient depth to flood
large wooden elifces, many of winch
are very valuable. Thr residence por-
ton of the city was most affected tiom
| Fremont street, where this 80 'ton be
gins For distancr of at least one
mile west every garden and every
foundation is destroyed. DomclieS
are scattered promiscnonsly III the
centre of the thoroughfnres, many OF
them being jumned together Fnr
ther to the west, in the neighhorhood
Of Oleander Park, where there are
many small farms aud stylish resi-
dences, the water Is reported TO have
reached depth of from SIX to nIne
tent. ! slniiar story l. toll OF the
eastern end of the island, which ex-
tends from Centre street at least one
|
ton of the city large stocks Of goods
are k ut on the ground floors. aud one
can estimate the mi ury which thirty
inches of sea wat n would involve. II
is fair to presume that the earnings OF
an entire wear will be exhausted In re-
pairing tie damages. Probably vege-
tntio., has been utterly destroyed.
But that the island is involved in
wholesale ruin. we do not apprehend.
TIE storm commenced Wednas lay,
aud ragged With great violence until
late Friday night; knocking down
some hundred small trnemeuts uu-
roofing several churches and resi-
d+uce- knocking Gown sIgus, avn
ings and orier han ging9. I e Strand
! M.!k-t WAS several times two feet
dep THREE large schnon-rs lying IN
| the harhOr were swtmpei . e steam
| boat and two tug we've sllrk, one he
l,.g cpmptel-ly demolished. On" %
| NorrtuS steamships Was d:iv"u
agaiu-t the wharf. bat only slightly
drmtg,d One large iZ4gh1i hark
was forced from it, tnoorlugS aud
driven 3.-hnrt Dna &C O0n.r il forty
f..-t n:a land Some ten NH work Itl-,
ON the br akwater II tie bar. WEE
drowned me Rtnith Cftic' T, Dr.. G..
| " Pee t, and his gr .ndSCn, are drown
I'd his house " - carried OF. . e
negro wom IL was Kill by house
ta,iIHg, after having huattd fifty let.
The railroad track Is torn up in twenty
! places Oh the island. he brjG5e IS
partly destroyed. CuIverts on both
roads are washed out, AID the dh'u-
| ages are varlous!v estimated AT from
300, 900 to $500, 900. The storm was
Il regular cyclone, but til" wind Was
not very heavy. though the water was
higher than during the great storms of
1867 aud 1871. \ committee has b zen
organized for the relief of the suffer
ers, who are principally residents on
the Gulf side and Bay shore. The
storm extended to Hampstead, on the
Texas Central, aud Willis, on the
Great Northern Road, doing damage
along the entire route, Including the
| city of Houston.
! THE CIrY's EXPOSED POsITION-CHAR
ACrER AND SITUATION OF THE COM
| MERCIAI BUILDINGS:
| A large number of Texans in this
| CITY were much excited Oh Saturda
over the dispatches concerning the III
| undatiOn and hurricane at Galveston
| Many persons having large property III
! terests i'll that city were s. eklng for
news throughout the day at the COM
merciul and financial houses which arc
| in communication with Fexas. Many
gave free credence to the reports.
| Others, who had been endeavoring to
| get private dispatches from Houston
and vicinity, and had either totally
failed, or only received Intelligence OF
| a lack OF Information, were Inclined to
think, or at least to hope, that the
| dispatches were greatly exaggerated.
Those acquainted with the history
| of Galveston for the past 25 years were
| apprehensive of great calamity. They
thought the total submereion of Gal
weston only matter OF time. unless
some means could be found for protec-
ting the foundations of the city. The
| expense of any effectual and durable
protection would prove SO great as to
be entirely out Of the question at pres
ent. The fact that communication with
Houston was interrupted was consid
cred as very discouraging. &. W.
House, q guest at the Grand Central
Hotel. and for thirty year, past resi-
dent of Houston. Texas, gave some in
formation to a reporter of the Tribune
concerning previous destructive vista
tions. He was i'll Galveston in
1867, when the city was submcrg
ed to depth of seven feet, and states
that it is not uncommon for strong
east wind to bring in a tidal wave suf-
hclent to food the streets to a depth
of from one to two feet. Mr.. Houses
statement was substantially as fol-
lows:
Galveston is situated at the eastern
extremity of Galveston Island, low
StrIu of land q mile wide at the city
and stretching from the entrance OF
Galveston B y along the coast dis
lance of % or 80 miles. It is little |
more than q sand bar, and is separated |
from the main land by navigable |
channel two miles wide. The island is |
perfectly fiat, but notwithstanding its |
exposed position produces excellent
oranges, lemons. bananas, and other
trnuIcal fruita It only sayen |