The Portland daily press., 1875-09-21
THE EQUINOCTIAL GALE.
Further Particulars of the Storm
in Texas,
DAMAGE TO THE AMOUNT OF S5,-
100000 AT GALVESTON.

100000 AT GALVESTON.
GALVESTON, Texas, Sept 20.-Durng the
storm GA the 17th the steamship Australian,
loading with cotton for Liverpool, went to sea
from the outer roads and was
Driven Ashore.
at ST. Bernard, 60 miles west.
Her surgeon and mate arrived today. They
report the vessel lying in seven feet of water.
No lives were lost The barque Edward Nc
DowelI which was oscharging from the wharf,
was blown over on the point of Pelican Island
in Galveston, and is now aground in eight feet
of water. 1t is thought she will be gotten off
with slight damage. The bayou steamer
Beardstown was driven from her dock, broken
to pieces, and is a total wreck. A number of
her crew are reported lost
DIR. Fl. w. Peet health officer of the port,
was at quarantine station with his family. On.
the morning of the 10Th he sent his family, ex-
cept a little grandson, to the city. On the
evening of the 10th the storm increased. and
the water rose rapidly, carrying awry buildings,
SC. The last seen of DIR. Peet and the little
boy they were in the old fort a short distance
from the quarantine station. No tdings have
bee received from them them, and it is sup
posed they
| The government buildings with all the ma
terials on hand which was being used in the
construction of gabions for the harbor improve
ments were swept away. When the water car
ried away the buildings
Twenty-seven Men Chung
| to the piling through the night, and all but two
| were saved BY tugs the following morning.
Dwelling houses at the eastern point of the
| Island, and along the beach at the south side,
| were considerably damaged and some blown
| down and washed off. In the central and bust
| ness points of the city very little damage was
| done. 1t is estimated that 100000 will cover
| all losses to property at Bay Ridge. Many tel
| egraph poles were blown down, railroads were
badly broken on the Island, culverts are gone
and tracks washed off. The bridge stands, with
| the exception of one hundred yards of string
ers. The iron piling remains. Several days
must eapse before trains can resume. The
damage above on the bay and bayou is reported
| to be very great. CommOd ,re Morgan's fleet of
dredge boats were driven ashore and number
wrecked.
At Harrisburg and Houston
terrific gale ragged. and the water was driven
| up from the bay higher than ever known be-
fore. 1t is feared damage has been done at In
danola and western parts.
| NEW ORLEANS, Sept 20.-Teegraph com
| munication with Galveston is still interrupted
| A steamer arrived today at Brashear, bringing
passengers and files of Galveston papers to the
| 18th. They contain long accounts of the storm,
| which is described as very severe. Passengers
report that from one-half to three-fourths of
| Galveston Island was submerged.
| NEW YORK, SEPT. 2O.-A special from Gal
weston has the following:
| The city shows but little signs of the storm.
| As soon as people saw the storm coming they
began to prepare for it. Nearly all goods on
| lower floors were hoisted to second and third
| stories and saved In the east end of the
| island the storm was severest. The Texas and
| Gulf City cotton presses were destroyed. The
| street car tracks in the east end of the town
| were torn up and several cars demolished. The
| car buildings were ruined, and some of the
sewers were badly damaged. Several of the
| outer streets were washed away. Many houses
were unroofed and great number of shade
| trees blown down. The
Destruction of Life
| in the city was small, not more than dozen
being lost Sixty men at work on the break
water wete cut off from the city, but all were
saved except four. A number of wrecks are
| reparted on the island coast but nothing def
| mite Is known concerning them. 1t is not sup.
| posed that less than
| Five Mill ions of Dollars
will cover the losses sustained in the city. Peo-
| pie whose property was destroyed are being
cared for by the city.
| I'm General.
| A special, direct from Galveston, dated the
| 10th, says of the beginning of the great storm
Wednesday morning the wind began blowing
| from the northeast, 40 miles an hour, forcing
| the water into the streets from the bay to q
depth varying from one to four feet, covering
| neraly half the island. Thursday the wind
l changed to the southwest, and the water from
the gulf came across, adding to that from the
| bay. The wares came eight feet high.
| 1t will take two weeks to repair the bridge
over the bay. Everything is clear and pleasant
today. Friday morning the wind veered and
drove the water from the bay and land into the
| gulf, which in the rush cut small channel
across near the city, of what depth is not yet
known. 1t is rumored today that the rush of
1 water increased the depth on the bars consider
| ably. Soundings will be taken tomorrow. Fri
day morning the wind changed to the north
| and ceased, after three days steady blow.
Nothing has yet been heard from Red Fish
bar.
| A special from Houston of Sunday night says
| private dispatches from various points along
| the line of the Great Northern road represent
| the storm as causing great loss. The train
| from st. Louis, due yesterday morning, is de-
| tanned at Willis by break in the bridge at
Spring creek, which cannot be repaired until
| the water subsidies.
From specials at various points it is learned
| that the storm extended to Austin, where great
damage was done to buildings.
What is known as the Herkley Prairie repre-
Sents perfect sea of water.
| Several times the train had to stop while
| stock, which the train men sought to keep from
| drowning, was driven from the track.
| At Hampstead three churches were blown
J down, and other damage done.
Bayou City presents scene of devastation.
| Merchants and others suffered very heavily.
Between and o'clock. Friday the lower
portion of the Hanson Compress including the
office, was washed away and lodged against
| the railload bridge over White Oak bayou. A
| gang of men were engaged all day yesterday in
hauling cotton, and at dark several hundred
| bales were saved
At the New Compress the destruction is much
greater than at first reported, and is said to be
| total loss. A great portion of the ten foot
brick wall enclosing the press is down, with IN
! equal portion of the cotton sheds. The Central
| railroad track leading to the compress is brok-
| en- and under water in several places.
At Brownvil!e, Corpus Christi, Indianola and
other coast towns the loss is estimated at one
million dollars Capt. Henry CASTOR, of the
Hanston Derrick Navigation tug Ontario,
reached here last night Capt CASTOR says the
/ gale is the severest experienced IN thirty years
of seafaring life In this CITY the destruction
| has been terrible. Reports are prevalent that
| the cotton crop has been severely damaged.
At Morgan's Point, on Thursday night, two
dredges and two barges were driven ashore
Morgan's despatch tug Lama, after striking
pile, drifted in the bay and sank. During Fri
| day the boarding house, barn, and the sleeping
boat were driven ashore A dump scow and a
| float with an engine on board, and another
/ with pile driver also went ashore. Three
| houses were swept away from Morgans Point.
At Hog Island three dwellings and tore
| were swept away and totally lost, but no lives
| are reported lost at this point.
| AT Spiilman's Island two houses wee de-
| stroyed, but no lives lost.
At Baytown Vests store and dwelling house
| were destroyed. Mr. West and family have
| not been heard from and are supposed to be
| drowned.
At Midway Davis store is gone.
At Adams Island Rev. Mr.. Alexander and
family are supposed to be lost, as no tidings of
| them have been received.
At Barron's Island Barron's dwelling is gone
and nothing is known Of the proprietor's fate.
Lynchburg presented scene of devastation
such as is seldom witnessed. The whole place
appeared to have been washed away. Every
house in the business part of the town is gone.
DR.. Chamberlin's house was washed away and
his wife drowned.
Across the river at San Jacinto almost the
same scene of ruin is presented. About half
the houses are washed away, and those left
standing are damaged more or less Captain
Passman's schooner and Hugh Gibbs tug were
driven ashore, and some of the Direct Naviga-