The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-10-28
TIE STRICKEN TEXAn

In Aggregate Of 100 Lives saeriAesl parine the
late storm 1t Sabine fasi., ssAaes.,s b.yes
and Radford-Pathetic Incidents Of the Calan.
ity.
JoHNsoN's Bayou, La, Oct. 16.-This
village is on high ridge on the Sea coast,
and the bayou from which il takes ito
name runs through tho inhabitabls
part OF that section OF tho settle
postotfice station known as Radford.
They are in Cameron parish, On the Lou
isiana shore, six miles east OF Sabine Pass.
The bayou il nineteen miles in length and
varies from one to four miles in width.
Ridges face the gulf twelve feet above tho
sea level. and in the rear is dense and i'm.
penetrable marsh. The population on last
Tuesday numbered 1900. To-day IS OF
That number are counted with tho dead.
Forty OF Their bodies have been recovered
and consigned to graves in tho Slel reefs
while the decomposed bodies OF the remain
Ing 45 lie in tho marshes. Radford was very
thickly settled and populous. These ridg-
60 composed some OF the richest and most
fertile grasing land in the country. 5000
head OF cattle and horses being OWNED BY
the community. Communication with the
outer world was had through two steam
vessels, both owned in j ohnadn'5 Bayou
and Radford.. while q feet OF sailing
bayou. When: the! storm descended upon
them everybody took to his home. and
waited with abated breath the fate which
he foresaw. The waters began rising, the
wind swept through the lower stories of
the buildings, driving the affrighted people
into attics and upon roofs. BY 10 o'clock
the first ridge, which was twelve feet
above tho sea- level, was ton feet
under water. House after house fell
In, or was swept away, either bury
Ing the doomed people IN the debris or
hurting them into the kissing waters Cot.
ton gins and stores next au .cumbed, and
Radford and Johnson's Bayou were de.
stroyed as completely az il an invading
army had done the work. 1t was a night
OF terror. described by survivors as appal-
ling. For twelve hours the storm ragged
over the devastated settlements. and then
there came lull. Hope soon revived as
the waters reccded and the storm
passed away. The survivors gathered on
scenes r round them, Ths Sous sst that h .Si
stc cd the action of the storm were com:
pletcly Quilted: There was NO fosd nor
drink, salt water having invaded every
thing: Then the search for the dead began.
Those whose bodies lay pinioned by the
ruins OF houses were speedily recovered:
From out OF the marshes more corpses
were taken; and likewise buried.
SOME OF THE VICTIMS.
The death roll was then made up as FOL-
lows: Mrs. Frank Turner and two chill
dren, - Locke, wife and seven children;
old Mrs. Locke, Mrs. W. Ferguson and
three children, Bradford Berry and daugh-
ter, Mrs. Albert Lambert and two children,
Sam Burwick's eight children, Mrs. Shell
Valley and four children, George Stwenor
and four children, Mr.. Granshall, wife and
grandson; Mrs. s. Caller and four children,
Lonzo Smith and child, Mrs. Tooch axes
Jour children, Jack Toochake and seven
children, Mrs. Hawkins and three children,
DR.. George Smith, wife and four children.
All the above were white people. The
following is a list of the colored people
whose bodies have been recovered aud
identified:
Elmer johnson and wife. Jack Lewis,
wife and brother; Richard Hambrick, wits
and five children:
Yesterday morning the regular packet
stern wheel steamer called the Emily P: ar:
rived at Johnson's Bayou and brought to
Orange as many as she could carry-about
sixty people. Not one of them had any
thing but what they stood in. And the
people, save a few who have large stock
interests, say they have abandoned
ants OF a race OF people who in
the past made Johnson's Bayou a
vast orange grove. Frost came and ruined
them. and then they turned to cotton and
sugar and stock ra' eins, only to meet
the fate OF their forefathers. OF 5000
head of stock of which once the bayou
boasted, 5000 are drowned, while the re-
mainder will die OF thirst. as all the water
10 salt. There are 127 persons missing at
Sabine Pass and supposed to be dead.
The total loss OF lives at the three places
approximate 200. Only about twenty
five bodies have thus far been recovered.