The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-10-28
TIE STRICKEN TEXANS.
An Aggregate Of 200 Lives Sacrificed During the
Late Storm st Sabine Pass, Johnson's Bayou
and Radf0rd-Pathetic lncidents OF tho Calam.

ity.
JoHNsoN's BAYOU, La, Oct. 16.-This
village 10 ON high, ridge ON the sea coast.
and the bayou from which it takes its
name runs through the inhabitable,
part OF that section OF the settle-s
ment in which is also situated the
postoffice 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,
sea level, and in the rearis a dense and i'm
penetrable marsh. The pulation on last
Tuesday numbered 1900. To-day 85ot
that number are counted with the dead.
Forty OF their bodies have been recovered,
and consigned to graves in the Shell reefs
while the decomposed bodies OF the remain.
Ing As lie in the marshes. RadfOrd was vsryi
thickly settled and populous. These ridg-
60 composed come OF the richest and most
fertile grazing 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 Johnson's Bayon
and Radford, while . fleet Of sailing
vessels piled the water OF the
bayou. When the storm descended upon
them everybody took to his home. and
WalCeu WIN aOaCeO DreitUu Cuo ldoo 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
tho first ridge, which was twelve feet
above the sea level, was ten 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
- l~al cv~l
Radford and JOhnson's Bayou were de.
stroyed as completely as 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 receded and the storm
passed away. The survivors gathered on
the most elevated points, viewing the
scenes around them. The houses that had
ste cd the action OF the storm were COM
pletely Quilted. There was no food 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. ..t
~ 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 ake's
four 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 list OF the colored people
whose bodies have been recovered and
identified:
Elmer johnson and wife, Jack Lewis,
wife and brother; Richard Hambrick, wife
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 few who have large stock
interests, say they have abandoned
the place forever. They are descend'
ants Of a race Of people who IN
vast orange grove. Frost came and ruined
them, and then they turned to cotton and
sugar and stock raising, only to meet
the fate of their forefathers. OF 5000
head of stock of which once the bayou
boasted, 6, 900 are drowned while the re-
mainder will die of thirst. as all the water
! is 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
Eve bodies have thus far been recovered