The Portland daily press., 1886-10-18
THE FLOODS IN TEXAS.
Probably $50 Persons are Lost In
the Terrible Disasters.
The Work of Rescuing the Suffering
People at Sabine Pass.

GALVESTON, Tex, Oct. 16.-Further par
ticulars of the great disaster at Sabine Pass
and johnson sBayou are constantly being re-
ceived. The situation has not been exagger-
ated in the least A correspondent Just
from Sabine Pass teiegraphs from Orange
that turkey buzzards are securing over Sabine
for miles around on land and water. 1t is
one vast charnel house. The town is swept
out of existence. There are l27 persons
missing and supposed dead. Only about 25
bodies have thus far been recovered. There
is not one sound house in the town OF
Sabine. The residences of DR.. Gillin and
Editor McClahan are the only ones that can
be repaired. This in brief is the story OF
the storm
incidents of the storm are related by sur
yiyors. One house, containing fourteen col
ored persons, was Seen to go down with a
crash and every one of them was lost. Incl
dents are related of husbands lashlng wives
and children to floating wrecks and then see
ing them killed by heavy logs being driven
against them. The damage to the property
can only be estimated by value the town
for all is lost. The Sabine and East Texas
Railroad track is washed out for distance
of ten miles. Ties have floated off and rails
twisted like wires, the effect of the great
hurricane. Millions of dead fish are cast up
by the waves, and thousands of birds also
strew the ground. A young woman in
perfectly nude state was found roaming
around on the prairie yesterday, i've miles
from Sabine. She was demented and could
not tell her name.
When the government tugboat reached
Sabine Yesterday Columbus Martee was
found raving around the delta, looking for
the bodies Of his family. He said: Myself,
floating roof which was gradually breaking
to pieces. One of the little ones went, and
then another was holding the youngest
and my wife said, Good bye, husband, am
going.' could not reach her. The piece
of roof supporting her broke off and she
sank before my eyes / held on to the
youngest child, named Pearl, some time
longer. The, child, addressing me, said.
Papa, I'm tired; won't you walk with me- :
The piece of roof l was on was now crum-
bling to pieces. | told the little one to KISS
me. She put both her little arms around my
neck, gave me big squeeze, and just then a
wave dashed us off and / saw her no more"
No tongue can tell how people have suf-
fered during the past few days. In many
cases the dead ones are considered lucky
ones.
Later reports from Johnson's Bayou
bring the terrible intelligence that 35 are
now known to be lost in that settlement and
it is greatly feared the list will be swelled
to 100 or more, thus making the to tai num-
ber of victims by the hurricane fully 200.
ORANGE, Tex, Oct 17.--Steamer Emily P.
returned this afternoon, bringing 100 addi-
tional sufferers from Johnson's Bayou who
were entirely destitute of everything neces-
sary to sustain life, most Of the crowd con-
sisting of women and children. The Emily
P. will return to the Bayou Immediately to
bring back 15O more waiting there, homeless
and penniless and without clothing. We
now have to take care Of 21o persons from
that section. We have two steamers, two
schooners and about 25 small boats doing
active work in gathering up the suffering
and burying the dead from Sabine Pass and
| johnson Bayou.
BEAUMONT, Tex, Oct. 17.-Refugees from
| the flooded district about Sabine Pass con-
| tinue to arrive on every small craft thai
| comes up the river 1t is. Thought by persons
who have been over the scene Of devastation
| ior's Bayou that the death loss will exceed
$50 souls. Eighty-iye, corpses have beer
recovered and buried around Johnson's
Bayou, and "a bodies thus far have beer
| buried at Sabine, while 66 white and coloret
persons are missing At Johnson's Bayoi
| 60 are missing.