Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-19
WORSE THAN THE EARTH
QUAKE.
Texas Towns Destroyed By
Wind and Water.
Three Hundred Lives Lost.
[St. Louis Rcpnblian.

and devastation along the Upper
Gulf coast Of Texas and Louisiana.
Immediately on receipt here of the
first news of the great calamity the
people set about relief work. The
little steamer Lamar was fitted out
with relief party and went TO the
scene of the disaster. She returned
after midnight last night, as reported
in the Republican, bringing back
many people picked up in the water,
or in places where they had sought
safety. This morning the boat again
went to the scene and brought back
more people. The most of those res
cued seem dazed by the terrible eX-
periences they have passed through,
and few of them seen tonight by
your correspondent were able to give
any Ineligible account of the disas-
ter. AS one gentleman put it: "Therc's
nothing to tell except that the water
came In and swept the town out o!
existence. 1 believe every house was
destroyed, and at least two-thirds OF
the people drowned. l know my
house was turned over and dashed to
pieces by the waves. ] saved moth
ing but myself. AS luck would have
it, all the members of my family
were away from town"
Atplaces where water never was
over eight inches deep since the place
was settled forty-two years ago, wa
ter was from six 10 nine feet deep,
with waves breaking much higher.
BEAUMONT, Ten, Oct. l6.-[Spec-
ial. First really tangible develop
ments of the full extent Of the great
gulf coast horror at Sabine Pass,
Johnson's bayou, Taylor's bayou and
other points on the Texas and Louis
lana coasts were made to-day, and
they present a picture fully as horri-
BILE if not far worse than heretofore
reported. The results of the efforts
of the exploring parties to gather up
the dead and rescue the living makes
a tale such as is seldom read in the
annals of calamities. The full num-
Der of lives lost in the track of the
tidal wave and hurricane at the points
mentioned and the country districts
surrounding them will reach, if not
exceed, 300. The bodies that have
been recovered are in such horrible
conditions that in nearly all the cases
the humblest sorts of civilized burial
have to be denied. The corpses are
collected, graves dug at spots near by
that will be safe from future wash
ing out, and without collins, or even
the rudest box, the remains of the
victims are thrown into the holes and
the last sad rites performed, with
only the signs and the tears that
humane promptings and friendly
sympathy or sorrowing and bleeding
hearts send forth.
The localities are so remote from
any towns ofimportance that burial
goods sufficient for the occasion are
not to be had and the system of sep
ulture related becomes a necessity.
BEAUMONT AND ORANGE,
the two nearest points of any size, are
converted into verltable charity hos
pitfalls and Ravens of refuge, and their
people are doing all that human pow
er can possible do in such dire cir
The steamer Lamar TO-
day brought to Orange seventy-fve
survivors of the Sabine Pass disaster.
They are being brought here tonight.
Eighty-five corpses have been buried
at Johnson's bayou, ON the Louisiana
side, and many are yet missing. For
ty-eight bodies from Sabine Pass
have been buried on the lake shore
and the back ridge. Others are miss
ing, which will swell the number of
deaths at these two points to about
lis. Galveston parties to-day report
ed that the subscription there has
reached $1,000 and will be largely in
creased. Waco reports that she will
subscribe literally and all the other
leading cities of the State will doubt
less put in their share.