Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-17
AT JOHNSON'S BAYOU.
Radford and Johnson Bayou Com.
pleie'y Destroyed by the Great
storm Of Tuesday Inst.
Eighty Two People known 10 Have Per,
ished NJ tho npYou, with oihsra
still Missing.
woRsE AMI wonsn.

WORSE AND WORSE,
NRw ORLEANS, La, oct. iG.--A dis.
patch from Johnson'e Bayou, dated Oc-
tober 10, says, The village OF johnson
Bayou IL on high ridge Of the sea coast,
and the bayou from which it takes It's
namc runs through the inhabliablo parts
Of that section Of the settlement, In
which IL also situated the postonice,
known as Radford. They are In Cam.
meron parish, on the Louisiana shore, six
miles east Of Sabine Pass. The bayou IL
nineteen miles Ia length, and varies from
one 10 four miles IN width. The ridges
face TO the kali Is twelve feet above the
sea level and In the rear ~ dense, i'm.
penetrable marsh. The population on
last Tuesday numbered 1900 soule, 10.
day eighty-five OF that number are count
ed with the dead, Forty Of their bodies
have been recovered aud consigned TO
graves Ia the shell reefs, while the de-
composing corpses OF the remaining forty
Ave lie fostering In the marshes. Rsdford
was very thickly settled and populous. II
boosted OF It's cotton gin and cotton ard
cane plantations, II was tho head OF
navigation, and the stores were many.
The handling Of cotton and sugar cane
produced In the district was the prin.
cipal industry. These ridges com
posed some OF the richest and
most fertile grazing In the country,
5000 head OF cattle and horses being
owned by the thriving community. Com
munication with the outer world IN had
through two steam vessels. both owned
In Johnson Bayou and Radford, while
small fleet Of trading vessels piled the
waters Of b c bayou.
Thus pictured Ia Johnson Bayou, or
rather the series Of ridges overwhlch 1900
population were scattered last Tuesday.
Happiness and con,ontment were the lot
OF this people till o'clock that evening,
when the storm descended upon them.
Everybody took TO their homes and
awaited with bated breath the fate
which they ioresaw. The waters
began rising, and driven by the
wind, swept through the lower
stories OF the buildings, driving the
Hdrlgh'ed people Into attlcs and upon the
roofs iiBy 10 O'Clock the first ridge, which
was twelve feet above the sea levell twas
ten feet under water. House after house
fell Ia or was swept away, either bnryng
the doomed people In the debris OF hurl-
ing them under the water. Cotton and
stores next succumbed, and RadfoTd and
Johnsons Bayou were destroyed as COM
pletely as II an invading army had done
the work IL was a night Of terror de-
scTibed by the survivors as appalling.
People could only cling TO each other and
pray for mercy and for the souls Of
those whose despairing shrieks rang In
their ears. For twelve hours the storm
ragged over the settlements. Then there
came lull. Hope revived as the waters
receded aud the storm passed away. The
survivors gathered on the most elevated
points, viewing the scene OF dosolation
around them. Those whose bodies lay
pinioned by the ruins OF houses were
speedily recovered, while from out OF the
marshes more corpses were taken and
buried. The death roll was then made up
as follows;
Mrs. FRANK TURNER and two children,
LOCKE, wife and seven children,
Old MRS LOCKE,
MRS. W FERGUSON and three children,
BRADFORD BERRY and daughter,
MIRO. ALBERT LAMBERT and two chill
dren,
SAMUEL BuRwIcK's eight children,
Mrs. SHELL WAi.TEnY and four chill
dren,
Gro. STEVENSON and four children,
Mr., FRANsHALL, wife and grandson,
Mrs. S. CALLER and four children,
LoNZo SMITH and child,
Mrs, TooCHAKE's four children,
JACK TooCnAKE's seven children,
Mrs. HAWKINS and two children,
DR. GEo. SMITH. wife and four chill
dren,
All the above were white people. The
following IL n list OF the colored people,
whose bodies have been recovered and
identified,
ELEvER JOHNSON and wife,
JACK LEWIS, wife and brother,
RICHARD HAMBmCg, wife and Ave
children.
Yesterday morning the regular packet,
stern wheel steamer Emily = arrived from
johnson bayou and brought 10 Orange
az many as she could carry
about sixty people, not one OF
whom had anything but what they
stood In. Many were minus
hat, shoes, coats and dresses. Their
wants we're promptly supplied by the good
people at this place and the refugees were
made comfortable for the night. This
Saturday morning the Emily j.. and
steamer Lark win return, and from thence
make regular trips until all arc brought
TO place OF safety. All the people, a
few OF whom have large stock interests,
say they have abandoned the place forever.
They are descendants Of the people who
In the past made johnson Bayou
vast orange grove. Frost came and
ruined them, and then they turned 10 cot
ton, sugar aud stock-raIslng, only 10 meet
the fate OF their forefathers. OF the
5000 head Of stock which once the Bayou
boaeted, 5000 are drowned and the re.
mainder will die OF thirst, as all the
waters are salt
TWERTY.AfX LOST
NKw ORLBAAs, Oct lG,-C9pt. HAiley,
bar pilot AZ PORT Eads, reports that there
were twenty-slx lives lost during the re-
cent storm on The bay leading from the
gulf In the direction Of and back Of quar-
antlne station.
Whatever name or designation IL given
10 fever and ague or other intermittent
diseases II IL safe 20 say that malaria or q
disordered state OF the liver Is nv fault.
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