The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-10-23
sTOwRH NOTES.
Beaumont Enterprise, 18th Inst.

Hon OF A-roperdys
Beaumont Enterprise, 18th inst.
The storm has almost wiped out thg
town Of Sabine Pass from the face Of
, the earth, and but a few houses re.
main of that growing city, and they
are in very dilapidated condition
not tenantable. The storm ragged in
!, its fury on the afternoon of Tuesday
the wind blowing first from the cast
then changing to the south, and at 8
b. m, we are informed, the wind blew
at the rate of 100 miles an hour, and
the waves rolling into Sabine Pass 90
feet high. The wind blowing at such
rate with such a volume of water
soon told a fearful tale. The water
rose to a height of at least seven feet
west Of the railroad track, and resi-
dent states that it must heve been two
feet higher at the old town cast of the
track, which lies lower. To show the
terrible force of the wind and violence
of the storm, large cisterns, bureaus,
pianos, trunks, chairs, in fact al kinds
of household furniture, are strewed
along the Texas coast and railroad
track for a distance of at least 10 or
II miles.
/ AT JoHNsoS's BAYOU.
Galveston News, nth inst.
/ When the storm came the people
were pursuing their usual avocations.
The days work was most done. The
farmers were returning from their
fields; the women were preparing
the usual evening meal. The wind
was unsteady, but seemed to blow
from the south. The waters CT the
bayou, however, began to rise first
The wind began to stiffen about 4
o'clock. AT it began to get ugly.
At z it was blowing gale. At it
had developed into hurricane. At 9
it was roaring, plunging, devastating
cyclone. At 10 the waters of the
bayou and the gulf began TO seek each
other. AT IL they had met and the
settlement to all intents and purposes
was Singing sea. The people hoped
to the last that the waters would not
rise,abovc the danger point. But when
the gulf and the bayou embraced, they
knew that the products of the ground
were ruined, that their cattle were
drowning, that their stores were being
cast upon the waters. But not until
the first house in Radford toppled
over--which was about IL O'Clock
did the people begin TO fear for their
lives.
The people had assembled to the top
floors of their dwellings,. They crowd.
ed to the windows and watched the
elements play. The first house that
succumbed was owned and occupied
by Owen Jones and family. consisting
of himself, wife, three grown danght-
tiers, widOwer son-in.law and two
grandchildren. The house was a two
story frame building, and the family
were on the upper floor. The building
was erected on piles. 1t swayed to
and fro for more than two minutes
and finally received n broadside from
gulf wave that cast it on its side
Another wave and another followed
in succession. The upturned bhilding
was riVen asunder, fragments were
borne away on the crest of the waves,
but none of the eight human beings
who were In the death-trap were dis
covered until the water receded, IL
hours later. OF course they were all
dead. There were about IT'S people
living in Radford at the time, and
nearly all from the upper windows of
their houses witnessed the destruction
of the Jones house, and the burial
nnder the ruins of the family.
Il was then that the first real terror
struck the hamlet. The bravest men
trembled; the women cried aloud the
children had been CRYING from the be-
ginning. Some prayed aloud, others
implored the Savior in whispers; some
stood mute with terror, others raved
in despair. | am condensing these
remarks from the reports and observa-
tions of the survivors The fate of
the Jones family awaited many others.
Many houses toppled over, and in such
cases the occupants were invariably
drowned. 10 other cases the houses
resisted the storm, but the inmates
were drowned. There were some one.
story cottages in the settlement and
all these were inundated. The inmates
of the low cottages were mostly
drowned in their houses, but some
rushed ont in wild despair, and we're
drowned, while others were driven 10
trees on which they sought shelter or
chung to floating debris. The scene
was terrible. There was no nerve
strong enough to remain calm. Chill
dren died in the arms of their parents,
wives were torn from their husbands.
Brothers were drowned 10 futile efforts
to save sisters, and strong men were
sutfocated by the maddened waters or
rushed to death against floating debris
while trying to save themselves. The
honses of the village were built close
together, and all we're nearly in view
of ALL
Times-Democrat 18th inst.
An examination of the country back
of Sabine and Immediately in the
vicinity of Beaumont shows that the
salt water came back from the coast
fully forty miles through the swamps,
and hundreds of thousands of acres
are still submerged by water that was
forced back and has no outlet.
This fact makes the search for bod
les very difficult. Carcasses of thou
sands Of drowned cattle, hogs, horses
and fowl are strewn everywhere and
thousands Of seagulls and buzaards
hover over the desolate country for an
area of thirty miles.
It is known that the number Of suf-
fercrs around Johnson's bayou who
have lost everything will reach 1900,
Al A.. Onn i