Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-21
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
The Town Of Sabine Pass, Texas. Wash
ed Away by the Terrific Gulf Storm.
Over Fifty Persons Drowned Every
Building at JOhnsOn's Bayou Gone
Steambarge Selah Chamberlain sunk
off Sheboygan by Collision.
A TOWN IN RUINS.
Heartrending Description of the Sabine Pass
Disaster


Disaster.
GALVESTON, Oct. 14.-The town of Sa-
bine Pass, on the Sabine river, the divid-
ing line between Louisiana and Texas is
reported to have been entirely
washed away by terrific storm on Tues
day night. Over fifty lives are reported
lost out of a total population of two hun
dred. Telegraphic communication with
all points outside of Texas was nearly
suspended last night owing to the storm.
Following account of the great disaster at
5 sabine Pass, was telegraphed tonight to
the Houston Democrat: Our town is in
state of intense excitement tonight,
over the news just received from Sabine
Pass. 1t is the news of terrible loss of
life, and destruction of property in that
place from high water. We have now no
telegraphic communication with the Pass,
the wires all being down; but an engine
arrived hero to night, over the East Texas
railway, that left there about six o'clock
Two citizens who rowed in small boat
across an expanse of tossing waters a
distance of several miles from the town
| of Sabine to the railroad track, came in
on the engine and give
A HEARTRENDING ACCOUNT
of affairs there. They say the waters be-
gan to invade the town from the Gulf
| and lake together about 2 o'clock Tues
day afternoon and rose with unprece-
denied rapid1ty. The citizens of the
doomed place did not realize the immi-
nent danger until it was too late to es-
cape. When safety by fight was recog-
nized as being out of the Question, the
people who were situated so
they could do so betook themselves
to houses and resorts adiudged
to be the safest. The water kept rising
and between and 4 o'clock the smaller
houses began to yield to the resistless
force of the waves, and not only moved
from their foundations, but turned on
their sides and tops. little later the
larger houses began to give way, and
death by drowning seemed inevitable for
every citizen of the place. With the
yielding of the smaller houses, several
persons who had remained in them
WERE DROWNED
and when the residences and business
places began to crumbIe the fatality
began to double. The following incom-
plete list of the drowned was Obtaine
from the two gentlemen who came over
on engine: Miss Myhato, Jim. !Vandy
and family of six, the wife of Otto Brown
and her two children, Homer King, wife
and child, Mrs. Jonker and son, Mrs.
Pomeroy and family of five, Mrs. Stew
art, daughter and son, a man by the name
of Wilson, Mrs. Arthur McRine
Mrs. Mcdonald and daughter,
and Frank Mulligan and family,
Columbus Marter and family and about
twenty-five colored people whose names
onnl6 hp c4
prises over fifty human beings victims Of
the storm and among them some of the
leading families of the place. There are
others and many of them are doubtless
drowned without any one now living
knowing anything of it. It is feared
that whole families in different parts OF
the place have been swept away without
leaving person or vestige to indicate
THEIR HORRIBLE FATE.
It is said that the situation during the
latter part of the afternoon beggars de-
scription. The manifestations of terror
and agony by the people looking face to
face at death and realizing that there was
no escape; the dying cries of the women
audible but rendered almost noiseless by
the roar of the sea, the hoarse voices of
the pallid men trying to save those dear
to them, all combined to make the scene
too horrible to be described. On receipt
of this news the citizens of Richmond
Immediately began preparations for re-
lief. The East Texas railroad placed
an engine at their disposal and
party of men have gone
to arrange 30 carry the news there and
procure boats and start for the scene
The damage to property at Sabine has
been very great. The wharf property of
the town was owned by New York CAPT
talists, who also own the adjoining Lands,
and were aiming to make Sabine Pass
an important part of the gulf coast.