The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-15
Whole Families Swept Out of Existence in a
Moment-Twenty-Five Whites and Thirty
COlored People Among the Drowned.
The Disaster Caused by a Hurricane
WavefrOm Storms in the West Indies.
Serious Damage at Number of Other Points
Along the Gulf Coast-A Violent Storm of
Wind and Rain Along the Lower Lakes.
AT SABISE PASS.
The Town Completely Inundated and More
than Sixty Lives Lost.


than Sixty Lives Lost.
GALVESTON, Tex, Oct 14-The town of
Sabine Pass, at the mouth of Sabine river, di-
viding line between Louisiana and Texas, is re-
ported entirely washed away by the terrific
storm Of Tuesday night Over fifty lives are re-
ported lost out of total population of two hun
dred. All telegraphic conn unication with the
town is cut off. Sabine PAS is sixty miles up
the coast from Galveston and twenty eight miles
southeast of Beaumont, the county-seat of
Jefferson county 1t is thought that the bar in
front of the town will prevent tugs from land
ing, and tugowners here regard it useless to at
tempt to enter the treacherous channel since the
storm.
Telegraphc communication with all points
outside of Texas nearly suspended last
night owing to storms in Louisiana, Arkansas
and Indian Territory.
The following account of the disaster at Sa-
bine Pass was telegraphed last night to Hous-
ton from Beaumont, La:
Our town is in state of intense excitement
tonight at news just received from Sabine Pass
1t is news of terrible loss of life and destruction
of property in that place from high water We
have now no telegraph communication with the
Pass, wires all being down, but an engine ar
rived here tonight over the East Texas railway
that left there about o'clock. Two citizens
panse of tossing waters distance Of several
miles from the town of Sabine to the railroad
track. They came in on the engine. and gave a
heartrending account of affairs there. They say
the waters began to invade the town from the
gulf and the lake together about 2 o'clock
Tuesday afternoon, and rose with unprecedented
rapidity. Citizens OF the doomed place did not
realize the imminent danger until it was too late
to escape. When safety by fight was recog-
nized as being out Of the question, people who
were situated so they could do it betook them
selves to houses and resorts adudged 70 be safest
The water kept rising. and between 3 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. A little later the larger houses began
to give way. and death by drowning seemed in
store for every citizen of the place. With the
yielding of smaller houses several persons who
had remained in them were drowned, and when
residences and business places began to crumble
the fatalities began to double. The following I'D
complete list of the drowned was obtained from
the two gentlemen who came ever on the engines
Miss Mahala Chambers.
James Vondy and family Of six
Wife Of Otto Brown and two children.
Homer King, wife and child
Mrs. Junker and son.
Mrs. Pomeroy and family of five.
Mrs. Stewart, daughter and son.
A man by the name of Wilson.
Mrs. Arthur McReynolds.
Mrs. Mcdonald, daughter and grandson.
Frank Mulegan and faGily.
Columbus Martee and family. and about twen-
ty-five colored people whose names could not be
given.
The above list comprises over fifty human
victims of the storm, among them some leading
families of the place There are others, and
many were drowned without anyone now living
knowing anything of it. It is feared that
whole families IN different parts of the place
have been swept away without leaving per-
son vestige to indicate thcir terrible fate. 1t
is said that the situation during the latter part
of the afternoon beggars description. The
manifestations of terror and agony by people
looking face to face with death and realizing
that there was no escape; the dying cries Of
women, audible, but rendered almost noiseless
by the roar of the mad sea; the hoarse voices of
pallid men trying to save those dear to them
all combined make scene too horrible to be
described.
On receipt OF this news, citizens of Beau
mont Immediately began preparations for re-
lief. The East Texas railway has placed an
engine at their disposal, and party of men
have gone to Orange to carry the news there
and procure boat and start for the scene
a.
very great The wharf property of the town
was owned by New York capitalists, who
also own the adjoining lands, and were aiming
to make Sabine Pass important port on the
Gulf coast.