The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-06-25

~ ~ @'So
( 0a1voston Receives naenes Rough mAn1
n1ng-Ihe Beach : SCENE % WRECK and
Ru1ns and Things Wsftod Around Ire
nlscaous1y rhroughout The Island ~
Etny-Mlle nreese.
GALVESTON. Tex, June ll.--Not sincs
The terrible cyclone Of 1875 has Calves
ton Island been visited BY such strong
wind and raInstorm As descended during
the preceding twcnty-four hours. For
several days strong winds and heavy
rains have prevailed. but nothing was
thought Of the weather until last mid.
night, when the wind struck fifty -mile-
an-hour gait and then began TO tear
things round like straws. At first Il
came from the northeast, but soon vecred
around TO the south. After that II
rotated. coming from every point Of the
compass and seeming TO center square
upon the island.
As reports from adjoining sections Of
the State fail to show increased velocity
Of the wind, the storm Is conceded to be
OF purely local character and origin.
Ranging all the way from forty - fifty
miles an hour, the storm, with occasional
brief rains, continued until about eleves
O'Clock, when the wind subsidized as sud-
denly as II came mp.
The waters Of the bay and the gulf,
which had met across the east and west
ends Of the island, flooding streets and
invading houses, receded In short order,
laying bare the wreckage wrought By the
fury Of the combined elements.
On the beach between Twenty first and
Twenty-seventh streets the wind and surf
had full sway. On the East End the high
sand hills and salt cellars which have
withstood the fury Of many fierce blast,
were swept away, giving the sea full
sweep through the streets, carrying away
fences and insecure outbuildings before
It,.
The track cmbankment OF the street
railways westward TO the Beach Hotel
were steadily undermined, and soon the
rails were laying upon the beach while
the ties were either carried inland Oh
tossed like corkS out TO sea.
Hendersou's saloon at the beach ter
minus OF Center street was torn from its
foundation and washed away. The old
bath house, known as the Deep-Water
Pavilion, and Ada Purdy's road house,
known as the Oleander Saloon, went the
same way, the inmates of the latter place
having barely time TO escape with their
lives from the pursuing surf, which at
one great toss tore the building from its
foundation and dashed II 10 pieces on the
yielding sands. Not a vestige OF the
building remained to mark the place
where Il stood, except one of the carpets,
which was found imbedded In the sand
O'Keefe's Sea Breeze Saloon, aud, in
fact, every small building on the beach
was more or less damaged. The waters
came up on the Beach Hotel lawn, and Il
seemed at one time as II they would In.
wade the hotel, but no alarm was felt
The grand new structure is as firm as hu.
man ingenuity could devise, and no dam.
age whatever was sustained except 10
the shrubbery.
The Pagoda bath house and the Sun
bath house likewise stood the strain. the
Surf suffering little by the loss OF the
stairways. The beach for miles was
strewn with debris, while great holes in
the sand testified to the force Of the eddy |
ng currents. On the bay the small ship. |
ping suffered TO vast extent, no
less than thirty sloops and yachts
bearing evidences of the war OF the winds
and bay. Ten of these small vessels were
sunk and battered 10 pieces at their
while others parted cables and |
we're tossed high and dry ashore, after |!
their sides out. Two Of these |
we're thrown across the railroad tracks |
n the end, fully q half mile from the |
wharf.
The bridges, both OF the Gulf, Colorado |
Santa Fe and the Galveston, Houston e |
henderson railways. stood the strain |
Without damage, out near the point |
where they unite with the island the l
restles were twisted and torn out OF \
hape. Consequently no trains could get |
'ut until the Santa Fe got through at $40 |
his evening, when Master Of Transporta-
lon Jim Phillips had the tracks again In
'ood working order. The streets to Six
eenth street east and to Eighth avenue
vest were flooded, but, however, doing
10 damage.
Telegraph wires were all down, and |
galveston for the time was cut OF from
II communication with the outer world.
n the city the principal loss was in the
emolition Of fences, out-houses, swing |
ng signs and shrubbery. No estimate
an at present be made sf the loss, which l
>, however, 50 evenly distributed that II
gilI hardly be felt.