The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-08-26
A Fearful Storm in Texas.

VICTORIA, TEXAS, August 2l.-A
disastrous wind storm visited this city
yesterday, leaving destruction and desc.
lation in its track. The wind blew q
hurricane. The East-bound passenger
train, which was standing at the depot
here, was blown over on the platform.
There were several passengers on the
train, but all of them escaped uninjured.
The freight depot and Masonic Hall,
both large buildings, are total wrecks,
while the whole colored section is almost
literally swept away. Two church stee.
Piles were blown down and two churches
unroofed. The High School building
and Jail were considerably damaged.
Altogether there were about rs houses
completely demolished and 11S, more or
less, damaged. Few buildings escaped
unipjured. The trees and most of the
shrubbery in the city were blown down
and the streets filled with debris. Busi-
ness was entirely suspended. The loss is
roughly estimated at 100000. Old citi.
zens say that it was the most terrible
storm known in Victoria: The telegraph
wires are all down, and there is no con.
;nection South OF here. =
a special to the News from Corpus
Christi says: On Friday morning one Of
the heaviest rain storms for years struck
this city. The wind had commenced
blowing very hard from the southeast
the evening before and changed to
northwest between 5 and 6 o'clock in
the morning. 1t blew with terrific force
for two hours, its velocity being estima.
ted at seventy-fve. miles an hour. A
large number of houses were moved from
their foundations. A colored church
and the Office of. the Arkansas Pass Rail-
way Company were completely Destroy
ed. Large trees we're uprooted and
fences and outbuildings we're swept
away. 1t blew very hard yesterday
from the southeast.
The steamer j. C. Harris arrived yes
terday noon, two days overdue, and re:
ports terrible storm at Rockport and
Harbor Island. All the improvements
and grading at Harbor Island were
washed away, several boats were capsized
and-one large vessel was beached. AT
Rockport six houses were blown down
off their foundations. About one hun
dred employees of the Arkansas Pass
Railway Company were obliged to leave
Harbor Island and seek refuge at Rock
port, as the water was six feet deep on
the island. Seven men are missing, and
and it is supposed they were drowned
during the storm. The amount of dam
age has not been estimated, but the loss
is heavy.
A. Seguin, Texas, special says: The
damage by the storm here is variously
estimated at from $4,000 TO $4,000.
The Record Office was destroyed. The
new tower of the Episcopal Church was
blown down and large number of pub
lie and private buildings were either
destroyed or badly damaged. Robert
Jefferson, q son of Col. John L. Jefferson,
was killed at Sutherland Springs, and
Garland Smith and Richard Burgess,
son of the Hon. W. II. Burgess, were
badly wounded. They were camping at
the Springs and we're injured by falling
trees. A pauper living with John Eng.
land, across the river, died of fright dur.
ing the storm.
The cotton plant has been whipped
into shredS, but many persons believe
that it will take on new growth and
develop top crop. The damage has
not yet been estimated, but will be very
heavy.
A Laling, Texas, special says: On
Friday morning about daylight a terrific
rain storm set in which continued until
Z p. NJ, causing great damage. Houses
we're blown from their foundations, trees
were uprooted, fences blown down and
cotton was stripped from the stalk and
blown over the fields. No casualties are
reported.
A Hampstead, Texas, dispatch says
that the storm did great damage to the
cotton crop. In the uplands the loss to
the crop from the ravages of the wind
and rain of Friday will be fully Is per
cent