New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-17
DEAD AMONG THE LAGOONS.
DETAILS OF THE LOUISIANA CALAMITY
OVER 200 LIVES LOST AT JoHNsoN's BAYOU
SABINE PASS AND ALONG THE COAST.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE


1i"es-Democrat from iss correspondent at orange
Texas. who was the United State Revenue Cutter
Penroe which went from Galveston to sabine Pass
gives the story OF the experiences OF the lighthouse
keeper at Sabine, Gusave Hemmerland. "In response
to the signal OF the CUTTER says the correspondent,
the keeper appeared lantern in hand and waded to the
party He spologzed for not responding to the boats
~histe. but there had been storm gentlemen and his
boat and every thing gone With bare head no
stood In the moonlight his weary tanned face upturned
bare-legged and In Then recognizing Lieutanant
Wiley and Captain Jack Delaney. chief inspector Of the
port OF Galveston. who OF the exploring party, he
pont-d to tho light and said with pardonabe pride:
"'lts only half-'ieht gentlemen, but It's burning
"Then he told the story OF his experience during the
storm: Tuesday morning tho day OF the Storm opened
with northeasterly wind and # kept blowing harder
every We thought, that is, my
assistant, Henry Plummer, and myself, that
our house would stand. AS 1t stood all
previous big blows IL was e-story and attic
BRICK raised about five feet from the ground on heavy
brick arches to lot the water pass underneath have
no family. but Henry he had his wife, three Children
the youngest three years odand lady visitor with
him. BY noon the wini still holding north and east,
began TO shake our house The water came up and
things floating around 1t time for us to leave
and with the aud children We took TO tho light
house the house going then and we did not get IN
the tower shortly thereafter the house went
to pieces II hard work getting to tho tower, out
We got there. We had food no covering and only
three gallons OF OIL Everything went with the build
Ing Then the storm Increased In fnry. Inc water
roso above the top OF tho lighthouse door ton
feet from tho ground It entered the tower and the
draft ascending upw ard kept lifting the rapdoor lead
ing to tho lamp That trap-door was held down by a
hundred pound weight yst IL came so that one OF us
with the OF had TO add weight to keep IL down. III
that trap-door had gwen away tho light would nave
gone out aud who knows how those would have Jared
also The spray from tho which. with the winds
IN IA
dashed through the slit. and that st is NIFTY feet
from the ground Forty hours we were without
food and had to husband our water Yesterday
mOrning tho relief Lamar from Orange, came
TO and the women and children away
"FOur mics up the Pass on the Texas side continued
tue spondent ana the faced city of Sabine was
reached or all the houses Of which IL boosted
sheering maritime and trading population OF nearly
400 SOULS remains in an inhabtaple CONDITION.
or those left standing. numbering twelve all toih IN
cuding tho Baptist Church. some are without roofs,
and ends. while all are twisted out
OF shape. except the church and the dwellings OF Dr.
Glllaapd and Mr. Canahan which alone remain on the
block These be repaired the others are only nj Tor
kndling wood The streets are strewn with wreckage
of houses household effects In many places still
floating arouLd In the water which during the storm In
undated the city a depth of between eight and ten
feet. The church been turned into morgue. in
CHASTITY accompaniment to the wreck Its Interior pre-
Into sanctuary the bodies are brought as ist
"A recovered from the trsoherous and regardless
OF distinctions laid side by side awatins hnai To-
pose IN that narrow appointed for all LIVING
The stories the and the terrible happenings
as told by are sou-harrowlDg 1hey tell
OF chldIen torn from mothers arms. o husbands
WIVES and sons borne away Dy the srething
with lie pairing shreks biding auieu 10 the
world; Joyful rruuOn between those VINO gave eacn
up; of marvellous csc" pes and worse stii OF SAD
ueetngs, when the living couuted their dead Reuben
Pomrroy, recital OF his experrnce OF lne urehulul
day night relates that the storm hst aroused lesr
for the SAFETY OF their city AT ho'h Oh 1uesuas M
north ast Al began a. early ss o CLOCK: All
w.,er soms of tho people VINO nrst took tho slSrm
ON only IN their gnt by the they
worr But few o. these nave been heard from SINCE
Tbey NAV he alive. wandering around without FOOD or
water but he Thought hey dead. In the evening
when water sub merged tir town ana houses w1re
from their blocks the awtursS OF the stua
ton them The storm Increased rather
than aoatei sn! by rigntfa even the strongest pre-
Tnr stan of The Houson Qexas) Post at
Beaumont last night teegrdghed Some interestlng de-
tas OF the deluxe al sabine Ia''. no Say, tnaI @ AZ
places where the water was never over elsht in,hes
was nine feet deep. The house OF Bradley Garnott
was swept awas with his family OF tive prrscns After
floating Two and half miles the house Landed on
r@e bots that LETT beaumont TO succor the
drinking water, there being nohns out
Postmaster Ward of Beaumont, has telegraphed Post
mastr Grneral Villas asking permission 10 uIslriouto
tue saDn- Pass Beaumont. as the postnis,
tress and her assistant Sabine are hotn reported
drowned. To give idea OF hs velocity OF the wlhd
spoon blown from the reeldence OF "ilidm
Harris a dstancr o twelve miles. Noise Broussard lost
$4,000 worth of cattle some reports say much more
Al the carte not lost viii die AS nothing Is
left subs ST upon. the salt water covering
everything. Mrs O,to Brown hoated twehty-hvs ines
bed. -he hal her cnt with her but IL got
benumD' and died III coDvulsion During ts strug-
giles knocked the mo her Into Tho water lhe waves
pitched lrs Brown Daek on the bed. She was nhally
tound IN little inlet and was saved .,
Captain +. A. Hyatt aud William Guy report that Iney
had "a singular experience as me.nDers OF the RELIEF
Committee, their way to the Pass Ihe TRAIN IN
miles from me town. Tue All around this neck OF
land, which was placed ths track was iuily clint
feet deep. Tue hands OF Messrs. Hyatt aud Guy
nlerai,y r"vrre1 the Oamp or a distance OF live miles
There were thousands OF water moccaslnsl from the
overlooked district taking refuge on the marrow strecn
through serpens. many OF them me deadly
stumttaei moccasins, larger th.n man % .rr VIII W.n
cat. also, ironzrd At the waters ury: rusned pe-neI
upon ped sjrans. while 'coons and every variety OF
Many times the pedestrians lott the dump aud swan
around the reptiles rather thah Try 10 pass tue
CAPITA Hyatt alone ksd over 100 SNAKES during ms
waA tive mue-. which consumed about tefhours Mr.
Guy says money couli enpt hun to naks hIs
trip over again. In stepping about IN the darA ho was
tripped ami thrown by snake TWO inches III uiahcler
aud fully hvr feet long. ,,.. -. ,,..,,..u. hoia
Yesterday the purpose Of organz ng relol meas
ures Mayor H. f. Cahonn was chosen presuing om,or
and u genera relief COMMITTEES was organized with
Mayor Calhoun, OF Beaumont as prrinanent
Mr. Weis, permanent treasurer aud Alexander wynn
secretary Special c"nmttees, consisting Of white and
ooored rrsidrnts we're appointed u look aor no coi
ored sufferers colnmiIrts OF tive WAS appointed 10
take steamboat and gather up furniture aud otner
household effects doatlng about Sabine Lake call
Tue train wncn wont toward saon" Yesterday as iar
as the track allowed, returned 10 Beaumont AZ P III.
Fifteen bodies we're recovered tho highland called
Back Ridge. OF Sabne and were buried PIX Oouios
of women wero recovered tho west shore Of the lake
two cooroi four whit, one being that of Mrs. '" A.
Junk-, OF Carlisle Mr. Juhke is stiii missing. iuo
steamer Emy +. returned from Johnsons Bayou la,
TO Orange and reports that those drowned at that pAco
were chiefly colored people. Tho deaths ~
Sabine Pass and vicinity Will sggre-
gate than ninety, and at Johnsons
Bayou alb mt signty-hve.
telegram FROM merchants OF Galveston authorized
the Relief COMMITTEE. that city Tor $l,ooO
A dispatch TO The lines DeDOcrdt dated JOhnsons
Bayou last evening says: lno village OF J"hnsons
Bayou Is high rdgo the scacOast, and the bayou
from which takes runs through tho inhADit-
aDe parts that cIion OF the settlement In which Is
also situated the post office station known as RSdiord
Thry Cameron Parish, on the Louisiana snore,
ak miles o Pass Tho bayou IA nineteen
IiIrs III lengtn al from ono 10 four miles IN
width. Rilges face the Gulf twelve feet above the sea
level, Ia tho dense anu In penotrsD bic marsh
ihe population last Monday morning numorrcu
L .fiua af fhaLn Ill