New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-16
SCENES IN THE DOOMED TOWN.
now SABINE PASS WAS SWEPT AWAf-lNClDENlS
OF PERSONAL HEEOIsM

BY TELEGRAPH To VIE TRIBUNE
Gnvrsrov. Oct 15.-The accounts that reach here
o the Sabine Pass disaster as given by the tugitlyes
oores in the main on the following points For several
d,vs :bc tide both in the Gulf and Sabine Lake had
been unusually high This ngn tide began on Sunday
and on Monday the lake vas full. On Monday night
the tide had reached. passed and remained ABOVE INC
danger point. On Tuesday the wind began oo"ihg
rather freshly from the northeast. IL then Veereu
round TO north and blew perfect gaze ior several
hours. Usually wind from this quarter olo"S
water ont of the lake aud causes low tides all along
the coast but in this instance it had apparently no
elect upon the banked-up waters until O'CLOCK wheh
there WAS a lnll followed almost Immediately by an
increase in depth of Now for the first time the
people recognized their perlous position. By O'CLOCK
the whole town was flooded and the waves from the
Cuf and bav MN. led in the streets or the dOOheu
town The wind ireshcncd again, driving the huge
waves with irresistible force against tle uouses m a
fences. and all cyan 10 give way before tneih' lug
peope terrOr-strickcn sought safety I'D the secouu
stories and many broke through the roofs. ctawI,ng
out Them and looking upon the wlld waves OF water
prayed Tor delvcrance. The whole catastrophe was 80
sudden and unc xpected that II lOnnu a uuprcPdlou
and hasy scramble to places of temporary safety wss
all that could be done. Iii an hour aiter e ht rusn
OF water hac taken place several small frame houses
mai beeu washed away. Two were oecuP"I ~
negroes and all occupants known 10 be lost WIN
the destruction oi these smaller houses, uihger aP
pearcd to double for the remainder OF the to"n' ol
they had acted as breakwater ana "heh s'uhiloi
houses had been washed out the merciess waves hau
open. unobstuctcd sweep to the more Huos'aht"iiy
built houses in the centre. ..e, A. t -
mon the root of which several people had taken rel
use rise up suddenly as tore loose lron
its foundation sway sOw roI side to slde then ll
with a crash that drowned the sllreks oi the poor
neoplc who were dashed into the boiling Hood lhere
was more than scene such a. thIs "tHcSsru W
those IN more secnre position VINO moinentaitS "a
.f.1 ci nil fl
stanford one of the most prominent resuents oi
Sabine, was here dnring the storm, Dut MS Wle duu
children were al Sabine. Ihs crave woman Y"eH H n''
wonderful escape TO unsurpassed nerve anu P.uch.
About o'clock in the evening she reallZed thdl her
house. although the beat built structure NJ he rass
would be torn to pieces. 80 she tled hcr tc pa!
10 her back and from upper window OI tne ho'se
succeeded in reaching the limb OF gOou sIeu tree.
She sat in the tree with her little child all thr ush
tlat fearful night ana she had not been IN te re zen
minutes when she her beautiful nome totter
and move down toward the Gulf carrying with IL Two
coorcd servants. Another incident showing ora'ety v
and great presence OF lnhh was Una. " VIZ" '',
Merrman was "A hero. He tied one ehd Oh Il
rope to tree near his tottering house ana man
aged to swim to another tree to %hich ne lnaue w
fast another the e1d OF oRG to n rope and ed
them to it, The wind and waves lashcd ami peat thcm
unmeciiully through the long night, but they all sur
vycd and are reported safe =, -,
and her son Carlisle in a boat when 1t was swainped; !;
that they then Ied to reach the r0Oi OF house
where thcV Observed nOufs dllcrNdln' ihS
they saw Of Mrs Junke aud her son. the boy had one
arm abound his mother and holding TO the boar
with the other Carlisle Junke was famous along 'no
coast the best swimmer and the best rine eno - 80
East Texas. Another heroic incident was ,ne %
of Captain Plummer aud his family Dy " VIM" ii.ianitv
ham, who bad shot Plummer LA n persona IT, 80
some months before Lapham first ,aVcu @ onJ
family and then am to the house OF his ehe, '
rescued Pummers family consisting OF nsr rsteomer
Among the rescued Is the crew oi Tue onng M the
Hercules who were picked up while drowning az '"'
mouth OF SABINE River - y,.,,s D,n,ocr1f
me col respondent onThe Neic ORLEANS .Des n,cn
Who was ON board the revenue cutter ,". .rans
went out from Galveston. gives an account "a D. says
witnessed "rhe dangers OF navEatine W a annr Mil
the spoudent, held the Penroso u, a"Vi " ~,
daylight when she again uhuoi ""y' vi
10 tho westward. Daylight re'eslru a.
ns Oh and dry ashore miles from the Sno
was tho ,eh ,oner Henrietta from Cao's.u Ca r a. @ anar
took 10 tho noats aud W the sts.',o a.
The Life Saving station, frame srucsu.' an
the Texas bank Of the Pass was next , seen
| twisted out OF shape, strippeaa Vi o... .' Id
The boats we're all gone, and Of the aws.i1s
which only fe days ago stood beeide H. not yestge
was 10 be seem station was secured ny w
soms dwarf trees TO the WESTWARD ana thus
fe was represented at the station by Captain s'ewa"