The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-11

1t was the home of fishermen and store
keepers and it comprised q colony of
1.400 souls with churches and schools and
other evidences Of modern civilization.
Nearly all its residents were white peo-
pie. the Spanish race largely predomi-
mated. Hundreds of fishing sInacks were
owned by the residents and many Of
these were moored to their landing
storm came up. Others that were not
were either on the way to or from the
city or were engaged in fishing for oys-
tiers which is the great industry of the
islands,
Some of the Lost.
The fate Of DR.. Frey and his family is
unknown, but Mr.. Schurb says they were
missing when he left and that probably
the entire family have persisted DIR. John
Frey was well known in the city of
New Orlenas where he had lived for
many years. The fate of his family
seems TO have been death by drowning.
A dozen years ago he moved to Gretna
with a wife and several children, open
ing an apethecary shop and establishing
prosperous business. Two of his chill
dren We're drowned, one of them being
but few weeks old. Another married
daughter was drowned also. The whole
family were probably drowned.
Miss Annie Douglass of New Orleans
had been engaged at Cheniert in the
capacity of a teacher. She was we'll
known in this city and was highly es-
teemed at the island. How Miss Doug
lass lost her life no one seems to know,
but she must have had a terrible eX-
perlence. On Monday morning her body
was found among the wreckage. She
was quite dead and her remains were
buried near where she had met her sud
den death.
Under the circumstances, for the
safety for the rest of the colony, it be-
came necessary to take prompt steps
TO bury those who had lost their lives.
There were still many people who were
alive and able-bOdied and they were
Immediately organized for the work of
duty and charity. There was no time
TO build collins. If there had been there
were no tools with which TO construct
them, no board that could be nailed to-
gether, no receptacles for the bodies
lying everywhere. So the living merely
hunted up shovels and commenced the
task of digging trenches into which to
deposit the re mains. Up to II O'Clock
Mr.. Schurb assisted in the grewsOme
task and during the night time he par
ticipated i'm the interment of no less
than fifty persOns-men, women and
children. some Of them not having a
mark upon their persons to show what
had caused their death; others on the
contrary We're badly lacerated. Into
one grave Mr.. Schurb assisted in plac-
ing no less than six people. There was
little time for the ceremonies as usual
upon the burial of human beings.
4 Hero.
Rube Rendo proved himself a hero.
He was the head of a family composed
Of his wife and two children. Their
house had been torn to pieces
by the hurricane and they were in inn
minent peril of losing their lives. Just
about this time the Weber had parted
from her mornings and was sweeping
down past Cheniere with the tide. Many
planks had been blown from her and
were drifting ashore. Rendo swan about
i'm the water until he had gathered
enough TO make an impromptu raft
and with this raft he succeeded in say
inS his family from a watery grave or
from d worse death.
Mr.. Schurb says a gentleman from
New York is among those lost he
had gone to Chenere for his health
and occupied A house near that III
which Mr. Schurb slept. During the
night Of the storm Mr.. Schurb heard
him crying piteously for help. But no
succor was near and the gentleman
persisted with hundreds of others.
Tom Nalence is a well-l1nOwn citizen
of this city and highly esteemed in
Gretna and other parts of Jefferson
parish He had "A wife and six children
and Mr. Schurb believes that every one
of them is gone. Tony Nalence his
brother. suffered the same fate and so
did Tonv's wife John Valence, StiIl
another member Of the family. was
among the saved but his wife and three
children We're among the missing when
Mr.. SChurb left Cheniere. 1t viii never
be accurately known Just how many
lives were lost in the storm.
Relief Necessary.
Unless steps are Immediately taken to
organize relief companies it is likely that
many will perish from starvation and
thirst The wind and waves destroyed
all the provisions upon Cheniere island
and swept away all the CiSternS OF the
residents. The result is that fresh water
is so scarce that il is not sufficient to re-
lieve the thirst Of the hundreds who are
now without anything to eat and scarce
" anything TO wear, and who are about
as homeless and as shelterlesS as was
Robinson Crusoe on his lonely island
Mr.. Schurb was one of party OF thir-
teen that came to the city on the Good
Mother Each one of them had a thrill
ing story to relate. On their way up
they had not water to drink; fortunately
they saved several pieces of ice with
which they slaked their thirst.
Estimates of tho Loss.
The damage is now estimated as fol-
lows:
Towns and Articles. Financial Loss
New Orleans .........-.....-......$3 $500 900
Plaquemine Parish. 600000
Orange crop. Observation-Disclosures. 260 900
Other crops 25O 600
Cattle. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 250000
Shipping schooners, luggers, etc. 100000
Fishing settlements. .............. 400 900
Railroads ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 800 600
Miscellaneous Observation-Disclosures. $50 900
Total ..........................$S.62 $50 600
Between here and Mobile the amount
or damage done is placed at 100000, and
i'm and around Mobile 100000. Total
damage, S4420,000.
The total loss on oranges is 70 per
cent, while about 20 per cent. of the
orange trees were killed or blown down
OF the railroads the Louisville & Nash
vile is the heaviest suffers, and the
damage inflicted on IL will run from
five 20 six hunred thousand dollars The
greater portion of the line between here
and Mobile, 142 miles is damaged
Nine thousand feet Of the Bay-st.
bridge is swept away any 5000 feet Of
An OPEN Letter, TO Women.