The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1893-10-05

thunder. On came the terrible thing.
growing larger momentarily. The island
was wrapped in slumber.
The mon were too frightened to 90 to
their homes aud remained In q boat
during the terrible nieat. Horrified they
watched the tidal wave approach the
island until Il struck. Thon all was dark.
ness aud the island, as far ns the eye could
roach, was covered with water. The next
fash Of lightning the two fishermen found
themselves far Of to the north of the
island, and looking about could see noth-
ing but sheet OF wafer, the island having
totally disappeared.
THE STORY or MATHEW scHURrz.
Matthew Schurts Of Gouldsboro. one OF
the survivors Of the Chsniere calamity.
arrived this morning. He brought q har.
rowing tale Of the loss Of life
there. He was engaged in con.
structing school house. He
boarded ia house where 20 or
26 people lodged. The house was demol-
ishsd and Il 10 believed that about all the
inmates wers killed. Schurts himself
was frightfully knocked about and
bruised. and his clothes were torn to
shreds. He estimates the loss Of life on
Grand Isle. Chenisre and in Grand and
Adams bayou and Colk Cheta lton and
Oyster bay settlement at from 800 to 1000.
When he left cheniere island yesterday
he counted five houses standing, out Of a
total Of about 800. The land was covered
with corpses. As the wind increased in
severity. the houses began to TO to pieces.
The wind picked the roofs OF as though
they had been shaved from tho raftcrs
with q great carving knife. Then the
buildings began to rock violently and one
by one were torn to pieces, crashing down
upon and killing the occupants, and then
rapidly drifting asay with the terrible
current sweeping across the land. The
shrieks and groans Of the unfortunate
people were heartrendina as they wero
buried in the ruins Of their frail homes.
Schurtz was In house i'm which fully 25
people wcre all huddlcd together terror
stricken. Suddenly there was fearful
crash Of timbers and tho roof caved In,
burying nearly every one of tho party,
only Schurts and q negro escaping.
Schurts clung to the floating debris until
he saw light twinkling In house not far
away. He swan to the house and was adj
mitted. There were several people in the
house. Schurtz had hardly entered, how
ever, when tho structure went to pieces,
and of those who were in tho house
Schurts, . lady and child escaped. Schurtz
succeeded In getting the lady and baby to
tree. There the party stayed until morn
ing, when the wind began to abate. The
negro bricklayer managed TO reach pole
to which fishing smacks are usually tied.
He clung to that during the whole of the
awful night and was finally rescued.
HEARr.RENDIxo SCENE.
The wind was blowing n hurricane and
the rain was falling IN torrents- When
daylight broke the picture of desolation
was awful 10 behold. Only here and there
stood house. Everywbere were merely
foundations to mark where the houses Ind
stood, Furniture. bedding. clothing and
the like scatterod about in pro,niscuous
confusion. Evervvhere ware gha.,Iv fac.s
turned upwards 10 the skies. Upon many
there were stili evidences Of the ,erribIe
agonv thev had suffered before death.
some had lost their lives in the wreck of
their homes. some were drowned After
escau ming from the bouses. MANY. NOR.
tally wounded, lived through the night but.
with nothing to ouench their thirst and no
medical assistance at hand. gave up the
struggle. Thers wcrc broken arms and
legs. bruised AMI battered bodies. faces
slashed out of all human form,
Cbeniere settlement was even more
thickly populated than Grand Isls. II
comprised a colony of I.l)o sonia. the
Spanish race prsdomin, ,tinx. Hundreds
of aship1 sm,cks. owned hv rexidants
were either beached or demolished. The
priest who looked after tho spiritual wei.
fare of the islanders was among those
saved. and a iaiy. who occupied the house
with him as housckeeper. was likewise
spared, The fate Of DR.. Fry and his
family il unknown, but he il missing. and
probably the entire family perishod. Tho
body of Miss Annie Do,iylass. a .cbool
teacher, was found among wreckaue.
Scores of bodies living around wero l,ecin.
ming to show sigma of decomposition and
for the safety of the rest of the colony n
became necessary 10 bury them im,nedi-
ately, There was no time 10 make cof.
Ans nor material nor implements. 40 the
living dug trenches In which 10 deno.it
tho remains. Up TO Il o'clock ShurtE ns-
sisted in the grusome task and partici.
patod in the interment OF not less than
80 persons. men, womon and children.
Ilal,a Ra nln aavad hi,nsa hi. s.,if. ,d