The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-05
Now Thought That More Than
1000 Perished in the Great
Storm.
Not Since Louisiana Was Settled
Has There Been Such q
Calamity.
The sufYsrings Of the Survivors Are Ter
ribie--scenos That Cannot lie De-
scribed by Pom.

this morning, when several survivors
reached here. They tell hesYtrendina
story. tidal wave swept oyer the island,
Destroying lives and property on all sides.
This morning near Burras tho bodies Of
three little girls, evidently sisters. were
found olinRinR together. horribly mangled
by a bnrbed wire fence against which they
had been thrown. A man, wife and two
children went on board schooner outside
of Bayou Cook. The schooner was wrecked
and husband and children drowned. Tho
woman lsshed hexself to broken mast and
floated in the angry sea all night. She was
rescued In the morning by passing vessel.
John A. Sebut. 3 fisherman from the
shore Of Bayou Cook, told a representative
of the Associated press that nothing was
left either on the shores of the bayou or ON
the islands. On Bayou Simon. situated in
Grand bsy. wore fourteen fishermen, all
drowned. He said not house wns left on
Bay on Cook, and where the psople are the
John Barber, fisherman In Bayou Cook,
was washed away. The husband and two
childred were d,owned, the wife and four
children rescued in the house adjoining.
Ths house Of George Csfaroohs was
washed away with his wife and three cail-
|
man named Barton, and his two daugh-
ters were drowned. Only one person was
saved from the Oyster Bayou catastrophe.
Tho wife and child Of Thomas Moryorioh
were lost at bayou Cook. Luke Detro-
viteh lost fouz daughters. wife. and two Of
his sailors.
| On Simon isle wore eighteen inhabitants
Of oyster camps and sixteen were drowned.
On Razor island there was . camp of five
men. all drowned. On Bird island about
1bO people lived. all drowned. On Grand
Bank eight persons were killed.
Matthew Wertxez and Dominic Miros-
dich, sailors, wore rescued by one of the
luRRsrs. The story they toll of the disas-
ter at Grand Isle is horrifyinR in the ex-
treme. During the recital of the scenes of
that terrible night they wept bitterly.
They said the sea was rising all day and
increased alarmingly toward night. About
10 p. m. the wind shifted to the southwest.
These men lived on the west end Of the
island.
Far out at sea. as the flashes of lightning
illuminated tho darkness, mammoth wave
could be seen. travelling with wonderful
rapidity toward the island, accompanied
with noise like thunder. On came the
terrible thing. growing larger momentarily.
The island was wrapped in slumber. The
men were too frightened to go to theiz
homes and rem mained IN the boat during the
terrible night. Horrihed they watched the
tidal wave approach the island until i,
struck. Then all Was darkness, and the
island, and as far al the eye could reach.
was covered with water. At the next fash
of lighting the two fisherman found them
selves far of TO the north of the island.
and, looking about. could see nothing but
a sheet of water, the island having totally
disappeared.
Matthew schurtz, of Goldsboro. one OF
the survivors Of the Cheniere- Caminda ca
lamity. arrived shis morning and brought a
narrowing tale of the loss of life there. Al
the wind increased in severity it picked UP
roofs az though they had been shaved from
tho rafters with great 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 awsy With tho terrible cur
rent sweeping across the lind.
After the house in which 6churtz resided
was swept away he chung to floating debris
until he saw a light twinklng In house
not far away. He swan to it and was ad-
unitted. He had hardly entered, however,
of those in II Schurtz. lady and child only
escaped. Sohurtz succeeded in getting the
woman and baby into tres. whore they re.
mained all night. high waves continually
dashina over them. The wind was blowing
a hurricane and the rain falling in torrents
lation was awful to behold. Only here and
there stood house. Everywhere were
me ely foundations to mark where houses
had stood. Furniture, bedding. clothing
etc.. was scattered about in promiscuout
confusion. Everywhere were ghastly facei
turned upwards to the skies. Upon many
wore still evidences Of the terrible agony
they suffered before denth. Some lost
their lives in the wreck of their homes
Some were drowned after escaping from
thsir houses. Many mortally wounded
lived through the night. but with nothing
to quench their thirst and no modica
assistance Al hand, had given up the strug-
ole. There were broken arms and lega
bruised and battered bodies. faces slnshet
} out of all human form.
} Chienere settlement was even NOR,
thickly populated than Grand Isle. II com
prised colony of 400 souls. the Spanist
race predominatinR. Hundreds of fshinf
smaoks owned by residents were either
benchBd or demolished. The priest who
looked after the spiritual wclfare of tht
islanders was among those savod. The hcdy
Of Misc Annie Douglass, a school teacher
WAS found among the wreckage. Scores Of
bodies lying around were beginning to show
signs of decom position. and for the safety
of the rest OF the COLONY II became neoes-
sary 10 bury them Immediately. There val
no time TO make cofIins, nor material or inh'
PIGMENTS. 80 the living dug trenches Ia
which to deposit the remains. Up to l.
O'Clock Schurtz assisted in the intermene ol
hfty persons. men, women and children.
Kebee Rando saved himself, wife and
two children by swimming about until he
gathered sutficiont lumber to make an i'm
promptu rafA He put his family on II and
} drifted TO place Of safety. Tom Valence
} his wife and several childt en- are believed &c
DO drowned, AZ we'll as his brother Tony,
wifo and tn 90 children.