Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-10-05
A SURVIVORS, STORY.
Graphic Story of the Storms Fury at the
 Chenicre Settlement.

Graphic Story of the Storms Fury at the
 Chenicre Settlement.
 NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 5.-Mr. Matthew Schurb of Gouldsboro, just opposite the city, was one of the survivors of the Che niere calamity and arrived here on the him narrowing story of his experiences and of the loss of life at Cheniere. MT. Schurb went to the island about four weeks ago with MT. George Thompson an a negro bricklayer named Louis Roberts for the purpose of constructing a school house. He enga ked board in a house in which there was a very large family, not less than 25 in all. The house was rude establishment of boards, but it had with stood many gales, and the occupants of it felt reasonably safe from the storm. It turned out to be the tomb of probably a score of persons Mir. Schurb on Sunday night had an experience severe enough to turn a mans hair gray, and when he reached the city he showed the results of the peril he had been through.
 He was almost naked. What clothes he had were torn into shreds, his face was bruised, and he had not yet recovered from the excitement he had undergone and the frightful scenes of death he had witnessed MT. Schurb estimates that the loss of life on Grand Isle and Cheniere. Caminada and the Grand Lake, Adams, Cook, Chalon and Trister Bayou settlements will reach soc When he left Cheniere island, he counted but five houses standing out Of q total of about 200, while the land was covered Eith corDseS.
 Story of Che Who Escaped
 Mir Schurb said that the wind began u blow hard carly on Sunday evening, and at 7 o'clock it had reached the proportions ot Q hurricane. From that time on it con- tinued to increase in velocity, and as it heightened, the waters of the gulf began to sweep over the head of the island in huge waves, covering the land and getting into the houses of the hundreds Of residents O the island.
 By g o'clock there was an average depth of feet of water, and at midnight a depth of feet of water, while the cur rent was as swift as the Mississippi river when that mighty torrent is bank full Nc person could stand up against it. As the wind increased in severity the houses be gan to go to pieces The wind picked tho roofs off as though they had been shaved from the rafters with a great carving knife Then the buildings began to rock violent ly, and one by one they were torn to pieces crashing down upon and killing their oc cupants and then rapidly drifting away with the powerful current that was sweep ing irresistibly across the land. MT. Schurb, MT. Thompson and negro bricklayer were in a house in.which ther, were fully 25 people, all huddled togetheI 1 and terror stricken at the mighty rage O the clements. Suddenly there was a fear | ful creaking of timbers, and the roof cavet in, burying nearly every one of the party l only MT Schurb and the~bricklayer escap ing.
 Saved a Woman and Child.
 Mr. Schurb chung to some floating debri until he saw Q light twinkle in house. H broke away from the timber and swam t the house and was admitted. There wer several people in the house. Mir. Schur had hardly entered, however, when tn structure went to pieces, and out of the l who were in it only Mir. Schurb, a lady an a child got out.
 Mir Schurb succeeded in getting the lad and baby to tree, and there the part Btaid until 4 o'clock in the morning, whe Ehe wind began to abate The negro brick layer managed to reach the pole to whicl to it during the whole terrible night, final ly being saved.
 Mir Schurb estimates that there were ? people killed in the house from which h first escaped.
 Mr Schurb says his nights experienc was horrible. The wind howled, the cat ins crashed, and the shrieks and groans 0 the wounded and dying made his blood al most curdle. While he remained in tn trees, waves washed over him that wer mountain high, but he and the lady ant her baby clung tenaciOusly to the limbs fo support and saved themselves from beinl washed away into the bowling gulf aroun them.
 A Picture of Desolation.
 When daylight broke, the picture of de- olation was awful to behold. Only her and there stood a house. Everywhere theI were only brick foundations to mar where homes stood. Trees lay prostrat upon the ground. Timber was lodged piles in indlserlninate eenfngions There1