The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-10-11
A TIDAL WAVE
Sweeps Over an Island Near New
Orleans.
Nearly One Thousand People Said to Have
Perished-A Wall of Water That De-
vastated Everything Before It-
Story Of a Survivor OF the
Disaster.

thentic news came from Grand Isle
Yesterday, when lugger reached the
company canal from the island. The
man in charge reports that the steam
er Joe Weber was blown to pieces and
that several of the crew were drowned.
The storm was terrible at Grand Isle
and Cheniere Caminada. At the latter
place only two houses are standing and
the luggerman reports tnat several
hundred have been drowned.
The loss of life caused by the storm
will probably reach one thousand, The
Joe Webber was not alone In her
trouble, the ]. McSweeney, consort OF
the Webber, having also met with total
demolition. With these two steam
boats went their entire crews to q
watery grave. Besides these fatalities
several other luggers were swept out
OF existence. ..'
Capt. John Telsansos, of the lugger
Stephanie, through an interpreter told
. narrowing story. He says: II had
made my lugger fast to her usual moor
ings on Sunday afternoon, and had
gone on shore to camp. This was at
Grand Bank, about one mile from Grand
Island. The weather had been beaut-
full all of the forenoon, but toward
evening it began to cloud up, and !
knew that storm was brewing,
"The shanty l was sheltering In
stood the blow fairly we'll, until, |
should Judge, about midnight the end
came. thought the world was on us
The sea came up high-well 1t seemed
to be like wall, and then found my
self fighting for my life in the midst OF
the ruins of my shanty, and how on
earth I escaped can't say. After this
it seemed to me as II the storm had ex-
hausted its fury, and from that on the
wind continued to abato. l got back
to socola canal in a skiff happened to
pick up on the beach at daylight"
The islands adjacent to Grand Isle
were also included in the hurricane
that swept this country last Sunday.
Rosari, one of the group, is entirely
depopulated.
Matthew Sehurtz, OF Gouldsboro, Just
opposite the city, was one of the sur
vivors Of the Cheniere calamity and ar
rived here Wednesday morning on the
steamer Good Mother. He broughtwith
him narrowing story Of his expert
enses and of the loss Of life at Cheniere.
When he left Cheniere island Tuesday
he counted but five houses standing,
out Of O total Of about 800, while the
land was covered with corpses. Mr..
Schurtz told the story Of the storm and
his own experiences to reporter;
1.-THE wind began TO blow hard early
on Saturday evening and at 7 o'clock
II had reached the proportions ota hur-
ricane. From that time on II con
tinued to increase In velocity.
"By o'clock there was an average
depth of five feet OF water and at mid
night depth Of eight feet Of water
while the current was as swift as the
Mississippi river when that mighty tor
rent is bank-full No person could
stand up against It. As the wind in
creased in severity the houses began Il
go to pieces The wind picked th'
roofs off as though they had beer
shaved from the rafters with grea
J carving knife. Then the buildings be
gan to rock violently and one by on,
they were torn To pieces, crashing
, down upon and killing their occupant
and then rapidly drifting away witt
the powerful current that was sweep
: ing irresistably across the land. Tn,
shrieks and groans of the unfortunst
, people were heartrending as they wer
, buried in the ruins Of their frail struc
5 lures"
I Mr.. Schurtz, Mr.. Thompson and tn
, negro bricklayer were in a house Il
5 which there were fully twenty-6v
people, all huddled together and ter
ror-striclsen at the mighty agony q
the elements. Suddenly there was
8 fearful creaking Of timbers and tn
roof caved in, burying nearly every on
OF the party, only Mr.. Schurtz and tn
!, bricl,layer escaping Mr.. Schurtz clun
: to some floating debris until he saw
! light twinkling In house. He brok
= away from the timber and swan 10 th
i, house and was admitted. There wer
several people in the house. Mr. Schuri
!, had hardly entered, however, whe
: the structure went to pieces, and out {
the ten who were In II, only Mr.. Schurt
=. lady and child got out.
= The latest estimate places the loss {
!. life on the Louisiana coast at nearl
= two thousand and property damage 1
. s5,000,0 900.
a MOBILE, Ala, Oct 5.-Reports I,
4 damage by the storm are coming
= slowly. Railroad shipping and mil
|, are the heaviest losers, the amount n
h gregating nearly million. The 10
: OF human life cannot be estimated
. On Farmers island, opposite u
: city, only two fsrmhouses are stan
. ing, out Of total Of twsnty-three. 3
,, lief expeditions 10 this section found
, group Of little children clinging
!, trees and their parents swept ava
= One house crossed the bay, distan
l. Of fifteen miles and landed OF, y
a tracks OF the Louisville a Naahyil
a railroad. The owner and his iami
q have not yet turned up. On both sid
N Of the bay are many villages, Bome
which are totally destroyed