The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-29
GULFHURRICANE'SSVEEP
Wreckage and Loss Of Life in and
Near Sabine Pass, Texas.
TIDAL WAVE WRECKS TOWNS.

)eatll and Disaster Resulted From
Flood and Storm That Swept the
Texas Coast-The Town of Winnie Said
to Have Been Destroyed - Damage
at Other Points is Very Extensive.
GALVESTON, Texas (SpeciaD.-A terrific
storm swept over Port Arthur and Sabine
Pass and that section OF Texas, causing
the loss Of many lives and very great de-
,tructlon OF property.
The towns of Port Arthur, Sabine Pass
and Sabine were inundated. The estimates
Of the deaths in these places vary from
,ight to twenty. The towns were cut off
lrom railroad communications because OF
he food and from telegraphic communi-
,ation because the telegraph wires were
blown down. Relief trains have been sent
from Beaumont.
To the west OF Sabine the towns and
ranches and farms along the coast for forty
miles have been wrecked or damaged. In
the town of Winnie only two houses remain
standing. To the south Of Galveston there
Is known to have been great rise In the
waters as far as Corpus Christi. Calves.
ton, lucky as on former occasions, escaped
without trouble.
For two days the wind had been blowing
heavily from the southwest, driving the
waters out OF the Gulf into the lake and
It's estuaries. Finally this southwest wind
increased to O gale and the water poured
in from the sea at q great rate. Suddenly
the wind swung around into the north and
deyeloped into the fercest blow that has
been experienced in many years. The
winds whipped the water back from the
rivers and drove 1t toward the lake, and
the water Of the lake was driven against
the water that was rushing in from the
Gulf.
The meeting Of these two great forces Of
water made bank Of water which had to
find an outlet. Unable to stay within the
natural channels the water broke out over
the prairie lands and swept along in mighty
waves. Wherever these waves met an OBJ
stacle It was washed aside'a II 1t were OF
paper.
Within few hours the level Of the waters
In the territory within radius OF six miles
of Sabine Pass had risen eight feet. To add
to the terrors OF the situation 1t rained IN
torrents. The force Of the wind was in It.
self sufficient to dismantle any frail struc-
ture.
The people OF the three towns; Sabine,
Sabine Pass, and Port Arthur, were prac:
tically in trap, threatened from within
and without. Wreck and devastation were
being wrought by the wind, and death by
drowning was in the food.
1t was reported that eight persons were
killed and twelve injured by the storm at
Port Arthur and that forty had been killed
at Beaumont.
At Winnie every house but two was blown
down. The great dairy farm OF x.Governor
Wheeler, Of Iowa, was wrecked. The
Creel Hotel was blown from its foun-
dations. The store Of E. A. Thorn
ton was demolished, The home OF Mrs.
Gregory was destroyed. The store and
warehouse OF 2. r. Guess were torn to
pieces and the merchandise ruined by
water. Every residence was damaged
more or less. All along the route OF the
Gulf and Interstate Railroad for twenty
miles, on each side of Winnie, farmhouses
and barns were blown down and trees up
rooted and wreckage strewn about.
At Sour Lake, on the Southern Pacific
Railroad, Immediately to the north OF Win
ME, the roof was blown of Of passenger
coach.
The newly established towns Of Webb.
Seabreeze, Cheek and Fannette, on the Gulf
and Interstate Railroad, are practically
wiped out, the frail structures erected there
being picked up and hurled about by the
wind 90 is they were OF little or no weight.
Two tugs owned by Moore Belts, OF
Orange, were sunk In the Sabine' Pass,
drowning Messrs. Moore and Belts. Three
quarters of the buildings at Port Arthur
have been blown down. A number OF peo-
pie fed to the Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
roundhouse there for safety. Six were
blown off and killed and fifteen Injured.