Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-09-14
STORM IN TEXAS.

AS stated yesterday storm swept
The Texas coast Sunday night. The
towns of Port Arthur, Sabine Pass and
Sabine were inundated. The estimates
of death in these places vary from eight
to forty. The towns named are cut of
from railroad communication because
of the food and from telegraphic COM
munication by reason of the blowing
down of the wires. Relief trains have
been sent from Beaumont but up TO
late hour last night they had been un-
able to reach the scene of the disaster.
To the west of Sabine the town and
ranches and farms along the coast for 40
miles have been devastated. In the
town of Winnie only two houses remain
standing. To the south of Galveston
there is known to have been a great
rise in the waters as far as Corpus
Christi, but communication is cut oil
and no news has been received. Gal.
weston, lucky as usual, escaped without
trouble. The towns of Sabine, Port
Arthur and Sabine Pass are in Jefferson
county, the southeasternmost county in
Texas.
For two days. Friday and Saturday,
the wind bad been blowing heavily
from the southwest, driving the waters
of the gulf into Sabine lake and its trib
utaries. Sunday this southwest wind
increased to gale and the water pour.
ed in from the sea at q tremendous rate.
Suddenly Sunday night the wind
swung around into the north and de-
veloped into one of the fercest blows
that has been experienced Whereabouts
in years. The winds whipped the water
back from the rivers and drove it to-
ward the lake, and the waters of the
lake were driven against the waters
that we're rushing in from the gulf.
Unable to stay within the natural
channels, the waters broke out over the
lands and swept along in mighty
waves. Wherever these waves met an
obstacle it was washed aside as if it
we're of paper. Within a 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 it rained in
torrents. The force of the wind was in
itself sufficient to dismantle any frail
structure.
The people of the three towns, Sa-
bine, Sabine Pass and Port Arthur,
were practically in trap threatened
from within and without.
To the east of Sabine the reports
show the devastation was almost en-.
tirely due to the wind storm.
At Winnie every house but two was
blown down. The great dairy farm OF
ex.Gov. Wheeler, of Iowa, is wrecked.
The Creed Hotel was blown from it's
foundations. The store of R. A.
Thornton was demolished. The home
of Mrs. Gregory was destroyed. The
store end warehouse of u. R. Guess
we're torn to pieces and the merchan-
disc ruined by water and every resi-
dence was damaged more or less.
All along the route of the gulf and inter-
state road for twenty miles on either side of
Winnie farmhouses and barns were blown
down and trees uprooted and wreckage
strewn about.
At Sour Lake, on the Southern Pacific rail-
road, immediately to the north of Winnie,
the roof was blown from 8 passenger coach.
Passengers who were travelling on trains that
passed through the storm say that the car
windows were broken by the gale and that in
many cases the passengers were drenched.
The newly established towns of Webb, sea
breeze, Check and Fanuette. on the Gulf and
Interstate, are practically wiped out the frail
structures erected there being picked up and
hurled about by the wind as if they were of
little or no weight.