The herald., 1897-09-14
TORNADO
IN TEXAS
Kills People and Smashes
Buildings
PORT ARTHUR STRUCK
Six Persons Are Known to
Be Dead
SABINE PASS SUFFERS ALSO
AND THE DAMAGE Is SOMETHING
DREADFUL
SABINE PASS SUFFERS ALSO
AND THE DAMAGE Is SOMETHING
DREADFUL
No List of Dead Given, But the Town
Is Thought to Be Wiped
From the Face Of
the Earth
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
PORT ARTHUR, Tex, Sept. ia
tornado, terrible in its intensity, struck
this city at an early hour last evening
Six people are known to have been killed,
while many others were injured. Build
irgs were blown down and great dam
age was wrought by the cyclone.
Dead:
FRANK ALBRIGHT, Kansas City,
employed by Electric Light company.
GEORGE MARTIN, bricklayer, resi-
dence unknown.
FRITZ MICHAELS, laborer, resi-
dence unknown.
UNKNOWN MAN, aged 80.
MAY AINSWORTH, 13-year-old
daughter of William Ainsworth.
INFANT SON of w. H. Johnson,
blown from it's mothers arms and
drowned.
injured:
MRS. ROY STAFFORD, right leg
broken near the hip.
ROY STAFFORD, legs badly bruised.
L. STAFFORD, seriously injured
Many buildings were blown down, in
Guiding the railroad round house in
which May Ainsworth was killed; the
natatorium, bank building, Town Site
company's barns, Hotel Hayden, Strong
& Leagues building, shifted off founda-
tions; Colonnade hotel, Spence & Lyons
building, c. j. MiTler's grocery store,
several barns, Kanadis' saloon, the
Herald office, Alfred VOLTS saloon, the
Hayes building and A. A. Solinski's
grocery. Several residences suffered Sc
verely, that of DR.. w. A. Barraclough
beirg carried across the street. Many
outbuildings were completely blown
away.
From early morning the sky was
threatening and a stiff gale blew. No
rain of consequence fell until in the
afternoon, and then 1t was accompanied
by a heavy wind that increased in in
tensity until it reached the velocity of
eighty miles an hour. Every building
in the town is Of frame construction ex-
cept one brick, the Port Arthur Banking
company building, one end and roof of
which was blown away
The bodies of the victims have been
sent to Beaumont for interment, no
cemetery having as yet been started
here.
There were many acts Of bravery, and
the suspense during the severity Of the
storm was terrible.
Advices from Winnie, Tex. say that
nearly all the houses there have been
blown down and torn away. At Webb
all of the barns and one house were de-
molished and scattered over the coun-
try. Nothing can be heard from Sa-
bine Pass, as all telegraphic communi-
cation has been interrupted. A relief
train left Beaumont tonight for this
place and Sabine Pass.
Ed Kirscherner, prominent citizen,
was on a Gulf and Interstate railroad
train, on his way to Beaumont, when
the storm struck this section.
Everyone on the train. thought We
would be blown from the track" he
said tonight. 1T was pitch dark and
raining and the wind was blowing as it
never blew before"
It Is known that much destruction was
wrought at Sabine Pass, with probable
loss Of life. Everything possible is be-
ing done to establish communication
with that place.
Later-The following telegram has
just been received from Mr.. Kircherrer.
at Beaumont:
''The relief train has just returned
from Sabine Pass 1t could not get
nearer than eight miles of Sa bine Pass
1t is reported that the new town is COM
pletely gone. Nothing heard from the
old town. From reports things look bad
there"
NOT so SERIOUS
NEW ORLEANS La, Sept. ia dis
patch from Baton Rouge tonight says
the Southern Pacific at that place re-
ceived a dispatch from the agent at Sa-
bine Pass, who walked from Sabine Pass
to Port Arthur, stating that the track
for eight miles is washed away and that
about thirty people are missing. He re-
ports the sinking of two tugs and the
drowning of Green Moore and Lewis
Better. prominent steamboat men, at
Orange.
A later message says that the loss of
life at the pass will not be SO great as re-
ported, probably not more than six or
seven.
Later still, dispatch from Sabine
Pass says the loss of property is slight
AT GALVESTON
GALVESTON, Sept. 13.-At an early
hour this morning the wind at Galveston
gained a velocity Of thirty-seven miles
an hour. Ships had been forewarned of
the expected storm and things along the
dock were in good shape A few small
skiffs were sunk and two barges were
driven ashore on the fats west Of the
wharves. The only building to suffer