The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-18

LIS taS 70 civ In
Total Darkness-OmcIaI Reports to
War Department From General Nc
Kibbi and Engineer Richie
Galveston, September 13.-Galveston
in beginning slowly TO recover from
the stunning blow OF last week, and
though n city appears tonight TO be
pitilessly desolated the authorities and
the commercial and industrial inter-
ests are setting their forces TO work
and a start has at least been made to-
ward the resumption Of business on a
moderate scale.
The presence of the troops has had
a beneficial effect upon the criminal
classes and the apprehension of a brief
but desperate reign of anarchy now
no longer exists. The liquor saloons
ave at least temporarily gone out of
oTfiness and every strong limbed ma
mo has not his own humble abode TO
fdok after is being pressed into service,
50 hat first of all the water service
may be resumed, the CUTTERS flushed,
I'D the streets lighted.
The further the ruins are dug into
Nth greater become the increase in the
list of those who persisted as their
houses tumbled about their heads. On
the 1--WE beach yesterday a searching
party found a score of cOrpses within
a small area, going to show that the
bulWark of debris that lies straight
across the island conceals many more
bodies than have been accounted for.
BODIES WASHED UP ALONG THE
A
Volunteer gangs continue their work
of hurried burial of the corpses they
find on the shores of Galveston island
at the many neighboring points where
fatalities attended the storm. 1t will
probably be many days Yet, however,
before all the floating bodies LAY
found nameless raves
Along h beach they are constantly
being washed up. Whether these are
those who were swept out into the
gulf and drowned or are simply the
return ashore OF some of those cast
into the sea to guard against terrible
pestilence, there is no means of know
ing. In any event the Associated Press
correspondent in a trip across the bay
yesterday, counted seven bodies toss-
ing in the waves, with a score of horses
and cattle, the stencil from which was
~unbearable. In various parts of the
city the smell of decomposed flesh is
still apparent. Wherever such in
SNAANNCo "1S "a NIC 4
freely ~diSinfecting. Only today a babe
dashed to a mattress was picked UP
under a residence in the very heart of
the city and was buried.
THE STREETS STILL BLOCKED.
The city still presents the appear
ance of widespread wreck and ruin.
little has been done to clear the streets
of the terrible tangle of wires n the
masses OF mortar, state,
AstOne and glass that beStrew them.
Iany OF the sidewalks are impossible.
Some of them are Uttered with debris.
Others are so thickly covered with
slime that walking on them is out of
the question. AS a general rule, sub
. ~stantial frame buildings withstOod bet
kter the blasts of the gale h those of
brick. In other instances, however,
small wooden structures, cisterns and
whole sides of houses have been
pumped down in streets or back yards,
squares away from where they origi-
nally stood.
One of the most serious results of
the storm has been the ripping of the
electric light and street plants. The
city has been in absolute darkness for
several nights and only a few concerns
who operate their own illuminating
service are enabled to do business.
Among the worst sufferers by the
disaster were the churches. Nearly
every one of them felt the effect of the
storm. Some of them are entire
wrecks, absolutely beyond repair.
THE WORK OF RELIEF.
The work of relief continues energet-
ically. Mayor Jones and his associates
are bending every nerve ito open a di-
rect line of transportation with HouS-
ton by which he may be enabled
promptly to receive the great quanti-
ty of provisions which are now on the
way to the city.
The relief committee us striving to
systematic its work and there is un-
dOubtedly distress here which ought
to be relieved promptly. The commit
tee has instructed the local drug stores
to provide the poor and needy with
medicine at the expense of the relief
fund
OFFICIAL REPORTS.
Washington, SEPTEMBER 13.-Ihe war
department has received { following
. telegram from General McKibbin, who
MAS sent to Galveston to report on con-
ditions there:
Houston, Texas, September Il.
"Adjutant General, Washington:
Arriving at Galveston 6 O'Clock p.
m, having been ferried across the bay
in a yawl boat. 1t is impossible to
listing. The storm began about $
O'Clock a. m, on Saturday and contin-
ued with constantly increasing vic
lence until after midnight. The island
was inundated; the height of the tide
was from IL to 13 feet. The wind was
a cyclone. With few exceptions, every
building in the city is injured. Hun
dreds are entirely destroyed.
'.All the Notifications, except the
rapid fire battery at SAN Jaclnto, are
practically destroyed. At San Jaclnto
every building except the quarantine
station has been swept away Battery
O., First artillery, lost twenty-eign'
men. The officers and their families
were all saved. Three members OF dne
hospital corps were, lost. Names Will
be sent as soon as possible
Loss of life on the island is proba-
ably more than one thousand Al
bridges are gone, water works destroy
ed and all telegraph lines are down
Colonel Roberts was in b city ano
made every effort to get kilograms
~ M