Evening journal., 1900-09-15
Heavy Exodus From The Storm
Stricken City
DEPRESSION FELT EVERYWHERE
More Hopeful Reports Are Received
Touching Repairs to Crippled
Water System

Galveston. Sept. 1A-The first real
attempt to clear away the great mass
Of debris piled along the beach front
for q distance of several miles was
begun yesterday. Advertisements were
printed in The News, which appeared
yesterday, asking for hundreds Of men
and boys to do this work, and a null
titude responded. They were formed
into squads and promptly put to work,
with police and deputy sheriffs in
charge. It is hoped that q vigorous
prosecution Of this work VIII lead to
the early recovery Of bodies still IN
the debris That there are many OF
them there is no shadow of doubt. II
is difficult, indeed, to imagine how half
the people that did escape got free Of
this fearful iotsam and jetsam.
a press representative traversed the
beach for some distance yesterday, and
the stencil at different points was abb
solutely sickening. Everywhere little
groups OF men, women and children,
some OF them poorly provided with
raiment. We're digging in the ruins Of
their homes for what little household
property they could save. In many
cases those seeking their former resi-
dences were utterly unable to find a
single remnant of them, so hopeless
ig the confusion of timbers and house
hold furniture.
The exodus from the city was heavy
yesterday, and hundreds more who
were eager to go were unable to secure
transportation. Along the bay front
there were scores of families with de-
jected faces pleading to be taken from
the stricken city, where, in spite Of
every effort to restore confidence, there
is q universal feeling Of depression.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
number of boats carrying passengers
between Texas City and Galveston has
been largely increased, it was impos-
sible Thursday to leave the city after
the early morning hours, and hundreds
of men, women and children, all
anxious to depart, suffered great in
convenience and hardship and were
after all compelled to sleep upon the
beach at Texas City waiting for the
morning. There is but one steamboat
plying across Galveston bay which is
able to carry passengers in any num-
ber, and even this boat is able to make
the trip only with extreme caution, on
account OF the shaIlowness of the bay.
Thursday morning the Lawrence, af-
ter iamming her nose into the mud,
remained aground all day. Her pas
sengers were taken off in small boats,
but all day long the Lawrence remain
ed hard and fast aground.
This compelled all those who were
unable to come on the first trip Of the
Lawrence to trust themselves to sail
boats, ana by noon a dozen Of them
heavily loaded started from Galveston
to Texas City, where the feet was
scattered over Galveston bay by dis
tance of anywhere between one mile
and three miles. The wind died away
utterly. There was not puff of air.
The boats could neither go on to Texas
City nor return to Galveston, and all
through the afternoon they lay mo-
tionless upon the CLASSY water. None
of them had more than a meager sup
ply of water and no food, as the trip
ordinarily does not require above an
hour The supply of water was soon
exhausted. the sun beat down with a
mereiless severity, and in a short time
babies and young children became i'll
and in many instances their mothers
were also prostrated
There was absolutely no relief to be
had, as the tugs of Galveston bay
which might have given the sloops
tow are all made for deep sea work
and draw too much water to allow OF
their crossing the shallow channel
Hour after hour the people on the
boats, all OF which were densely
packed, were compelled to broil in the
torturing, binding sun without the
slightest current Of air to render theil
situation more bearable All after.
noon they were becalmed, and a slight
breeze arising in the evening, at
o'clock the sailing craft which had lef
Galveston al noon began to dump theil
passengers upon the beach at Texa!
City. This place is now among tn,
things that once were. There is nC
house. no tsuts. no accommodations o.
any kind save d few passenger coaehe.
standing upon the railroad track
These wcea spcoiiiy filled, and the bal
ance OF tne women and children, al
hungry, and the latter crying for food
were compelled TO remain on the beach
II u,ae fnllv % hours after fhefi