The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-18
PASS THROUGH It
Bert and Bessie Brown of
Wichita at Galveston.
WERE ON A PLEASURE TRIP
Two of Their Companions
Swallowed Up in the Storm

Word was received in the city yester-
day that Mr. Bert Brown of this city,
and Miss Bessie Brown, his sister, who
want through the Galveston food have
Joined their parents at South McAlester,
I II. more dead than alive"
Mr. Bert Brown and Miss Bessie Brown
are the son and daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
D. n. Brown of Eagle street, Wichita
Mr. Brown being assistant United States
attornev in the Indian Territory and re-
siding temporarily at South McAlester.
Week before last, Bert Brown, about
y years old, Bessie Brown, younger than
ner brother, and Mrs. Bryan and her
daughter Alice, aged II, and Mrs w. q.
Weimer set out from South McAlester for
a pleasure trip to Galveston TheyF were
enioying their visit TO that city when the
storm came up and two of the party
were lost, Mrs Bryan and Miss Alice.
Young Brown and his sister had chance
TO leave the stricken city by the first
ooat. but he insisted on remaining and
hunting for his lost companions.
The scenes this young Wichita man and
woman saw in Galveston in the days that
followed the flood and the experience
they passed through have unnerved them.
The story told by their companion, Mrs.
Weimer, however, is their story. And
Mrs. Weimer, who was the fiIs5t woman
to leave the stricken city after the catas-
trophe says:
I'VE had been in Galveston nearly a
week. and had enjoyed every minute Of
our stay Saturday morning early we
held a little conference and decided to re-
turn home that evening. We all went up
town together and took breakfast at a
restaurant Then we went shopping to
buy some trinkets and tokens to carry
home to our friends. The day, which had
broke serene and beautiful became cloudy
and then it commenced to rain, and it
simply poured, and the wind blew hard
er every minute, but no one seemed to
mind. Finally. after waiting ever so
long for the rain to stop, we decided TO
return to our rooms on fremont street,
and we boarded a street car. 1t was the
last one that went that way and it new
er reached its destination. When in q
few blocks of our destination we had to
dismount and walk wthe rest of the way,
aad the wind was blowing so hard that
we found It difficult 10 walk. When we
reached the house where I and the
Browns were stopping-the residence OF
rs P a. Shannon, Mrs. Bryan and
daughter declined an invitation to enter
and hurried on to their own room at the
residence Of Mrs. Ripley, about three
blocks further down on fremont street
When they entered the family were up
stairs at lunch and invited them up. anC
they accepted the invitation and spent az
hour jestinsy and laughing at the storm
which all the time increased in violence
and about that time the water from IN,
gulf reached the yard and crept steadily
up to the house tSnl no enc seemed t,
be alarmed, but all hands went TO worl
and moved trunks. furniture and every
thing the water would injure from tn,
first to the second floor Of the house
BY the time this was done the waite
poured into the basement and the house
hold began TO be alarmed rhen it wa
that we determined to go and ask Mrs
Bryan to come and stay with us. A Mr.
Shannon, Mr. Brown Bessie and mysel
swift and it was with difficulty we reach
ed the house. in places wading up TO on
waists in the water. A. the house "
found that they had nailed up the door
on the front SO we waded around 20 III
rear and were met on the steps by Mrs
Bryan. Alice, Mrs. Ripley and her tire
sons. They were laughing and not at al
frightened. We urged them to go to III
fremont hotel or come with US. but Mrs
Ripley assured US that their house wa
one Of the strongest on the street an
Mrs Bryan declared that she did no
t5ink she could wade out in the storr
and of course Alice would not leave be
mother. Then we started To fight ~,
way back and it required all our strencf
TO keep from being blown away but Y
got back safely. BY this time the win
was almost o hurricane. the window
were being smashed and the water swer
IN drenching everything and everv5oI,
'Hr mouse was almost like shin in
storm at sea. The young men in on
Rouse swan ont in the back ward an
caught boards which they used To na
over the doors and windows to keen -,
'ae water. We could hear nothing abo,
me Jury OF the storm, and as the yarl
ness hid the view We were shared f,,
TIE sight and the cries Of the irovni,
whom 1t would have been impossible +.
Us TO aid in the sorm-
And the next morning what ,a,,ri,,
sight met our ewes when the crrtai,
darkness was lifted, Where had bae
beautiful homes the evening before -ha
Were only piles of vreckage or enp
space. Nineteen dead bodies were in ;,
w:eckase about our house. Several ,~.
zinc ciSterns We're lodged arzn,sr q,
Rouse. and tho scene Of destruction, "a,
deSolauon was As terrible as il Is ind;
ort5aole- The first person 10 reach III
house was III. z. l. Porch. -, q
friend Of the shannon family. He n.
spent the nisht st the fremont ?
was overjoyed 10 nnd as safe. and ~
Us Ia write some kilograms. and If 81,
a thing wss possible he would carry r
tidinss across the bay. and he did
You know
As quickly as possible we started
find utings OF Mrs. Bryan and Ali.
cut the house was gone. scarcely a Y,
uge % il remained Twice We thcu-
that We had found them. hut each 4,
Il proved 10 he a strange. Then
found Mrs. Ripley who had escaped a
from her learned the story that left
scarcely hope that our friends W.
s,in alive. of Mrs Rsa.ey's three sol
TWO were grown. ard % these. Her
Ripley, was found dead. near by. He D
LIST his own life in a noble eYc-,
save Mrs. Bryan and Aztec. Betwe
heartoroken so5s the mother to.d Is
story. When il became apparent 10 tii