The free press., 1900-09-13

The following message from GoV
ernor Sayers, OF Texas, was given ou
Sunday afternoon
Information has just reached mt
that about 5000 lives have been los
at Galveston, with enormous destruc
ton Of property. No information
from other points.
JOSEPH D. SAVERS, Governor.
Galveston, Tex.-(Special. )-The
most appalling calamity in the his
tory of modern times has befaller
Galveston. Everywhere there is death
and ruin and desolation. A great
commercial city is stricken with
misfortune and her people appeal to
the outside world for help. Estimates
of the loss OF life vary from 600 to
LOO Parents mourn their children
and children are made orphans by
the terrible hurricane which swept
all of South Texas Saturday and Sat
urday night.
The damage to business and resi-
dence property is beyond computa-
tion. The city is almost ruined.
The wharf front is entirely gone
Every ocean steamer is stranded. The
fine steamer Alamo lies upon the top
Of the Mallory wharf, and big Eng
lish cotton laden steamer was driven
ashore at Texas City. Other vessels
are aground in different parts OF the
bay, some hopelessly wrecked. The
tug Louise, of the Houston Direct
Navigation Company, is under water
at Red Fish. Two of the crew were
drowned, the remainder escaping in
the life boat.
No pen can depict, or language ad-
equately describe the awfulness OF
the situation. 1t is simply immense
unparalleled, and even those who
went through the experience of the
storm and survived are so dazed they
can hardly realize the enormty Of
the loss.
In the confusion of Sunday morn
ing it was impossible to secure list
OF the dead. A boat was chartered to
run to Texas City and on this the
Houston Post correspondent had to
hurriedly depart But from what he
saw during Saturday and heard from
some Of the leading business men he
can assure the public that they need
immediate relief. The object in
sending to Texas City was to get into
touch with the outside world and let
it know that a stricken city is in mis-
fortune and asks the people of the
country to send food and clothing
and water.
The water works are in ruins and
the cisterns all blown away so that
the lack Of water is one of the most
serious of the present troubles. De-
bris is everywhere. Electric light
and telegraph poles are nearly all
prostrated and the streets are Uttered
with timbers, slate, glass and every
conceivable character OF debris.
There is hardly habitable house in
the entire city and nearly every busi-
ness house is badly damaged. The
school buildings are unroofed, such
edifices as the Ball high school and
Rosenberg school buildings being
badly wrecked. The fine churches
are almost in ruins. The elevators
and warehouses are unfit for use, the
electric light plant has collapsed and
SO has the cotton factory.
From fremont to 2 street, thence
to the beach not vestige of resi-
dence is to be seen.
In the business section of the city
the water was from three to ten feet
deep in stores, and stocks of all
kinds, including foodstuffs, are total
losses. Men in newspaper life are
used to narrowing scenes, but the
experience of newsgatherers on this
fatal Saturday night beggars descrip-
tion. In making the rounds it was
nothing to see women and children
emerging from once comfortable and