Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-19
Total .s2l4.
4 BENETIT ENCURSION.


The Virginia Navigation Company.
through Captain j. w. McCarrick. vice
president, has offered the steamer Po-
cahontas for an evening excursion next
Friday or any evening thereafter when
the steamer is here and unengagcd.
All that is necessary is for some be-
nevolent institution to take hold Of the
matter.
y benefit moonlight excursion to the
Capes would prove popular, and no
doubt turn in Il goodly sum. Norfolks
musical talent would also contribute
its services for n fine program of music
ana song, and no doubt n good band
could be secured for this worthy cause
at little or no expense.
FURTHER CHURCH CONTRI-
BUTTONS.
In addition to the churches reported
yesterday the following have been
heard from. the amounts named repre-
senting their last Sundays collection
for the sufferers: Freemason Street
Baptist. $685.; Mckendree Methodist,
$4,000: Trinity Methodist 1885; Spur
geon Memorial Baptist. SLIT; Christ
Episcopal. S17.11; Sacred Heart Catho
lie Church. SlG.C0.
Bishop Van Devyver. of the Virginia
Diocese. has directed that all money
collected in the Catholic Churches
throughout the State next Sunday be
MASONS CONTRIBUTE.
Masonic Lodge, No. 149, at n meeting
held at Drivers last Saturday, donated
$25. 90 for the relief of the Masonic sur
fercrs at Galveston.
NORFOLK PEOPLE SAFE.
The many friends of Mrs. Arthur G.
Lewis and her children, who were on
the Comal during the awful storm in
Gulf of Mexico. will pleased to learn
that they are safe and well. The Vir-
ginian- Pilot yesterday received copy
of the Waco Times Herald. Of last Fri
day. In ii is q thrilling column story
telling of the fearful experiences of
Mr. Fred. II. Lewis. of that city, in
trip TO Galveston to ascertain the fate
OF his wife and sisterinlaw and her
children, all OF whom were on the
Comal.
After extreme hardships OF many
hours wading and swimming among
floating corpses and perilous trip in
a small boat, he finally reached the
ship Monday evening and remained on
her until Wednesday last.
The horrors of the trip may be seen
from MI Lewis words:
THE bridges. of course, We're all
washed away, and when we came to a
culvert we must of necessity wade and,
in many instances, we had TO swim.
Every place we were forced to remove
pass on.
NO words of mine can express the
Sickening scenes that we saw. Hun
gered as we were and exhausted physi-
cally ii seemed as every step would be
our last. Added to this the indescriba-
BILE stencil that emanated from dead
bodies and the drift was enough to kill
any one, but we stood it.
AT one place, ] think about the
deepest water we reached after we left
the bay. l saw n bunch of drift that
had gathered. / was simply exhausted
and was ready to give up. but made a
lunge for this drift, at what / thought
was the branch of tree. but it was
the limb of n human being. and the
flesh fell off when l touched it. | made
another lungc and succeeded in getting
Il hold of Il firm piece of timber, and
rested here sufficiently that / could go
on. and ! finally reached the city and
learned that IL short time before that
The Comal had come into port. I went
to il Immediately and was taken on
board. Imagine my great joy when ]
found that my Wife and my sister-in-
law ana her children were safe and
Well, But for me, I was more dead
than alive. ] reached the ship about
o'clock Monday evening and remained
on her until Wednesday,"
Mrs. Lewis says the accounts in the
papers OF the trip of the Comal were
correct. They ran into a fierce storm
near Key West and was delayed two
days. She says the first indication that
the passengers had oc a storm at Gail
weston was when they had gotten with
in about rye miles of the CITY. they s,lv,
dead bodies floating on the waters.
Then they knew the worst had hap
pcncd.
Mir. Lewis. his wife, Mrs. Arthur G..
lewis. ana her children are all now at
Waco Texas. nndeavorne to recover
after their terrible experience that will
never he eradicated from their memory.