Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-09-18
in THE STORM.
Ottumwa Boy Passes Thru
Texas Hurricane.
LONG NIGHT OF HORROR.
Chung to An Overturned caboose
Floating Around Galveston Bay-T.
J. Reveal Describes Experiences in
Letter to His Mother.

From Saturdays Daily
Clinging to an overturned caboose
that was floating about in the high sea
of the Gulf of Mexico, T. J. Reveal, son
of Mr.. and Mrs. R. J. Reveal, No. 229
South Moore street, passed thru the
hurricane that leveled the city of Gal
weston to the ground and did immense
damage to other southern Texas
towns. Mr.. Reveals parents received
a letter from their son yesterday de-
scribing the horrors which he passed
thru, and he now wonders how it was
that his strength held out. Mr.. Re-
veal is brakeman on the railroad be-
tween Houston and Galveston and his
train was just about ready to cross the
bay when the storm struck. The en-
CINE was overturned and the caboose
washed away. MI. Reveal chung to
the car with the conductor of the
train all night and at o'clock Sunday
morning, it grounded far inland. They
| waded and swan seven miles before
| reaching high ground, and now Mr..
Reveal lies in the hospital at Hous-
ton with injuries to his neck and
bruises over the remainder of his body
He says in his letter that no pencil
can draw the horrors of the scene. AS
he lies in the hospital he is weak and
nervous from the effects of his terri
! Bile experience and was evidently la
boring under great excitement when
writing to his parents. Mr.. Reveals
letter follows:
Houston, Texas, Sept. 10, 1900.
My Dear Father and Mother-This
leaves me in the Houston Infirmary
but will be well soon if my neck does
not remain stiff. do not know yet
what it will amount to.
No doubt you have read in the pa
pers of terrible storm on the Gulf of
Mexico, at Galveston, city of 10000
people of whom nobody knows how
many thousand are dead. The storm
blew the water in from the ocean and
completely covered up the town. l
was with my train at the time and we
4 had just reached the bay opposite Gal
I weston when it struck us. The country
is level prairie, almost on level with
the ocean. The wind blew eighty-four
\ miles an hour, and when it reached
that velocity it blew the government
observatory down, and no one knows
! how much faster the wind did blow.
"The water got so deep and the
waves so high that our train was wash.
/ ed away. Our engine was turned ov.
4 er. my caboose was washed out into
4 the country and when the water goes
WI hn div bo
] conductor and myself were in the ca
! boose when it was washed away. 1t
turned over, but by heroic efforts we
managed to hold on, altho at times we
were completely under water and
away just at six o'clock. 1t was dark
and we knew we We're being foated
away somewhere but did not know
4 where. We were compelled to hold on
to the car while huge waves washed
over us and drift wood struck and
bruised us all night. At ocock Sun
day morning the water went down sc
we could wade out and you may think
it big story, but we walked seven
miles before we reached dry land, al
the time wading in depth of water
that varied from knee deep to CHR
, deep. In some places we had to swim
about 100 feet We were completely
exhausted. Only the excitement kept
us going.
mo man can draw the pictures Of
this horror. Dead bodies floating in
the salt water together with animals
pieces of houses, and in fact every
thing imaginable that would float
Thousands are drowned. am weak
; and nervous, sore and bruised all over
At times would think could not hole
on to the car any longer, but to lei
loose was certain death. God alone
gave me the strength to stand this aw
full experience. My back is lame ant
my neck is stiff and cannot turn my
head. Time alone will tell my future
But, will live and / thank God fol
that. l cannot write any more today
) but will send you some papers.
your son, T. ]. Reveal"