The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-16
RESCUE OF STORM VICTIMS.
Gallant Work Of the Crew of the
Revenue Cutter Galveston.

| The report of the safety of the revenue
cutter Galveston and her crew was con-
firmed yesterday by letters received at the
| Treasury Department from an officer OF
! that vessel. In letter written on the 9tl
! inst, he states: "Ail the sheds on the
wharves have been leveIed to the ground.
| or nearly so. l do not think there is
| house that has not been more or less dam
/ aged. or blown to the ground. While the
/ wind was blowing over sixty miles an
I hour We sent out a boat with a rescuing
! party to row up one of the streets. The
] first trip they succeeded in saving thirteen
women and children, and brought them
back to the vessel in safety. II was use
less 10 attempt to row the boat against the
terrific wind, and, as the water was at this
time not over mans head in the Streets
a rope wcuId be sent out to the nearest
telegraph pole, and by that means the boat
could be hauled along from pole to pole
This was accomplished only by the most
herculean efforts on the part of the men
who held the rope. hut between swimming,
walking. and aoundering along in the teeth
Of the gale the rOps would finally be made
fast. Then it was all the crew of one o.
ficer and seven men could do to pull the
boat against the fierce blast of the cyclone.
BY working all Saturday afternoon and
evening and uD to ! a. m Sunday the
brave boys succeeded in rescuing thirty
four men, women, and children, whom they
put in a place of safety and provided with
sufficient provisions for their immediate
wants. Finally on account of the darkness.
the increasing violence of the storm. and
the vast amount OF wreckage in the streets.
the rescuing party was reluctantly COM
PEELED 10 return TO the vessel.
"On board the ship it was period OF in
tense anxiety for all hands. No one slept,
and it was only by the almost superhuman
efforts Of the officers and crew that we
rode out the hurricane in safety. With this
exception of the carrying away Of the port
forward rigging and the smashing of all
the window skylights, the vessel sustained |
no serious injury. Not a single person on
board was injured in any way
Under date of the 11th inst. the same Of 4
ficer writes: We think there have been I
5000 lives lost l cannot begin TO tell OF /
the number of houses blown down or the /!
damage done. Our new distiller, which /
came down on the New York steamer has .
been set up on deck, and we are thus en- /
abled to relieve much suffering by sup /
plying drinking water to the many who /.
call on us for relief. We have also fur /
nished as much food TO the needy as We /
can possibly spare. All that can be thought |
OF now is the dsposiRg Of the dead. AL |
ready one steamer load and four barge /
loads have been sent out to sea.
During the height Of the hurricane the |
tide rose seven or eight feet above the |
usual high water and three feet over the .
wha~~, There are 500 taen working TO /
Tepair the city water works and in the /
mean time We are furnishing al the water !
We can possibly diztill TO the sufferers. and /
aiding them IL such other ways as lie in /
our power"