The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1900-09-13

About noon it became evident that the
| city was going to be visited with disaster
| Hundreds df residences along the beach
front were kurriedly abandoned, the fanli-
| lies fleeing ito dwellings in higher per
lions of the city. Every home was open
| ed to refugees, black and white. The
| winds We're rising constantly, and ii raineG
/ in torrents.l The wind was so fierce thai
| the rain cut like knife.
By o'clock the waters of the Gulf and
bay met, and by dark the entire city was
| submerged. The flooding Of the electric
| light plant and the gas plants left the
| city in darkness. To go upon the streets
| was to court death. The wind was then
at cycisnic velocity, roofs, portions OF
| buildings, telegraph poles and walls were
| falling, and the noise of the wind and
the crashing of the buildings We're terri
| flying in the extreme. The wind and
o'clock Sunday morning.
During all this time the people of Gal
weston were like rats in traps. The high
| est portion of the city was four to five
| feet under water, while in the great ma
| jority of cases the streets were submerged
| to a depth of 10 feet. To leave house
was to drown. To remain was TO court
death in the wreckage.
Without apparent reason the waters
suddenly began to subside at /: 40 a. In.
Within 20 minutes they had gone down
two feet, and before daylight the streets
We're practically freed of the food waters.
In the meantime the wind had veered to
the southeast.
Probably the most accurate description
Of the conditions is contained in a dispatch
from X. NJ Johnson, editor of the Houston
Post, dated Monday, which is as follows:
up to present time no full or accurate
4 Il
OF Saturday have been received here, ow
ing to the prostration of wires, dcstruc-
ton of every bridge, etc.
Galveston is yet isolated. The bridges
from the mainland to the island are de
stroyed, and it may take Il month to prop
erly repair them.
The Post correspondent at Galveston
made his way through the storm yester-
day, and it was abating. He reached
Houston last night. From his hurried
view of the disaster yesterday Galveston
appears to be one great wreck, and con-
sentative estimates Of the dead from
drowning run all the way from 400 to
/ 500. The water WAS 10 feet deep in
parts of the island, and houses were
washed away by the hundred. Eight
large vessels were wrecked. The great
est suffering is for water, as the cisterns
were destroyed and the water works
wrecked. s..,...
1.-The party from Galveston yesterday
estimate half the property ofsthe city de
stroyed. This is a brief outline of all
that we have been able to secure up 10
this time, after the most strenuous and
persistent efforts. The need of assistance
is urgent, and contributions sent to Gov.
Sayers ut Austin will be properly and
promptly applied.
1.-The damage i'll Houston from wind and
water is comparatively light. One life
was lost here from falling wires. At bay
side resorts, about % miles from Hous-
ton, the houses We're mostly blown away,
and five or six deaths occurred, while 10
Oh 20 people are missing and are sup
posed to be drowned. Cd. -
West and southwest of Houston for
80 miles the country has been swept, and
losses are heavy, but few deaths are re
ported. The big sugar plantations at Sar-
tartia and Sugarland were greatly injured.
and the mills are iii ruins. Cotton has
been widely injured. The losses on the
mainland III an area Of more than 40
square miles are considerably over ST.
O0U,Go0, with probably Il score of deaths. -
Some idea of the location of Galveston
Is necessary for an undefSt andiBg of the
terrible damage wrought by the hurIi-
| cane and tidal wave. The city is situated
on an island extending east and west for
about ~ miles. Its greatest width is six
| miles, while no part Of the city, with its
] 5000 inhabitants, is over six feet above
sea level, while a large portion of the isl
| and is only little more than two feet
above the sea. Where the City Hall was
located the island is only one and half
miles wide.
On the bay, or north side of the city,
is the commercial section, with wharves
stretching along for nearly two miles,
| lined with sheds and large storage houses.
| In that portion of Galveston were situated
| three elevators, one of 1,000,000 bushels
capacity, one of 100000, and the third
Of 100000. The island from the north
| side is connected with the mainland by
railroad bridges and the longest wagon
bridge in the world, the latter nearly two
miles in length. In 1872 the entire east
| end of the city was swept away by the
| tidal wave that followed a terrific storm
that swept the Gulf coast for three days.
| Then the eastern ladd on which buildings
stood was literally torn away. The work
Of replacing it has since been going on,
and Fort Point. ttat guards the entrance
to the harbor, has since been built, and
| on its parapets are mounted some of the