The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-11
SCENES AT GALVESTON.
Graphic Description of the Great Disaster
Relief Is Needed

that Is also probsbility--,be bos,s. 49,.
under the pile OF rubbish ' arc
AS sunday morning dawnes m, .,-...
were hned with people half-clad crlnnien
an every conceivable manner, hobblina A.
pssl they could tn where they cou'd re.
se,'e ATTENTION OF physicians for them
1865 anu summon for friends and rela-
ives who could not move.
Police Officer John Bowe who r...,,.
was awarded prize as the mo-, ,,o,,''as
ohcer In tina city, was met nv TIE 10,
correspondent in pitiable condition: the
Toes on both his feet were broken. two
tips were caved IN and his head badly
bruised; but his own condition. he SAD
was nothing. My house with VIII. ,nn
cnildren are in the gulf; | have nothing
on earth for which to live!"
Notable among the sufferers was MIA
okeefe, who has for years kept . oonu-
lar resort on the beach and who ia known
TO every visitor to Galveston; az the old
man came trudging along, no was bemoap-
,ns the loss oil his wife and everything
ne had on earth; whern his resort stood
on the beach, facing the gulf, there ia not
yestige of building or piling to he seen.
The great bathing pavilion known as the
Pagoda, the big pleasure resort olympla
ana Murdock's bath houses are all swept
away into the gulf
lhese were few bodies on the beach:
they had been swept into the gulf or driv-
EN- up into the rubbish by the waves only
nalf dozen OF them were Ia sight from
the place where the workers were, though
there were probably others further up.
one incident was that OF a 3-year-old
by who sat holding his broken head in
his two hands, making not a murmur of
a nj ln xpae talr ~,
smiling at the Joy OF human companionshlp
al er hi awful experiences; he will prob
ably recover.
The houses of all prominent citizens
which have escaped destruction have been
turned into hospitals, as have the hotels;
there Is scarcely one Of the houses which
are left standing which does not contain
one or more OF the dead as well as the
injured.
The rain began to pour down in tor
rents and the party went back down Tre-
mont street toward the city, The misery
of the poor people, all mangled and hurt,
pressing to the city for medical attention,
was greatly augmented by this rain. stop
ping at a small grocery store to avoid
the rair, the party found 1t packed with
Injured; the provisions In the store had
been ruined and there was nothing for
the numerous customers who came hungry
and tired; the place was a hospital no
longer store Further down the street
restaurant which had been submerged
by water was serving out soggy crackers
and cheese to the hungry crowd; that was
all that was left; they were soaked full
OF water but the people who were fortu.
nate enough to get those sandwiches were
hungry and made no complaint.
On return to the fremont hotel, which
ia tha ~ I'M citv ho ri 90
found the death list to be swelling rapid
ly, the accounts coming from every par
ton of the city; 1t is hard to determine
whlt section of the city suffered the
greatest damage and loss OF life; informa-
ticn from the extreme east and extreme
western portions OF the city was difficult
to obtain; in fact, 1t was nearly impos-
sible, but the reports which were received
indicated that those two sections had SUI
fered the same fate that the rest OF the
CITY had, and to possibly greater degree.
Fifteen men, constituting all that re-
maired of a company CT regular soldiers
stationed at the beach barracks, were
marched down Market street; the loss q
life among the soldiers In the barracks
which were destroyed must have been full
ly n hundred. and perhaps later reports
will swell the list.
At 1880 Sunday morning the water had
receded from the higher portions OF the
city, but the streets near the bay front
stlll contained from two and a half Il
three feet OF water.
The News office on Mechanic street
was flooded; the back end OF the building
caved = the engine and boiler were filled
with water, making 1t Impossible for :
paper to be issued.
In order to send relief a thorough
system should be inaugurated. Idle sight
seers who go down to see the wreck ana
ruin should not be given transportation II
the supply boats. They take up valuable
room and become consumers in a com
munity which has no food for itself. Fol
some time yet it will require every boat
procurable to convey supplies into the
city as there is neither food nor water
obtainable, and the latter is particu
| larly necessary. 1t might be the part o
wisdom to request New Orleans to dis
patch a shipload of water at once to Gal
weston. Houston could and would suppl!
| everything NEEDED to assist her sister cit!
in the hour of her distress. hut unfor
tunately the boats to carry the waite
are not obtainable.
There has been very little news from
Galveston since the morning issue Of TIL
Post. Mr.. Richard Spillane, who came u
this morning for the purpose of sending
fined to his room in a hotel suffering
from the effects OF the strain ne under
went during that awful Saturday nigh
last. In speaking of the catastrophe. h
said:
The conditions in Galveston can no
be overstated. Never was there such
disaster as the one that has befallen tn
city. Think OF at least 1000 and perhap
more lives being lost within few hours
Imagine strong men simply awestruC
so that they absolutely realize their per
feet impoteney in the face of danger an
are compelled 10 see their dependent rel
etives. the weak wife, sister or mod b.
gnd the helpless Child swept away frol
them by a raging. seething torrent.
IAN is yet confusion. Every one
busy looking over his own situation Q
searching for some missing relative @
intimate friend. l have seen instance
where whole families were wiped out an
in others probably one and half doze
members would survive,
"a pitiful sight was a half crazed maj
He was hobblng down street with broke
foot, three broken ribs and other In
juries He had lost his wife and tw
children. II will never be known Jus
how many persons were swept out to III
gulf. but a search Of the houses will re
veal larger number than the conserva
tive estimate OF 1000.
zone OF the most prominent bushes
men In the state, Mr.. Adoue. says I'll
Nj.