The Irish standard., 1900-09-15
a narrow escape from death, said:

bers placed in the pockets of vandals The
bodies of women who wore fine clothes
have been stripped of the last thread and
left to tester in the sun. The residences
left standing have been broken into and
jewelry and silver plate stolen. / saw a ne
gro. woman carrying large basket of sill
verware that was not hers. AT Texas City
l saw an old man, considerably under the
influence of liquor. His pocket protruded
roll of bills as big as my arm, which he
claimed to have found on the bay shore.
Upon all hands this horrible work is going
on. The offenders are generally negroes,
although there are some white men who
AVE demonstrated that they are sufficiently
devoid of honesty and manhood to partici-
pate in these ghoulish deeds. AS soon as
the storm subsided the negroes stole all the
liquor they could get and, beastly drunk,
proceeded with their campaign OF vandal-
ism. Troops are needed at once"
- The Tragedy Grows.
Houston, Tex, Sept. 12.-The ap.
palling nature of the great tragedy
at Galveston grows steadily as com
munication is slowly restored and
refugees reach a haven of safety here,
bringing with them stories of IL calam-
ity unparalleled in American history.
When early reports of the disaster
reached the outside world, giving an
estimate of 1900 souls swept sudden
ly into eternity, the news was re-
ceived with universal incredulity.
Tuesday night Mayor Jones issued the
astounding statement to the world
that a conservative estimate of the
dead is not less than 5000 souls. All
estimates with regard to property
loss are apparently guesswork.
Menace to Health.
So dangerous a menace to the
safety of the survivors has the exist
ence of the rapidly decomposed
corpses become that every abIc-boded
man who can lend hand is engaged
in the work of cremating those
bodies that remain in the debris and
of consigEing to the sea or to COM
mon trenches those that are picked
up on the streets or along the storm
swept beach. Already 1900 have thus
been disposed of in the interest of
human life and the preservation of
public sanitation.
Relief Work.
The relief work now under full
sway here is along two lines-to sue
cor those who cannot leave Galveston
and to bring out of the city all of
those who can and are willing to
leave. Mayor Jones and the citizens
committee Of the island city are
urging that only those shall be per-
mitted to enter whose presence is i'm
pcrative and the transportation lines
are straining every nerve in order
that they may accord the privilege
to those who are pleading to get
away from the scenes of horror and
desolation around them.
So far as actual relief is concerned,
the local committees are devotine
themselves to converting their cash
subscriptions into food and clothing
both of which are imperativcly need
ed. They urge that New Orleans, Mo-
bile and other gulf and Atlantic coast
cities can best help the sufferers by
sending necessaries direct by steamer
The most exhaustive efforts have
been made to obtain a complete list
of the victims of the disaster. That
seems an impossible task now. and
perhaps only through new census
of the living will the full number OF
the identity of those who lost their
lives be made know.
Government Aid En- Route.
Gen. McKibben arrived at an early
hour Tuesday morning with aid and a
number of soldiers. Following him on a
fast freight are two cars loaded with
10000 rations and 1000 tents. These
were sent to Galveston in the after.
noon on barge.
Offers of relief and te,egraphic of.
fers of assistance are pouring in from
all over the United States. The whole
country-is responding to the appeal fol-
aid. The money coming by telegraph
already amounts to several thousand
dollars, and according to all accounts
will be needed. The relief committee
is too busy to keep books, but state.
ment will be issued in short time.
Deaths mt Smaller Towns.
Outside Galveston smaller towns are
beginning to send in reports as tele.
graphic communication improves and
many additions to the list OF dead and
property losses are received. Rich.
mond and Hitchcock each report 1e
lives lost. Alta Iona, Arcadia, velas.
co, Seabrooke, Belleville. Arcola and
many other towns have from one to
eight dead. In most Of these places
many houses have been totally de.
stroyed and thousands of head OF
head of live stock killed.
Adjutant Generals Report.
Austin, Tex, Sept. 12.-Official re.
ports from Galveston to Gov. Savers
Tuesday are that 400 bodies have been
identified, 200 more are in an impro.
vised morgue awaiting Identification
and many more are thought to have
drifted out to sea and their identity
will not be known for weeks.
A telegram from Adit. Gen. Scurry
who is at Galveston, to the governor is
is follows:
''FIave just returned from Texas Cit,
with several Galveston parties who assure
me that conditions there bcggar descrip
ton. Accounts have not been exaggerated
One thousand lost is too conservative
Whllc portion OIL tnc provisions have
been destroyed by water sufficient on hant
TO relieve immediate necessities. The citi
zens seem to have the situation well ir
hand. United States troops and company
c, volunteer guard, with citizens, patro
the streets to prevent looing. reques
w. 3. Wortham to go to Galveston from
Texas City for the purpose of advising me
of the city's most urgent needs, and I re
turned here to report and ask for further
instructions. I respectfully suggest thai
the distress is too great for the people OF
Galveston. even with the assistance O,