The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-27
BREWERS NARROW ESCAPE
OLD VETERAN RETURNS HOME
SAFE FROM G4LVESTON.

| ShNNhtu Why W ahAS 49, =
Brings Tears to His Eyes Made Ill by
the stencil of Burning Bodies In the
City.
With tears in his eyes at times, as
the horrible scenes of the Galveston
disaster were brought wildly before
his mind, William Brewer of 431 Orange
street who has just returned from the
grief stricken city, related the eXpef-
fences of a brief pleasure trip to Texas
last evening. Brewer is past middle age
but the awful picture of lonely deserted
children crying vainly for their parents,
of old men moaning the misfortune
which had befallen them and of ruin
and wreck which arises before his eyes
as he recalls his visit to the city is more
than the stoical old veteran can think
of and retain his equanimity
When he left New York Wednesday
afternoon, September 5, on the steamer
Sabine, it was the beginning of three
| weeks pleasure trip which he intended
spending for the most part in Calves
ton, bathing in the warm waters of the
Gulf of Mexico. Ordinarily the trip
takes five days, but fortunately for the
passengers of the Sabine the trip occu-
pied seven days. The Sabine dropped
anchor in Galveston harbor Wednesday
evening, September II, at 8 o'clock,
having been buffeted by waves for an
unusually long and weary voyage. Go
ing up the harbor of Galveston they
| hoopIoI Nv MI Ilyn n
bolt from a clear sky came his story
of the awful disaster. Half crazy from
his own grief, resulting from the loss of
his entire family-wife and little ones
the man appalled, the passengers by his
exciting story. Many of them had prop
erty, and some of them relatives in the
wrecked city; the latter gave way to
! grief at once Their sobs soon after
found company in the tears shed by the
other passengers as the Sabine steam
| ed up the harbor.
| Mr.. Brewer said that few on board
seemed to be able to grasp the entirety
of the destruction Cor some time after
being told the news. As they APP
preached the anchorage place the once
beautiful city was seen to be mass of
lulllS. 1Ilth, HedNN SIl1Oht rose over
the place like dark fog and even at
that distance from the shore the smell
was sickening. But the city seemed to
lose interest to those on board in the
horrible work going on around them
Scow after scow loaded down with
mutilated dead bodies passed the ship
on their way out to sea where they
were sunk. Bodies by the score foated
by in the water already partly decom-
posed. Mr.. Brewer stated it is his opin-
ion that fully a thousand such passed
in this way-food for the fishes-wbile
barge after barge containing fully 500
bodies each We're towed seward.
The Sabine stayed for a day in the
lower harbor under quarantine before
the passengers were allowed to leave
the ship. BY this time some degree of
order had been obtained in the city and
outsiders were allowed to enter on bust
ness. Brewer had no heart to view the
horrible spectacle at that time, and he
stayed on the ship until Saturday. Even
as late as then, he says, the citizens
presented an air of disorder that was
trying to witness, Funeral pyres blazed
all around and natives with their bodies
covered with nothing but pair of over
als steadily pulled away ruins and cast
bodies and debris onto the fires. Climb
ing over houses, telegraph poles and
trees, he reached Market street where
such a scene of desolation, he declares,
met his eyes as he would not have
viewed for anything. Little tots ard
old men seemed to be companions in
misery and prowled the streets, desti-
tute of clothing, crying and sobbing
Block after block of dismantled houses
lay in ruins; within many could be
seen the merchandise and other goods
floating in pools of water Men every
where were working with fierce energy,
as if their lives depended upon the
quickness with which they labored.
Everybody, he says, was required to
work, and when soldiers came UP to
him and requested him to do likewise it
was only by telling them that he was
going to his ship that he was allowed to
pass.
Shortly after that, he says, he was
forced to retrace his steps, A deathly
feeling of Illness came over him,
brought on by the sitting STENCIL and
almost blinded he CROPPED his way back
to the docks. Here great steamers lay
piled up all about him amid the wreck
age of warehouses, and it was nearly
an hour before he could get boatman
to take him to the ship. The Galveston
bathing beach was piled high with
wreckage, and of the hotel where he
had intended stopping nothing re-
manned.
The Mallory line steamer Alamo was
the first steamer to leave for New
York. Until it sailed Brewer stayed on
board the Sabine. The Alamo itself
was so damaged as to be most unsafe
but he took passage in her in prefer
ence to remaining for longer time near
Galveston. But four other cabin pas
sengers accompanied him. The work
was going on seemingly unendlngly as
they left the harbor and the stencil Of
the fires could yet be smelt as strong IS
ever
The Alamo was favored by good !
weather and arrived in New York safe.
ly. Brewer, without further thought OF !
vacation, came on to New Haven at |
once to the great relief Of his friends |
and relatives who Were anxious to see
him safe once more. He feels the mar