The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-09-20
CALVESTON'S'
DISASTER.
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS BE
LlEVE THE GULF ME-
TROPOIIS CAN NEN-
ER BE REBTIIT.
MORE THAN SEVEN THOUSAND PER
SONS WERE DROWNED.

No, One Homo F-cap.-d tb. wa,er'- Fu-
ry-i5.ooo People Left De-situte-Nan-
dai- Shot For Looting the Ruins.
The awful horrors at Galveston,
Texas, as q result OF me fearful
storm which visited that city on
the Sth instant. grow in magnitude
as the real facts are ascertained. A
conservative estimate Friday morn
ing places the number OF known
dead bodies at seven thousand, mis-
sing one thousand; and bodies re-
covered, at 400 The exact mum
ber OF persons lost will never be
known. The city had a population
Of between thirty and forty thou
sand, and many strangers were in
the city. An Associated Press re-
porter, now on the scene OF the dis
aster. says:
BEST informed residents OF Gal
weston. who have been all over
portions OF the city, estimate that
1000 to 1900 acres Of the city were
swept clear Of any habitation.
at can be said that not one Gal
weston home escaped without some
damage. Those people whose hous-
es still stand on their foundation S,
with fences carried away, shutters
torn from their fastenings, and con-
tents of the rooms water-sOaked
are considered very fortunate by
neighbors who have lost all or near
ly. Galveston's great open air show
place was the Garten Verein. 1t
had been established through the
work OF years 1t was sustained by
well-to-do people who made 1t a
kind of country club, but on more
elaborate scale than usual with
such places. There was fine club
house among the buildings. There
were various structures devoted TO
recreation. These stood in about 7
acres of ground, which had been
brought to degree of perfection in
gardening. Great live oaks shaded
the driveways and walks, hundreds
OF oleander trees bloomed through
the long season the flower beds were
the admiration Of all visitors. A
more beautiful place was not to be
found in the Southern country The
Garten Verein was swept out Of ex-
istence. Heaps of wrecksge only
mark where it was and among the
debris have been found many bod
ies.'
Within a couple OF days bodies of
several Of the victims OF the Catho-
lie Orphan Asylum have been found
The spectacle presented was such
as to make stout hearted mon break
down 1t appears that when the he
roic sisters found the waters rising
all around the asylum their only
thoughts were for their little char
ges. They tied the children in bun
ches and then each sister fastened
to herself one OF the punches Of the
orphans, determined to save them
or to die with them. Two of these
punches have been found under
wreckage. In each case eight chill
dren had been fastened togather
and then tied to a sister. All died
together.
Houses of worship suffered severe
ly, nearly all of the churches being
totally destroyed or damaged beyond
repair.
The robbery and mutilation of the
dead and looting of the houses be-
came so common that 96 men, nearly
sll negroes, who we're caught in the
act of thievipg, were shot dead by
the troops on guard.
Many of the dead bodies were car
ried out by barges and dumped into
the gulf, but they were cast upon
the shore by the tide, and the mayor
was compelled to assign parties to
the collection Of these hodies a Sec
ond time. The bodies were then dis
posed Of by emation.
The disaster is the most appalling
that has ever visited any city in this
cou ntry. Government officials say
they fear the city of Galveston is
destroyed beyond its ability to recov.
or. Many business men are Of the
s>me opinion. Quartermaster Bax.
ter, who is in charge of the govern
ment property at Galveston has ad
v,sed the government that the forti
fcations defending the harbor are
all destroyed and cannot be rebuilt
on present sites.
First District Populist Conven.