The state herald., 1900-09-14
DETAILS OF THE
GALVESTON FLOOD

to Il depth of six 10 twelve feet. Dur
ing this sudden flood n most terrible
storm was raging, the wind blowing
about eighty miles an hour.
MANY of the dead have been uncov-
cred; others are still under the debris
others carried out 10 sea. 1t is not pos
sible to give at this time reliable re-
| port MS to the number of deaths.
| From estimates made by reliable per-
sons who have Just come from Calves
ton, it is believed that not less than L.
800, and possibly 1000 people Were
| drowned. OF course, the wounded are
numerous. The damage to property is
most shocking.
Some of the best public buildings
and private establishments We're
wrecked. Thousands of homes are
swept entirely away.
1T Is quite safe TO set this down as
one of the greatest disasters that has
ever visited the United States. The
| loss of property Is rreparablc; the loss
of life is appalling
90. B. DEALY,
| "ManNeer Dallas News"
| Houston, Texas, Sept 10.-Richard
| Spillane, a well-known Galveston news
paper man and day correspondent of
| the Associated Press In diat city, who
reached Houston to-day after n ter
rible experience, gives the following
account of the disaster at Galveston:
"One of the most awful tragedies of
modern times has visitel Galveston.
The city is in ruins and the dead will,
number probably 1000.
THE storm began about . o'clock
Saturday morning. Previous to that II
great storm had been raging in the
gulf. and the tide was very high The
wind mt first came from the north and
was in direct opposition to the force
, from the gulf While the storm in
| the gulf piled the water upon the
beach side of the city the north wind
| piled the water from the bay onto the
bay part of the city.
About noon 1t became evident that
the city WIS going TO be visited with
disaster. Hundreds OF residences
along the beach front We're hurriedly
abandoned, the families fleeing TO
dwellings in higher portions of the
city. Every home was opened TO the
refugees, black oc white. The wind
was rising constantly, and rain fell In
torrents. The wind was so fierce that
the rain cut like n knife.
by 3 o'clock the waters of the gulf
and bay met, and bt dark the entire
city was submerged. The flooding of
the electric light plant and the gas
plants left the city in darkness. To 20
| out on the streets was to court death.
The wind was then at ryclonic veloci-
ty, roofs, cisterns. portions OF build
ings, telegraph poles and walls We're
, falling. and the noise of the wind and
the crashing of the buildings was ter
rifying in the extreme. The wind and
waters rose steadily from dark until
l:i5 o'clock Sunday morning. During
| all this time the people of Galveston
We're like rats In traps. The highest
portion of the city WAS four or five
feet under water. while In the great
majority OF eases the streets were sub
merged To n depth Of ten feet. To
leave house was 10 drown. To re-
main was to court death In the wreck
age.
such night Of agony has seldom
been equaled. Without apparent rea-
son the waters suddenly began 10 sub
side nj 40 n. m. Within two min
utes they had gone down two feet, and
before daylight the streets were prnc-
tlcally freed from the flood waters. In
the meantime the wind had veered to
the southeast.
"Nery few, II any buildings escaped
injury. There Is hardly hnbl,nble
dry house In the city. When the peo-
pie who had escaped death went out nj
daylight TO view the work of the tenn
pest and the Hoods, they saw the most
horrible sight imaginable In the three
blocks from Avenue y TO Avenue l.. In
fremont street, | saw eight bodies.
-Four corpses In one yard.
"Thc whole of the business front
for three blocks In from the gulf was
! stripped Of every yestlge OF habitaiion,
the dwellings. the great bathing csiab-
llsllmcnis. The Olympia, and every
structure having been either carried
out to sea or It's ruins piled In n pyra-
mid far into town. according to the
yngnrlcs OF the tempest.
"The Orphans Home. Tweniy.ilrst
and Avenue NJ. fell like house OF
cards. How many dend children and
refugees are In the ruins could not be-
asccrtalned.
The Old Women's Home ON Roscn.
burg avenue. collapsed. The Roscn-
" "
age The Ball high school Is but an
empty shell. crushed aud broken. Ev.
cry church In the city. with possibly
one or two exceptions, Is IN ruins
AT the fort ncnrly MI the soldiers
are reported dend, they having been In
temporary quarters which gave them
no protection against the tempest or
the Hood
THE bay front from end to end IL
In ruins. Nothing hut piling and the
wreck of the great warehouses remain.
| The elevators lost all their supcrwofks.
and their stocks are damaged by wntcr.
The shore NJ Texas City contains
enough wrcckngc TO rebuild n city.
Eight persons who were swept across
the bay during the storm were picked
mp there alive. Five corpscs were also
picked M. Their. were three fntnli-
Ties In reNns city. In addition to the
living md the dcni which the storm
east M nj Tnxns city. cnskets and cof.
ilns from one Of the cemeteries nj Gal
weston were being iishcd out Of the
waters there to-day.
Eight ocean steamers were torn
from their m0orngs nnd stranded IN
the bny. The Kendall Castle was ear.
rled over the hats from the Thirty.
Third street wlnrf Ia Texas city. nnd
Hes In tile wrcclgnge Of the Inmnn pier
Some OF The stories of escapes ARE
miraculous. William Nlsbctt. cotton
man. wns buried IN the ruins of the
Cotton Exchange snloon nnd when dug
out In the morning. had no further In.
| Jury thnn n few bruised fingers.