Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-09-13
THE TEXAS HORROR.

E
that the city of Galveston had been de
stroyed by hurricane, which original
ed in the Caribbean sea and passed ove1
the Gulf of Mexico, TO Galveston anC
vicinity.
Thousands Of buildings, and all the
bridges connecting the city (which il
located on an island) with the mair
land were destroyed, the country wa;
flooded and the first relief trains could
get but within several miles of Virgins
Point, opposite the city, on the bay.
Dead people were seen among the de-
bris, everywhere. and the total loss Of
ife. Monday, was estimated at five
thousand
4 Galveston newspaper man, who
reached Houston. Monday, described
the storm, as follows.
THE wreck of Galveston was brought
about by tempest so terrible that nc
words can adequately describe its intens
ity and by food which turned the
CITY into a raging sea. The weather
bureau records show that the wind at
tanned a velocity of 81 miles an houl
when the measuring instruments blew
away, so it is impossible to tell what
was the maximum The storm began
at 2 o'clock Saturday morning. The
wind at 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 that side Of the
CITY, the north wind piled the water
from the bay-onto the bay part OF the
city.
About noon it became evident thai
the CITY was going to be visited with
disaster Hundreds of residences along
the beach front were hurriedly aban
doned. the families fleeing to dwelling:
in higher portions of the city. Every
home was opened to the refugees, black
or white. The winds were rising con
stantly and it rained in torrents. The
winds were so fierce that the rain cut
like knife.
"By 3 o'clock the waters Of the gull
and bay met. and by dark the entire city
was submerged. The flooding Of the
electric light plant and the gas plant:
| left the city in darkness. To go upon
the streets was to court death. The
winds were then at cyclonic velocity
roofs. cisterns, portions Of buildings,
telegraph poles and walls were falling
| and the noise Of the wind and the crash
! ing Of the buildings were terrifying in
the extreme. The wind and waters rose
steadily from dark until 1:45 Sunday
morning. During all this time the peo,
ple Of Galveston were like rats in traps.
| The highest portion of the city was foul
or five feet under water, while in the
great majority Of cases the streets were
submerged to depth of 10 feet. Ic
leave house was to drown. To re-
main was to court death in wreckage.
AFTER A NIGHT OF AGONY.
"Such night Of agony has seldom
been equalled Without apparent rea-
son the waters suddenly began to sub
side at / :45 am. Within 20 minutes
they had gone down two feet, and be
fore daylight the streets were practical
ly freed of food waters. In the mean
time the wind had veered to the south
east. Very few, if any, buildings escap-
ed injury. There is hardly habitable
dry house in the city. When the peo
pie who had escaped death went out al
| daylight to view the work Of the TEN
| pest and floods they saw the most horri
| bic sight imaginable. In the three
| blocks from Avenue N TO Avenue 2, in
| fremont street, / saw eight bodies
| Four corpses were in one yard.
"Tbe whole Of the business front fol
three blocks in from the gulf wer'
| stripped Of every vestage Of habitation
| the dwellings, the great bathing estab
| Iishments, the Olympia and every struc
ture having been either carried out Il
sea or its ruins piled in a pyramid IA
into the town, according TO the vagarie
of the tempest The first hurried glanc
over the city showed that the larges
structures, supposed to be the most sub
stantially built, suffered the greatest
The Orphans home fell like house o
cards. How many dead children am
refugees are in the ruins could not b.
aacertained Of the sick in st. Mary
infirmary, together with the attendants
only eight are understood to have bee
saved. The Old Woman's home collape
ed and the Rosenberg school house is
mass Of wreckage. The Ball HigI
school is but an empty shell, crushe
and broken. Every church in the city
with possibly one or two exceptions,
in ruins.
eat the forts nearly all the soldier
are reported dead. they having been i
temporary quarters, which gave fher
no protection against the tempest or TIA
food. No report has been received fror
the Catholic Orphan asylum down IA
island but ID seems impossible that
could have withstood the hurricane.
it fell all the inmates were. no dOubt
lost, for there was no aid within q mile
THE bay front from end to end is j
ruins. Nothing but piling and tn
wreck Of great warehouses remain. Th
elevators lost all their super works an
their stocks are damaged by water. TIL
life saving station at Fort Point wa
carried away, the crew being swep
across the II miles 10 Texas City. j sa'
Capt. Haines and he told me that hi
| wife and one Of his crew were drowned
"The shore at Texas City contain
enough wreckage To rebuild n city
Eight persons. who were swept acros
the bay during the storm, were picke
up there alive. Five corpses were ais
picked up. There were three fatalitit
in Texas City. In addition 10 the llvin
and the dead which the storm cast up q
Texas City, caslets and coffins from on
of the cemeteries at Galveston were b'
ing fished out Of the water there yeste1
day.
I'm the business portion Of the cit
two large brick buildings, one occupie
by Knapp Bros and the other by th
Cotton Exchange saloon, collapsed j
the saloon there were about 10 persons
| Most Of them escaped. Up TO the tim
| ! left Galveston three dead had bee
taken from the ruins. How many NOR
coruaes are there will not be known III
til the search il finished.
THE cotton mills. the bagging fat
tory, the gas works, the electric ligh
works and nearly all the industria
establishments Of the city are eithe
wrecked or crippled. The flood left
slime about one inch deep over th
whole city, and unless fast progress
made in burying corpses and carcasst
Of animals there IL danger Of postilenc'
Some Of the stories Of escape are Inirs
culous A woman who had just give
birth 10 q child was carried from he
home 10 n house block distant, IN
men who were carrying her having !
hold her high above their heads. as tn
water was five feet deep when she wa
moved.
Eight ocean steamers were torn froI
their mOorings and stranded in the bay
! ut will take n seek 10 tabulate th
dead and the missing and to get an,
, thing near an approximate idea Of III
monetary loss. II is safe to assume this
one-half Of the property Of the city
wiped out and that Oue-balf Of the res
dents have 10 face absolute poverty.
On Tuesday Mayor Jones and the n
lief committee sent out the following:
b, ~ Ir.a