The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-11
DEATH AND DESoLATIoN.
IncnIcuInbIc Loss of Life and Prop
erty Throughout Texas.

| munication has been had all day today
with people residing at points on the
mainland not far distant from Galveston
and with refugees who had just reached
the mainland by means of boats from the
storm-stricken city. None of these, how
ever, could give any definite account of
the destruction wrought by the hurricane
nor any reliable estimate of the number
of lives lost in the disaster.
All that is known of certainty at this
| time is that a large part of the city has
been completely destroyed and that scores
of bodies have already been recovered
| from the beach on the mainland, where
| they had been swept by the tide. and that
innumerable other bodies are TO be seen
floating in the waters of the'bay.
No record even has been kept of the
number of the bodies recovered. The res
cuing parties are operating at widely scat
tered points along the beach and are TAX
| ing charge of the bodies independently
of each other until the work has pro-
gressed further along. It is reported that
at one point over two hundred bodies of
women and children were recovered.
parties who had just reached the main
land from Galveston estimate the tctal
loss of life at from 1000 to 5000 persons.
The city presents an appearance OF desc
| lation. There is hardly a house in the
town that is habitable. Many large man
| ufacturing structures and scores of hand
some residences went down under the
force of the storm. The great wharf i'm
provements undertaken by the Southern
Pacific. and which were the pride of the
late C. p. Huntington, were swept away,
and the loss will reach an immense sum.
The total losses of property in Galveston
and on Galveston Island will reach into
the millions. The several railroads en-
tering Galveston suffered severely.
Immediately upon being informed of
the situation at Galveston this morning
Governor Sayers took steps to afford re-
lief to the destitute people. He issued
an appeal by wire to mayors of towns
and cities and county judges throughout
the State. calling upon them to raise
money, food, and clothing for sufferers.
This appeal has already been responded
to literally, and it is thought that the
wants of the hungry and destitute will
soon be relieved.
Acting under instructions of the Sec
retary of War, fifty thousand rations and
one thousand tents will be shipped from
Fort Sam Houston to Galveston tomor-
row. If necessary boats will be provided
to remove the refugees from Galveston
Island to the mainland, where they will
be more accessible and receive better at
tention.
kilograms of sympathy were received
by Governor Sayers from people or all
parts OF the State and country. and Of
fers Of help were freely made. In less
than forty minutes five cars of provisions
were raised for the sufferers by the peo-
pie OF Dallas. The citizens of Sherman
contrsbuted over $1,000 In Waco $500
was raised in few minutes.
All OF these amounts were forwarded to
Governor Sayers. and he in turn sent them
TO the relief committees. Governor Sayers
has wired the Secretary OF War, request
ing that he furnish 80, 900 rations of food
and 10000 tents for the Galveston sufferers
He has received a telegram from President
Mckinley expressing sympathy and assur-
ing the Governor that the Government l,ill
speedily send help. The Governor has sent
reply. In which he expresses to the
President the thanks of the people of the |
State
The following telegram from Gov. Charles
Thomas. OF Colorado, was received:
The people of Colorado extend to the bereaved
and unfortunate people Of Galveston their sincere
sympathy. In the matter Of aid and assistance, |
We are at your command.
Mayor S. H. Brashear. of Houston.
wired that help should come quickly, as |
the worst is TO be expected from Gal |
weston.
Adjt. Gen. Thomas Scurry arrived at |
Houston this morning by direction of |
Governor Sayers and made a futile effort |
to reach Galveston today. He wired the |
Governor as follows:
Conditions at Galveston deplorable.
Water three feet in fremont Hotel, high
est point in city, and six feet on Market |
Street. Small houses nearly demolished |
Poor people crying for food. The Tre-
mont Hotel is crowded with people who !
have had no food or water since yester-
day Relief is needed in both food and
water. No communication can be had
with Galveston"
The telegraph Offices throughou. the
State are Geluged with messages for
friends and relatives. These message
are being transmitted-to Houston from
which place they viii be forwarded to !
Galveston as soon as communication Is |
opened with that city. Authentic infor-
nation from the several coast and in
terror points today places the loss Of life
and property as follows:
At Galveston, from LOCO to 5000 lives
lost; lists of the missing are being
made up by relief committees. but 1t may
be another day before they are anything
like complete; the loss OF property on
Island, including the city, will
aggregate many millions of dollars, and
nothing like a reliable estimate can be
made at this time.
At Texas City many houses were blown
down in the town and in the adjacent
II is known that fifteen lives
were lost In that immediate section and
The number will probably exceed that esti-
mate.
The town of Alvin, which was a prosper
Jus place of about 2, 900 inhabitants. situ-
tied in the midst of the great fruit country
between Galveston and Houston, was en-
irely swept away. Every building in the
1lace is leveled &c the ground so badly !
wrecked as ~ be uninhabitable. Seven
ives were lost here. Thousands of acres
If fruit trees were ruined.
The little town Of Hitchcock was wiped
tut of existence. but it is reported that all
he inhabitants escaped with their lives |
\ number were injured by flying timbers.
The great sugar plantations in the lower
.oast counties were completely wrecked
sugar refineries costing small fortunes and
ialuable plantation buildings we're blown
lown.
At Sugarland the large plantation build
ngs and paper mills Of Colonel Cunning
IAN We're destroyed, and the loss is esti-
mated at $1,000, Coo. Colonel Cunninghams |
plantation was one of the largest and con-