The Red Cloud chief., 1900-09-14
THE DISASTER IN NO WAY MAGNIflfD
COMMUNICATION HAD WITH
THE ISLAND.
SIRtfIS OF dTY STRIwN WITH DEAD


A Houston. Sept. 10, dispatch says:
The first reports from the appa Hing
disaster which has stricken the city OF
Galveston do not seem to have been
magniied. Communication was had
with the island city by boats n re-
ports received here tonight indicate
that the death list will exceed 800,
while the property loss cannot be es-
timated, although it will reach several
millions of dollars.
Richard Spillane, a well known
newspaper man and day correspondent
of the Associated press In that city,
who reached Houston today after a
Terrible experience, gives the follow
ing account of the disaster at Calves
ton:
zone Of the most awful tragedies OF
modern times has visited Galveston.
The city is in ruins, and the loss will
probably number one thousand. am
Just from the city, having been com
missioned by the mayor and citizens
committee to get in touch with the
outside world and appeal for help.
The wreck OF Galveston was
brought about by a tempest NO terrible
that no words car adequately describe
its intensity, and by a flood which
turned the city into "a raging sea.
THE storm began at . o'clock Sat
urday morning. Previous to that Il
great storm had been raging in the
gulf, and the tide was very high. 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 the beach
side of the city, the north wind piled
the water from the bay on to the bay
part of the city.
About noon it became evident the
city was going to be visited with dis
aster, and the residents along the
beach sought refuge in higher portions
of the city.
by 3 o'clock the waters OF the gulf
and the bay met, and Mt dark the ISL
and was submerged. The flooding of
the electric light plant and the gas
plant left the city in darkness. The
wind and waters rose steadily from
dark until las o'clock Sunday morn
ing. During all this time the people
OF Galveston were like rats in traps.
The highest portion of the city was
four or five feet under water, while in
the great majority Of cases the streets
were submerged to a depth of ten
feet. To leave u house was to drown.
To remain was to court death in the
wreckage.
1.-The bay front.from end to end is in
ruins, with nothing but piling and the
wreck Of great warehouses. The ele-
vators lost all their superworks and
their stocks are damaged by water.
Nearly all the industrial establish
ments of the city are eithe; wrecked OF
crippled. The food left a slime abou,
one inch deep over the whole city, and
unless fast progress is made in buryinp
corpses and of animals there
is danger of pestilence.
"A woman who had just given birth
to n child was carried from her HON,
to a house u block distant. the mel
who were carrying her having to hol,
b r high above their heads as tn,
water was five feet deep when she wa
moved.
| MANY stories were current of house
, falling and inmates escaping. Char
/, nee n. Ousley, editor of the Evening
Tribune, had his family and the fami
{ lies of two neighbors in his hous
when the lower half crumbled and tn
| upper part slipped down into the wa
4 ter. Not one in the house was hurt.
y 1t will take a week to tabulate tn
e dead and missing and to get anythin
@ near the approximate idea of tn
monetary loss. IT is safe to assum
that one-half OF the property of til
- city is wiped out and that one-half
y the residents have to face absolut
ppyprtvn