The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-11
THE TERRIBLE DETAILS.
Graphic Story Of the Horrible Di. asIcr
Told by Richard Spillane.
LOSS or LIFE IS SIMPLY APPALLING
Dend Bodies Found EverSwhcrc
ana buildings Demolished in
All Parts of the city.
tpY RICHARD splLLANEl

kB1 llIsisANTssl
Mr.. snillane. well known Galveston
newspaper man, who reached Houston
early yesterday morning after terrible
experience, dictated the following account
OF the great disaster:
One of the most awful tragedies OF
modern times has visited Galveston. The
city is in ruins and the dead will num-
Der probably 1900. am Just from the
city. having been commissioned by the
mayor and citizens committee to get In
touch with the outside world and appeal
for HELM. Houston was the nearest point
at which q working telegraph instrument
could be found. the wires. as well az
nearly all the buildings. between here
and the Gulf OF Mexico being wrecked.
When / left Galveston. shortly before
noon yesterday. the people were organ
icing for the prompt burial OF the dead,
distribution of food and all necessary
work of such u period OF disaster.
The wreck of Galveston was brought
about by tempest so terrible that no
words can adequately describe It's in
tensity. and by a flood which turned the
city into a raging sea. The weather 5u-
reau records show the wind a velocity
OF eighty-four miles an hour. then the
wind measuring instrument blew away,
so ii is impossible TO tell what was nc
maxlmum. The storm began at O'Clock
Saturday morning. Previous to that .
great storm had been raging in the gulf.
and the tide was very nigh. The Wind
at first came from the north and was IN
direct opposition 10 the force from the
the water upon the beach side OF the
Guy. the north wind piled the water from
the bay on 10 the bay part OF the city.
About noon 1t became evident that the
city was gong to be visited with dis
aster. Hundreds of residences along Inc
beach front were hurriedly abandoned.
the families fleeing TO dwellings in higner
portions OF the city. Every home was
opened TO the refugees vr white,
The wind was rising constantly. and IL
rained in torrents. The wind was SO
fierce that the rain cut like knife by
. o'clock the waters of the bay and gulf
met and by dark the entire city WAS
submerged. The fiooding of the electric
light plant ana the gas companys tac-
tory left the city IN darkness.
To 20 upon the streets was to court
death. The wind was then at cyclonic
height. roofs. cisterns. portions OF build
ings. telegraph poles and walls were fall
ing. and tine noise OF the winds and the
crashing OF breaking buildings was ter
! riiying in the extreme.
The wind and the waters rose steadily
! from dark until 1s5 sunday morning.
! During all this time the 10000 people
/ 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 n depth of ten feet.
/ To- "a
remain was 10 court death in the wreck.
age.
/ Such a night of agony was possibl,
never equaled by people in modern
times.
| Without apparent reason the waters
suddenly BACON TO subside at las a. m
Within twenty minutes they had gone
streets We're practically freed OF the
flood waters. In the meantime the wine
had veered TO the southeast.
Very few II any buildings escaped in
Jury There is hardly habitable dri
house IA the city.
When the people who had escaped
death went out at daylight to view TIA,
work of the TEMPEST and the floods the,
/ saw he most horrible sights imaginable
In the three blocks from Avenue n /,
avenue in fremont street | saw elgh
bodies. Four corpses We're in one yard
The whole of the beach front for thre,
blocks in from the gulf was stripped o
every yestige Of hahitation. The dwell
ings. the pavilions. the great bathing es
Establishments. Olympia. and every struc
| lure having been either carried out Il
sea or its ruins piled in pyramid IA
into town. according to the yagaries o
tho tempest.
The first hurried glance over the cit,
showed that some OF the largest struc
e.A No.
suffered the greatest.
The Orphans home. Twenty FIRST an,
NJ Fell like a house of cards. How man
GeRd children and refugees are in thu
ruins had not been ascettained when
left or all the sick the manned. an,
the dying in St. Mary's inhrmary. to
gother with attendants, only eight ar
understood to have been saved. The Oh
Woman's home. gu Rosenberg avenue
collapsed. The Rosenberg school hous
is mass OF wreckage. The Ball big
school is but an empty shell, cracke
and broken. Every church in the city
with possibly one or TWO exceptions. !
in ruins.
AT the forts nearly all the soldiers or
reported dead. they having been in TEN
porary quarters. which gave them no pro
lection against the tempest or mo nooa
No report has been received from tn
Catholic orphan asylum down tb
island. But ii seems impossible that
could have withstood the hurricane.
1t fell. all the inmates were no doub
lost, for there was no aid within a mil,
The bay front from end to end Is in ruin.
Nothing but Diling and the wreckage q
the great warehouses remain. The eIu
vetors lost all their upper works, an
their stocks are damaged by water.
TIE life saving station at Fort Poin
was carried away. the crew being swvT
across the bay fourteen miles to Texa
City. ! saw Captain Haines yesterds,
and he told me that his wife and one
his crew were drowned.
The shore at Texas City contain
enough wreekage to rebuild city. Eigt
i persons who were swept scross the ba
during the storm were picked up ther
. alive. Five corpses we're also picked III
There were three deaths in Texas Gu
In addition TO the living and tire deh
D from the storm cast Up at Texas CT,
e caskets and collins from one OF the GENE
? teries at Galveston We're being ished Oh
, OF the water there Yesterday.
I, In the business portion of the city tw
! large brick buildings. one occupied b
2 Knapp Bros. and the other by the Co;
ton Exchange saloon, collapsed In tn
z Gotten Exchange saloon there were sbol
fifteen persons Most OF them escaped
= Up 10 the time ! left Galveston tire
$ dead had beep taken from the ruinl
: They were Stanley G. snencer. manage