The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-14

composed. Young and old, male and fe-
male black and white are. OF necessity,
placed together. In hundreds Of cases no
attempt is made at identification. as the
necessity for immediate disposition OF the
blackened. horrld things which once were
strong men and fair women and innocent
little children. makes such course i'm
possible.
Down the streets 70 the charnel
wagons and as they pass the people avert
their eyes and shudder. although the
events of the past three days have made
possible the contemplation of things
which under ordinary circumstances would
seem more than human flesh and blood
could bear.
Down at the ruined wharves the char
mel barSes iwalt. The awful work OF
transferring from the wagons to the
barges Is completed and then the latter
are taken out into the gulf and the
/ bodies are consigned to the deep. No
prayers are said. no funeral services read.
The awful cargo Is gotten rid OF as rev
erently MS possible. perhaps. but as
quickly for the wagons are still rolling
down the streets and there Is more work
TO be done
Sucll a condition OF affairs can scarcely
be fully realized, and yet II Is by no
means overdrawn. with those who have
seen these fearful sghts since the SUD.
rescue and burial possible, there will re-
main always a remembrance which can
not be less awful than that caused by
any catastrophe the world has known in
modern times
! Up to noon yesterasy 1900 bodies had
! been zen from the ruins and given
watery burial Conservative estimates
made by conservative men after personal
investigation place the total number Of
dead at 5000.
Along the beach and in the bay ana
! under the torn and tangled piles OF debris
lie the putrefying remains OF the I'M
buried. And. Wherever possible. ghoulsh
vandals prowl like unclean animals seek
ing TO benefit by he tragic fate of their
fellow men. Vutures in the guise oil
human beings have been shot for sever
ing fingers from the hands OF the dead
and even heads from bodies in their un-
holy lust for the trinkets which once
adorned the persons OF men and women.
Wreck and ruin is everywhere Where
once were peaceful. happy homes is now
an unbroken waste and on other parts
OF the island the tmbers which once
composed handsome houses are piled In
endless confusion. or else are floating far
out in the bay or the gulf
The very island Itself has been changed
ana new typographical ana geographical
maps must now be made 10 show the place
, some instances lowlands and where the
shore formerly jutted oft into the water
there are now Inland curves.
= Al intervals all over the shadows OF
, the bay may be seen huge ocean going
vessels, grounded In a few feet of water
Tho awful fury OF the storm could MOI
be more clearly demonstrated than by the
distance 20 which some of these vessels
: were driven.
The city is under martial law Armed
men patrol the streets and at night one
hnds II impossible TO got ahoj+ the c.ty
4 Without being contnuallS challenged. Tho
: brave men who are attempting to brlns
$ order out Of choas need much help and
when such help can not be secured other.
wise force is used,
, w ana down the streets wander the
t destitute survivors of the storm. They
t realize that there Is not much to give
t mud their requests are seldom unrcason-
:, able. but they are none the less pathetic
4 on that account. The local stocks OF
provisions are all more or less damaged
and, in any event. must soon come TO an
, end. unless replenished. Fresh water Is a
4 crying need The small amount already
= sent from Houston has been godsend
! and much more will probably have to be
, forthcoming before normal conditions are
restored-if they ever are. The we'll.
on the island, of course, are liuassss and
the water connection with Alto Iona
We're destroyed by the storm
The city is completely Isolated. so far
AS rail and wire service Is concerned
and the only means OF communication +,
by boat across the bay to the mainland
Efforts are being made TO get the women
J. and children away as rapidly as possible
5 and every available boat Is husly en-
g gagged In carrying out this purpose.