The Springfield herald., 1900-09-14
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE BY
FLOODS AT GALVESTON

hurricane made rapid inroad into the
center of the state. In Houston many
buildings We're demolished, and Il
heavy loss of property was sustained.
Continuing inland, the storm swept
the town of Hampstead, fifty miles
above Houston, and continued thence
to Chappell Hill, twenty miles further,
then to BRENNAN, thirty miles distant.
All of these towns were wrecked, tnelr
inhabitants terroriZed and several or
them killed.
The towns of Sabine Pass, Port Ar
thur and Alvin also We're almost COM
pletely destroyed. The storm swept
Beaumont, Austin, Pearlland, Smith
Vile, Toylar, Temple, Waco, Corpus
Christi, Rockport and Hitchcock, do
| ing much damage in each town.
The Brazos Bottom, which was the
scene of great disaster during last
years flood, was swept for fully loo
miles. Crops and farm property sur
fered heavy damages.
From the territory west Of Austin to
the mountains the storm seems to have
swept everything before 1t, raZing
houses and uprooting trees. Although
IL vast area has been swept by the
storm, interest tonight is centered in
the fate of Galveston. Some light on
the terrible conditions was obtained
from James G. Timmins. general SUI
perlntendent of the National Compress
Company, who made his way to Hous-
ton. after n perilous trip.
He reported that more than 1000
persons were drowned or are missing,
and that 1000 houses in Galveston
have been destroyed.
Managers of the telegraph lines are
making every effort TO re-establish
communication with Galveston at the
earliest possible moment. They nave
a large number of telegraph operators
and linesmen waiting in Houston TO
go to Galveston. These men will be
sent on to Galveston at the earliest OPP
portunity. No wires are working to-
night south of Houston. severe
| storm now prevails in this city, but 1t
has not interfered with Geographic
communication.
| The last definite news about the sit
uation in Galveston came carly this
morning At that time the lower por-
ton of the island was entirely under
water and the waves were making rap
id inroads upon the banks which Dor
der the island proper.
| Houston, Tex, Sept. 9-AmOng the
passengers who arrived here on re
lief train from Galveston is Ben w.
Dew. an attache of the Southern Pa
|
for some hours. and said that he saw
from 100 to $50 bodies floating out on
the beach Mt that place.
Conductor Powers reported that
twenty-five corpses had been recovered
by the life saving crew, many of them
/ women, and that the crew had reported
that many bodies We're floating and
they were using every endeavor to get
them all out of the water. The water
swept across the island. and it is pre-
sumed that most of these were Calves
ton people, though none Of them have
been identified.
| One of the refugees who came in on
the relief train, and who had sad eN-
perience, WAS S. w. Clinton, an en-
gineer at the fertilizing plant at the
Galveston stock yards. Mr.. Clinton's
family consisted of his wife and six
children. When his house was washed
away he managed to get two of his
little boys safely to a raft, and with
them he drifted hopelessly about. His
raft collided with wreckaRe of every
description. and was split in two, and
he was forced to witness the drowning
of his SONS. being unable to help them
in any way. Mr.. Clinton says parts of
the city are seething masses of water.
Mr.. Jennings. n slater by trade, who
resides at thirty eighth street and Ave
nue. NJ, Galveston. got to the mainland
in about the same manner as Clinton.
After losing his wife he set out, and
by swimming and drifting around
reached the mainland.
A. England and wife of Texas City,
who We're on the relief train, report
that the whole of Texas City has been
blown away. and a number of lives
lost. Six women are known by Mr..
England to have been drowned. and he
said that many others had lost their
lives.
Beaumont, Tex, Sept. 9.-The gray
est fears are entertained here for the
safety of the residents of Sabine and
Sabine Pass. At the dispatcher's office
of the Sabine and East Texas railroad
it is learned that the last dispatch
from the operator at Sabine, the new
town, reported that mt that time the
water was surrounding the station and
washing over the railroad track. He
said people were leaving in crowds for
the back ridge.