The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-18
GALVESTON WIPED OUT BY THE STORM
KING.

41S y 4A0NS6AAS 0GhAA MA
Thousands Of Homeless and Heartbroken
Survivors, Refuses to be Comforted-Dreary
DesOlatiOn and Sorrow InexpressibIe Where
q Day Before Peace and Prosperity Reigned
The Story Of the Storm.
GALVESTON, Tex, Sept. f1.-(By
Western Union dispatch boat to
Houston, Sept. 11.)-Tonight the
city of Galveston is wrapped in
sack.cloth and ashes. She sits
beside her unnumbered dead and
refuses to be comforted. Her sor-
row and suffering are beyond
description. Her grief is unspeak-
able. Friday and Saturday she
was happy, prosperous, and buoy
ant, and with a bright and prosper
Gus season opening up auspiciously.
Last night she was stricken down
and crushed by a misfortune that
seldom befalls any community and
in her inexpressible anguish appeals
for help to bury her beloved dead,
feed her stricken, and afford tempo
OIL 4O4AOA LII OAO0O VIII d1u1OSb III
the twinkling of an eye lost home,
loved ones and the savings of a life
time. Tonight the city is dark, des-
olate, and dreary. A pail has fallen
over the living. It is pitiful and pa
thetic beyond expression.
The cyclone that produced such an
appalling disaster was predicted by
the United States Weather Bureau
to strike Galveston Friday night and
created much apprehension, but
the night passed without the predic-
ton being verified. The conditions,
however, were ominious. The dan
ger signal was displayed on the
Flagstaff of the weather bureau.
Shipping was warned. The south
eastern sky was sombre, the gulf beat
high upon the beach with that dis
NAL t~hunderous roar that presages'
trouble, and it had that ominous
stiffness that betokens aastorm. From
out the north in the middle watches
of the night the wind began to come
to spiteful pufs, ftful at first, but
increasing in volume as the day
dawned. :
By 10 a. m. Saturday it was al
most a gale atnoon it had increased
in velocity and was driving the rain,
whipping the pools, and rafting
things up in a lively and ominous
manner, yet no serious apprehension
was felt by residents remote from
the encroachments of the gulf Sec
ton of the beach. AS stupendous
waves began to send their waters far
inland the latter began a hasty exit
to more secure places in the city.
Two gigantic forces were at work.
The gulf drove the waves with IRE
sistible force high upon the beach
and the gale from the northeast
pitched the waters against and over
the wharf abutments, shaking the
sewers and flooding the city from
that quarters. The hopeless people
were caught between the two in
coming floods while the wind
shrieked, howled, and rapidly in
creased in velocity.
Business suddenly came toa stand
still. Car traffic was impossible and
all those that had a home and could
reach it, either by conveyance or
otherwise, hastily left their places
of business and offered fabulous
prices for any kind of a vehicle that
would carry them to their loved ones.
Railroad communication was cut
off shortly after noon the tracks
being washed up. Wire facilities
completely failed at 8 o'clock, and
Galveston was isolated from the
world.
The wind momentari1y increased
in velocity, while the waters rapidly
rose and the night drew on with APP
prehension depicted in the faces Of
all. Already hundreds were bravely
struggling with their families against
wave and wind for places Of refuge.
The public school buildings, the
court house, the hotels. and IN fact
any place that offered an apparent
refuge became crowded to their ut
most. Darkness settled. on the city
like a pail, while the wind shriekedg
with frightful velocity, and the rain
fell in torrents.
At 6 :28 O'Clock pm, just before
the thermometer blew away the wind
reached the frightful velocity of 100
miles an hour. Buildings that had