The evening times., 1900-09-11
STORY OF THE TEMPEST.
4 Vivid Description of the Horror in
Galveston.

| 4 Vivid Description of the Horror in
| Galveston.
GALVESTON. Texas, Sept. 10.-(By
Western Union Despatch Boat to Hous-
| ton, Sept. 1D.-Touight the city of Cal
weston is wrapped in sackcioth and ashes.
| She sits beside her unnumbered dead and
| refuses to be comforted. Her sorrow and
suffering are. beyond description. Her grief
| is unspeakable. Friday and Saturday she
was happy, prosperous, and buoyant, aDd
with bright and prosperous season opeu-
| ing up auspiciously. Last night she was
stricken down and crushed by misfortune
| that seldom befails any community and
| in her inexpressible anguish appeals for
| help TO bury her beloved dead, feed her
| stricken, and afford temporary relief for
| those who almost in the twinkling Of an
| eye lost home, loved ones and the saw
| ings of a lifetime. Tonight the city is dark,
| desolate and dreary- A pail has fallen
| over the living, 1t is pitiful and pathetic
/ beyond expression.
| The cyclone that produced such an ap-
paIling disaster was predicted by the Uni
| ted States Weather Bureau TO strike Gal
weston Friday night, and created much ap
! prehension, but the night passed without
the prediction being verified The condi
tions. however. were ominous. The danger
signal was displayed on the Flagstaff OF the
Weather Bureau. Shipping was warned
| The southeastern sky was sombre, the gulf
| beat high upon the beach With that dis
nal, thunderons roar that presaged trou-
| Bile, and it had that ominous stiffness that
betokens a storm. From out the north in
| the middle watches of the night the wind
began TO come in spiteful pHffs. ftful at
| first but increasing in volume as The day
| dawned.
By 10 a m Saturday it was almost
| gale: at noon 1t 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 appre-
| hension was felt by residents remote from
| the encroachments of The gulf section of
| the beach. AS stupendous waves began to
send their waters far inland the latter be-
gan hasty exit 10 more secure places in
| the city.
| Two gigantic forces were at work The
gulf drove the waves with irresistible force
| high upon the beach and the gale from the
northeast pitched the waters against and
| over the wharf ahutments. shaking the
| sewers and flooding the city from that
| quarter. The hopeless people were caught
| between the two incoming floods while the
wind shrieked. howled, and rapidly in
creased in velocity.
Business suddenly came to a standstill
Esry-
that had home and could reach it either
by, conveyance or otherwise hastily left
their places Of business and offered fabu-
lous prices for any kind of q vehicle that
| would carry them to their loved ones.
Railroad communication was cut OF
shortly after noon: the tracks being wash
ed up. Wire facilities completely failed at
3 O'Clock, and Galveston was isolated from
the world.
The wind momentarily Increased in We
locity, white the waters rapidly rose,
and the night drew on with apprehension
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 ap-
parent refuge became crowded to their
utmost Darkness settled on the city
like pail, while the wind shrieked with
frightful velocity, and the rain fell in
torrents.
AT 6:2S o'clock p. NJ, just before the
thermometer blew away the wind reached
the frightful velocity of 100 miles an
,,ild +bat Il
stood the gale then collapsed carrying
death and destruction to hundreds. Roofs
whistled through the air. windows we're
driven IN with a crash or shattered bv
flying slate. and telegraph, telephone
and electric light poles with their mass
of wires were snapped off like pipe
stems
What velocity the wind attained after
the thermometer blew off is purely mat
ter of speculation. The heavy detonation
of falling buildings and piercing cries for
help that broke through the rush and
roar Of the elements and the picture of
dead bodies floating along the streets
made it u night to those who safely passed
through it that will never be obiiterated
from their minds. The lowest point
touched by the barometer in the corre-
spondent's Office which was filled by
frightened men and women was 2S. 04 II.
This at about I so p. N. The barome-
ter then began to rise slowly and by 10
p. N. it has reached 2S.G9. The wind grad
ually subsidized and by midnight the storm
had passed. The water which had reached
a depth of eight feet on Strand Street at
10 D. m. began to ebb. It ran out very
rapidly and by 5 a. N. the crown of the
street was free of water.
Thus passed out the most destructive