The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-12
fnY JAMES HAYS ouARLEs. }

reports or the conditions eNlStinR al
Galveston" is a question which has been
asked me hundred times since 1 re-
turned from Galveston.
The newspapers have not told the
story. they have not been able to por
tray the exact conditions. and the re-
ports which have been published were
far short OF the true state of affairs.
left Houston Monday morning at
o'clock on special train Of the CAL
weston Houston and Henderson. At
every station We passed the homes and
stores were demolished. the carcasses Of
horses and cattle coulc be seen every
where, ana water was standing in every
low place. 1t Is impossible to give tie
details in these small towns. Every
house In every place has been com
pletelY demolished or so badly Dana gei
that It could not be usei. Women with
hardly more than one garment, IN bare
feet and uncovered heads. were asking
for provisions for themselves and chill
dren: men were half naked and hungry.
and desttutfon was presented in a form
Which Is not surpassed even by the :e-
ports which have told Of the conditions
OF those in starving India. Debris lined
the right OF way OF the railroad. aid
telegraph poles were blown down AMI
wires were in the mud The county rJs
was deep in water, and the gutter bep
tween the county road and the 70 slDei
of the line were deep. We could not 80
fan.her by train than mile this side OF
/ Texas City Junction. Here It was noces-
sary 10 start afoot. and the hundreds
aboard the train made the trip. ats
train carried relief supplies and we
went forward in oroer to arrange o
send these supplies across the bay.
As We neared the bay. the wa.or be-
came deeper. and in places it was neces-
sarv for some to wade across places
where bridges had once been. Dry fe u
were not known in the crowd and soon
shoes were discarded and barefooted 1len
walked on the she'll ballasted roadbsd,
each step being ono of pain. and bleeding
following the cuts which tae rharp roIAts
OK tho shells made in the lender ies1 OF
men so long accustomed to hose and
shoes.
Dead bodies were everywhere ahou.,
and the stencil was almost too strong
oarcasses of decaying animals and de-
composed people. At times it was nee
essarv to stem over the carcass OF an aa..
NAL. and now and then Ne would find IL
the roadway the stark and naked bJly
of a woman or a chilli. Occasionally We
would find body half clothed, but III.
greater number had been dives,ed OF
every article OF apparel by the whipping
wind and the beating waves of tn.
storm-swept water. These bodies bad
all 1ogun to deoompose There was Lax
means of Identifying them. and no oftor
, was made to do this. some OF .4en
were buried-but OF this later.
When we neared Virglnia Polnt AFT ii
making the long trip afoot, we came Il,
. with f. Gerloff OF Galveston. Ho hal
, but two garments a shirt ans 4 pair G
. Trousers, and. barefooted, was wa.hlag
toward the bay shore. He pointed ou
10 the crowd II point about a half mil
from the roadway. or possibly it WAS
mile. where he stated that about Il.
bodies were in pile. His wife a..
child. his mother and his brother wer
drowned. and he and his father were th
only survivors Of the family. He told
story of the storm reaching Galveston
how he and his family had left in a sal
boat. and after Hghting tn, Gle nents 70
hours the boat had capsizei and all Ncr
drowned but the two Mr.. Gerloff Wa
hungry and one of the crowd gave hin
a package OF luneh.
At Virginia Point there was complet
destruction. saw the freight cars q
two trains scattered over acres of prair
land and about m0ny of these cars wer
bodies of many people, Some OF thes
had been killed while trying to swim t
land, by striking against the floating cars
Bodies were scattered about at Virgins
Point ana every EFFORT at identincatto
failed,
train on the Southern Pacific wa
caught at the bridge by the high water
The locomotive, in charge OF Engnee
.hAhN iNNhANNS "a tAi4S WIZ u NRhoNSt AN
nat car were saved by the train me-
and are now in charge OF the train crew
: They saved a number OF people Tn
water was IN the cab OF the engine. En-
gIneer Kennedy was possessed Of grea
deal of presence OF mind during the heigh
of the nood and to him IS duo credit 70
saving some OF these who were unabl
TO save themselves.
The three railroad bridges ecross Gal
weston bay are wrecked, and there is no
~ yestige of the county wagon bridge t,
; be seen. There is only portion OF IA
pilings Of the railroad bridges 10 be seen
, The s,ringers and rails have bsen washed
away and a hcating Nat car is breaking
against them under pressure OF the waves
tramp steamer OF the Red Cross lin
went through the piling OF the Galveston
Houston and Northern s.dewiss ana tor
out many piles. The vessel Is high aul
dry between the bridges. The Galveston
Hokktcn and Northern draw Is turned owe
, on fts SIDE, the bottom being toward th
esft The Galveston, Houston and Hen
def son draw IS missing and the Santa F,
II