The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-21

building collapsed and came down through
this room. 1t fell on and buried twenty
eight persons.
Mr.. Garnet says the scenes around the
piers and beach where the dead are
most numerous beggars description. 81
started toward the big railroad bridge
where number of men were at work"
he said. Everyone is pressed into ser
vice and must work. First I noticed in
the ditch along side the railroad track
the body Of a colored boy. Next I saw
| the body Of a girl, apparently about
sixteen years of age. Then I saw several
bodies. and soon I came to where men
were putting the bodies on the grade,
covering them with wood and applying
a match. AIong~the beach where houses
once stood, there is now nothing but
mounds The bodies were so badly de-
composed that they could not be hand
led, and a hole was dug in the sand
and they were buried. Afterward as the
tide brought in so many more bodies,
burial was out Of the question, and
wreckage was piled on them and set
fire.
Mrs. Smith tells Of making a trip to
the piers in company with two lady
friends. 81 was sorry I went she said.
when we got to the piers we saw men
handling the bodies on boats. Much as
they disliked the work, soldiers stood
around to see that they kept at 1t, and
they dared not quit They had cloths
saturated with camphor over their nors-
trils, and whisky was furnished them.
We started TO leave, and when we turn
ed around we saw seven dray loads Of
bodies They were the Rich and poor;
the banker and the washerwoman, the
white and the black, all nude, and in a
horrible condition on account of having
been mangled by falling walls. 1t was
with difficulty that I could leave the
spot. I felt so weak that I could hardly
walk. never went near such places
again.
The fearful wind that accompanied the
rain and storm can only be realized
when it is stated that a big ocean
steamer was driven and carried by the
waters for six miles, and will have to be
dredged back to the gulf the entire dis
lance. A big dredge boat was carried
thrree-quarters of a mile from the shore
Other ships were driven onto the shore
The work Of dredging paths back to the
ocean has commenced in many instances.
The wind being so high, the water
rolled in high waves. A man went up
to the light house to try and catch some
rain water for woman who had faint
ed. He went up about a hundred feet
ard held the cup up outside, hut the
water he got was salty because Of the
ocean spray. Where there were drifts
II had the effect of breaking the high
waves, and the fatalities were not so
numerous. Many people saved their lives
by climbing telegraph poles, and many
are the stories told Of narrow and thrill
ing escapes many of which will be made
public as they are brought to light.
Mrs. Smith says that she is glad to be
back to Wichita. II was asked on the
train If I had relatives here and I said
that I had not" she said. "but I told
them that knew Wichita people well
enough that would not suffer if I could
get here, and I am very thankful for
what ha sheen done for me and my
children since we arrived. I appreciate
it. but cannot help but feel for those who
are in that awful place and unable to get
aWay"