The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-09-28
GALVESTON
MORTALITY
1t May Mount to Seven
Thousand.
THE KA|SER'S SYMPATHY
The Work Of Relief and Rehabili'
tation is Steadily Going on
Ample Funds.

GALVESTON. September 1j.-There
are all told perhaps 125 in the list of
dead who did not die in the storm. They
died at the hands of their fellow men.
Some are white; more are black.
Many of them lived here. and sur
vived that awful Saturday night of
hurricane and horror. The others came
from nearby places. They are the men
caught robbing the dead-the ghouls of
this week of woe and despair. Not a
1.-THE of the story has yet reached the
outside world.
There were more executions here in
two days than in all the United States
in u year.
Some few have enjoyed their consti-
tutional privilege of drum head
court-martial, with an army officer as
the dispenser of life or death.
The most have been shot down as
they robbed. Soldiers and citizens alike
have been clothed with this authority
to kill any one caught stealing from
the dead, or even from the piles of
wreckage.
One artillery soldier killed five men
within the minute with his Krag-Jor-
gensen-a bullet for each from the five
cartridges in his rifles magazine. One
citizen killed two negroes in the twink
ling Of an eye-a barrel of his shotgun
for each. There has not been a day
that dozen have not died in this way.
AS rule the blacks were killed with
out any trial, while in some cases white
ghouls were given the formality of a
trial.
Several thousand men are at work
clearing away the debris on the beach.
One hundred and fifty bodies were re-
covered from the wreckage and burned
yesterday. No attempt Is now being
made to identify recovered bodies. To-
day most of them are found naked and
mutilated beyond recognition.
LIVES SAVED BY A CUTTER.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 15.-Excellent
work in saving lives during the hurri-
cane was done by the officers and crew
of the revenue cutter Galveston, which
was stationed at that port. The first
mail through from the stricken city
reached Washington today and brought
letter from Chief Engineer w. II.
Whitaker of the Galveston. Under
date of September he says:
'All sheds on the wharves have been
leveled to the ground, or nearly so. I
do not think there Is house that has
not been more or less damaged. or
blown to the ground. While the wind
was blowing over sixty miles an hour
we sent out boat with a rescuing par
ty to row up one of the streets The
first trip they succeeded in saving thir-
teen women and children and brought
them back to the vessel in safety.
1T was useless to attempt to row the
boat against the terrific wind, and as
the water was at that time not over a
mans head in the street a rope would
be sent out to the nearest telegraph
pole and by that means n boat could
be hauled along from pole to pole. This
was accomplished only by the most
herculean efforts on the part of the
men who led out the rope, but between
swimming, walking and foundering
along in the teeth of the gale the rope
would finally be made fast. Then it
was all that a crew of one officer and
seven men could do to pull a boat
against the fierce blasts of the hurri-
cane. BY working all Saturday after
noon and evening and up to l o'clock
Sunday morning the brave boys sue
ceeded in rescuing thirty-four men, wo-
men and children. whom they put in a
place of safety and provided them
with enough provisions for their imme-
date wants. Finally on account of the
darkness, increasing violence of the
storm and the, vast amount of wreck
age in the streets, the rescuing party
was reluctantly compelled to return to
the vessel
"On board ship 1t was period OF in
tense anxiety for all hands. No one
slept. and 1t was only by superhuman
efforts by officers and crew that we
rode out the hurricane In safety. With
the exception of the carrying away of
the port forward rigging and the
smashing of all the windows and sky
lights, the vessel sustained no serious
injury. Not n single person on board
was injured in any way"
SITUATION IS BETTER.
GALVESTON. Texas, Sept. 1S.-"The
situation continues to improve" Is
what one is told now when he applies
at any of the various headquarters for
information. This statement is being
made with gratifying monotony all
over the city. The work has been
brought down to business basis as
far as possible and the system and or
der displayed In the various depart
ments would surprise anyone who
might return to Galveston after an alb
sence of three or four days.
One feature that has caused better
feeling and a more pronounced willing
ness to work is afforded by the fact
that the time" OF all the laborers en-
ployed is being kept at headquarters.
The men. being assured of compensa-
ton for their labor. naturally go about
their unpleasant tasks with much bet
ter grace than heretofore.
A thorough investigation reveals the
fact that every department Is as well
organized as possible under the circnm- |