Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-09-13
HVE THOUSAND DEAD.

Austin, Tex, Sept 12-Oiiiclal re-
ports from Galveston to Governor Say
ers are that 400 bodies have been
identified, 200 more are in an impro-
yised mOrgue awaiting identification,
and many more are thought to have
drifted out to sea and their identity
will not be known for weeks. A tele-
gram from Adjutant General ScurTy,
who is at Galveston, to the governor,
is as follows:
Have just returned from Texas
City with several Galveston parties,
who assure me that conditions there
beggar description. Accounts have not
been exaggerated. One thousand lost
is too conservative. While portion OF
the provisions have been destroyed
by water sufficient on hand to relieve
Immediate necessities. The citizens
seem To have the situation we'll in
hand. United States troops and Com
pany c, volunteer guard, with citizens,
patrol the streets to prevent looting.
! respectfully suggest that the distress
is too great for the people of Galveston,
even with the assistance of Houston,
to stand, and that a general appeal for
help would be welcomed. The estimate
of 10000 destitute does not seem to be
excessive"
From reports reaching the governor
il will be necessary TO cooperate with
the federal troops to place all the
mainland opposite Galveston, as well
as the island, under martial law. If
reports reaching here are true thieves
have begun to enter the city for the
nf nilfarinp tho hnHipS of tho
dead The governor has been inform
ed that the commander of the Texas
troops has been ordered to Galveston
by the federal authorities and the gov
ernor will lend him every assistance
possible with state n4!!it-I to keep
vandalism down.
According to reports to the COVER
nor the work of recovering corpses
continues unabated. and while a num-
ber of them are so mItilated that they
cannot be recognized they are being
held as long as possible in the hope
of securing their names. Quite num-
Der OF children are noted among the
list.
A large number of state militia tents
were shipped from here to Galveston
for temporary use on the island.
Governor Sayres received upwards
of 1000 kilograms during the day from
parties in the west and east offering
assistance to the flood sufferers at Gal
weston, and from various portions OF
the state reporting the collection of
money and supplies. A telegram from
New York informed the governor that
two relief trains of supplies had left
New York for Galveston.
Approximately one-third of the resi-
dence portion of the city has been
swept away. There are several thou
sand people who are homeless and des-
titute How many there is no way of
finding out. Arrangements are now
being made to have the women and
children sent to Houston and other
places, but the means of transportation
are limited. Thousands are still to he
cared for at Galveston.
More bodies have been picked up on
the beach at Virginia Point and Texas
City, and searching parties are now
getting into the country between the
two points One member of the life
saving crew says he believes that not
one-third of the dead bodies are being
MANY Sdllh DtIOIe
the beach, and he believes that week
will pass before the bay gives up all
the dead.
a man just arrived from Galveston
says that bodies are being cast into the
gulf with weights attached as the best
method of disposing of them, while
others are being buried in the sand
where found. Many of these are un-
identified. and so the death list will
never be known. Scores of people are
trying to get into Galveston Many OF
them claim relatives there, but it is
not possible to reach that city at pres
ent All of the small boats and tugs
in the bay have been taken down the
bay to be used in ferriage.
The great storm covered a large
area of the cotton growing section of
Texas and did tremendous damage to
the crop. A travelling man who covers
big area of the state reports that for
a hundred miles west of Houston the
wind and storm have wrought great
havoc, and all chances for a crop have
been destroyed. SOUTHWEST of Houston
the fields are ruined. In large cotton
growing counties around Houston ii is
said crops have been beaten into the
ground and are worthless.