, 1900-09-13
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE BY
FLOODS AT GALVESTON

hurricane made rapid inroad into the
center of the state. In Houston many
buildings We're demolished, II n
heavy loss of properly was sustained.
Continuing inland. the storm swept
the town of Hampstead. fifty miles
| above Houston. and continued thence
to Chnppell Hill. twenty miles further,
then To Brennan. thirty miles distant.
All of these towns were wrecked, their
inhabitants terrorized and several of
them Killed.
The towns of Sabine Pass, Port Ar
thur and Alvin also We're almost com
pletely destroyed, The storm swept
Beaumont. Austin. Pearlland, Smith
VILE. Toylar. Temple. Waco. Corpus
Christi, Rockport and Hitchcock, do
ing much damage in each town.
The Brazos Bottom. which was the
scene of great disaster during last
years flood, was swept for fully 100
miles. Crops and farm property suf-
fercd'heavy damages.
From the territory west of Austin Ia
the mountains the storm seems TO have
swept everything before 1t, razing
houses and u%prooting trees. Although
II vast area has been swept by the
storm. interest tonight is centered in
the fate of Galveston. Some light on
the terrible conditions was obtained
from james G. Timmins. general SUI
perintendent of the National Compress
Company, who made his way to Hous-
ton, after n p%erilous trip.
He reported that more than 1000
persons We're drowned or are missing,
and that 1000 houses in Galveston
have been destroyed.
Managers of the telegraph lines are
making every effort to rc-estnblish
communication with Galveston ut the
earliest possible moment. They have
n large number Of telegraph operators
and linesmen waiting in Houston to
go to Galveston. These men will lie
SEM on to Galveston at the earliest OPP
portunity. NJ wires are working to.
night south of Houston A sc"eie
storm now prevails In this city. but II
has not interfercd with telegraphic
communication.
The last definite news about the sit.
uation in Galveston came early this
morning. At that time the lower pOr-
ton of the island was entirely under
water and the wave We're making rap
id inronds upon the banks which Dor
der the island proper.
Houston. Tex. Sept. 9-Among the
passengers who arrived here on II re-
lief train from Galveston is Ben w
Dew, an attachc of the Southern Pa
cific. Dew had been ut Virginia POint
for some hours, and said that he saw
from 100 to $50 bodies %tloatinE out on
the beach at that place.
Conductor Powers reported that
twenty-five corpScs had beer recovered
by the life saving crew, many of them
women. and that the crew had reported
hat many bodies Were floating and
they We're using every endeavor to get
them all out of the water. The water
swept across the island. and it Is pre-
sumed that most of these were Calves
ton people. though none of them have
been identified.
one of the refugees WHO came in on
the relief train, and who had II sad
pcrieucc. was $. w. Clinton. AN en-
gineer at the fertilizing plant ut the
Galveston stock yards. Mr.. Clinton's
family consisted of his wife and six
children. When his house was washed
away he managed to get two of his
little boys safely to n raft. and with
them he drifted hopelessly about. His
raft collided with wreckagc of every
description. and was split in two. and
he was forced to witness the drowning
of his sons. being unable to help them
in any way. Mr.. Clinton says parts of
the city are secthing masses of water.
Mr.. Jennings, II slater by trade. WHO
resides nj Thirty-eighth street and Ave
nue. NJ, Galveston, got to the mainland
in about Ii same name aS Clinton.
After losing his wife he set out. and
by swimming md drifting around
reached the mainland. .
A. England and wife of Texas City.
who We're on the relief train. report
that the whole of Texas City has been
blown away. and Il number of Lives
lost. Six women are known by Mr..
England to have bcen drowned. and he
said that many others had lost their
lives.
Beaumont, Tex, Sept. 9.-Thc gray
est fears are entertained here for the
safety Of the residents of Sabine and
Sabine Pass. AT the diSpatchcr's office
of the Sabine and East Texas railroad
II is learned that the last dispatch
from the operator at Sabine. the new
town, reported that AT that time the
water was surrounding the station and
washing over the railroad track. He
Saiu people were leaving in crowds for
the back ridge.