Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-08-22
BIG LOSS OF Life
TERRIBLE STORM SWEEPS THE
COAST OF THE GULF OF
MEXICO.
TELEGRAPH WIRES ARE ALL DOWN
News of the Disaster Is Hard to Get.
but 1t Is known That There Has
Been Enormous Damage ana
Considerable LOIS of Lifc-MObile
In Completely Isolated - Great
Damage to Shipping.


New Orleans, Aug. II. - The storm
which has been sweeping the Gulf
coast from Pensacola and moving
westward during the past two days
has Frustrated telegraph and telephone
wires to such an extent that news from
the outlying sections is hard to get.
The greatest fears have been enter
tanned for the safety of the people liv-
ing at Port Eads, which is at the
mouth of the Mississippi river, and for
the ships that started for sea just be-
fore the storm began. The wires at
Port Eads have been Frustrated since
Tuesday night at o'clock, but the
Picayune reached man who left there
at 2 o'clock Wednesday. He was at
Buras, which is sixty miles down the
river, and the farthest point with
which there is wire communication at
the present time. This man describes
the storm which swept that section as
a regular tidal wave, similar to the one
which resulted in such awful less Of
life in 1898. He says all the people liv-
ing on the east bank of the river have
moved up to the Jump" which is lif-
teen miles from the mouth of the river.
The house Of man named Golden,
half a mile above the quarantine sta
ton,
Was Swept Away,
and the fifteen members of the family,
including nine children, were drowned.
The quarantine buildings were badly
| damaged, but no one was injured. The
| government boat Gen. Reese, is be-
| lieved to have be:n lost. The steam
! boat Ruras was driven ashore near the
| lighthouse, and later it was reported
| that she had sunk. Her crew were said
to have been saved. The tugboat
Velasco went down to Pass L'Outre,
which is the eastern mouth OF the
river, with two barge5. When last seen
she had her decks awa3h, and 1t is be-
| lieved to have gone down. If TINS poat
| and her barges have beer lost twenty
| or more people have been LOST. There
| are numerous reports of Individual
casualties all along the river from
Buras down to the passes. Ihere Is
serious aprre hension concerning lne
| CEeniera Canlinada and Grand lsie
| sc ctions on the South Louisiana coast
| west of The Mississippi river, Where
| two
Thousand Lives Were Lost
| in 1898 by the tidal wave. UE to tms
| writing no word has been received
from that section which is largely IN
habited Ivy fishermen, mostly Chinese
and Malays.
| I'm tc last midnight everything
| seemed to be safe at the MISSISSIPPI
coast towns, Bay st. outs, Pass Chrls-
| tian, Biloxi, Mississippi City ana ocean
Springs, but since then not WORD mas
been heard from them. All wires are
down but no great fear Is entertainer
The only reports offdamage SO Tar re-
ceived are of destroyed bath houses
| and uIrooted trees.
There has been much damage done
at Shell Beach, settlement on Aa on
Rorene. which is southeast of the CITY,
ana connects with Lake Pontchartrain.
All the buildings there nave peen
sv.nt awav and there are reports OF
| loss of life among the fishermen, pu1
| 80 exoct extent of this is not known.
| A tidal wave swept over llle 'siio 'A
| as it did nine years ago.
Tn the city of New Orleans and suo-
,,,,,s there has beea some damage. AT
West End the lake rushed over lhe
vetnent and destroyed hea'i'
the buildings there.
Mobile Completely Isolated
Mobile is completely isolated from
tho outside world. 1t is known that
considerable damage has been done along
the water front in Mobile. but Whethef
there has been any loss Of life or not IS
mere conjecture. Nothing had peeh near"
| from the country south of Mobile up 10
the time the last wire to Mobile failed.
At 4.:u Yesterday afternoon the Western
| Union in Mobile was abandoned, the
| water Mt that time being three feet deep
| in the operating room. Two hours later
| connection was had for moment with
Mobile. An operator had made his way
to the operating room in boat. He TOOK
no his position on top of the swltchooaro'
several feet above the flooded office, ana
| sent this message:
| "An, on top Of the switchboard here
with a lineman. The water is over three
| feet deep in this room, and it is still rls-
ing The wind is blowing at the rate OF
| fifty miles an hour. and We look for worse
| things tonight. The business district is
| deserted
| Here the wire failed.
! From Mobile to Fort Morgan, dis
| lance of thirty-five miles, and on both
| sides of the bay, summer resorts and
summer houses are located These were.
it is believed, in the direct path of the
storm, and it is feared many lives have