The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-16
A TIDAL WAVE
Similar to That of 1898 on the Gulf
Coast.

Similar 20 4nAI OF 1850 on the Gul1
Coast.
New Orleans, Aug. 16.-The storm
which had been sweeping the gulf coast
from Pensacola and moving westward
during the past two days has prostrated
an extent that news from the outlying
sections is hard to get The gravest
fears have been entertained for the
safety Of the people living at Port Eads,
which is at the mouth of the Mississippi
river, and for the ships that started for
sea just before the storm began. The
wires to Port Eads have been pros
trated since Tuesday but the Picayune
reached man who left there at
o'clock Wednesday. de was at Buras,
which is 60 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 re-
suited in such awful loss of life in 1888
He says all the people living on the
east bank of the river have moved up
to the Jump" which is Is miles from
the mouth of the river The house of a
man named Golden. half mile above
the quarantine station. was swept away
and the Is members of the family, in
Guiding nine children. were drowned.
The quarantine buildings were badly
damaged but no one injured. The big
tug Chamberlain was driven high and
dry but her coal is safe. The pile driver
at Port Eads was sunk. The steamboat
Buras was driven ashore near the light
house, and later it was reported that
she had sunk. Her crew were said to
have been saved.
There are numerous reports of in6li-
Vidual casualties along the river from
Buras down to the passes.
Not a single vessel has passed up
the river since the storm began, and
fears are entertained for those that are
expected There is serious apprehen-
sion concerning the Cheniere Cam
nd 81 he
south Louisiana coast of the Mississippi
river, where 1000 lives were lost in
1898 by the tidal wave. Up to this writ
ing no word has been received from
that section, which is largely inhabited
by fishermen, mostly Chinese and Ma
lays
The Louisville & Nashville railroad is
blocked off beyond Chef Menteur, 30
miles from this city. The big steel
bridge there is safe, but beyond there
are several washouts on the road. The
New Orleans and Northwestern road
is also blocked by washOuts, and a big
trestle over Lake Pontchartrain has
been shaken by the heavy seas break
ing against it.
Much damage has been done at Shell
Beach. a settlement of Lake Borge,
which is southeast Of city and connects
with Lake Pontchartrain. All the
buildings there have been swept away.
and there are reports of loss of life
among the fishermen, but the exact ex-
tent of this is not known. A tidal wave
years ago.
In the city of New Orleans and su-
burbs there has been some damage. At
Milburg one of the lake resorts, rail-
road pier head running out into the
lake for 1000 yards. has been destroyed
and all light buildings demolished.
There was no loss of life. The steam
er Neptune, tied to this pier head,
pounded herself to pieces and sank.
At West End the lake run over the
revetment and destroyed nearly all the
buildings there. The big dancing pa
vilion at L4akevieW was postponed to
pieces by wreckage washed up by the
waves. The shell road to West End has
been under three feet of water and
BucktOwn a gambling resort. has been
swept away 1t was at the mouth of a
canal and the sweep of water into the |
canal from the lake carried everything |
before it.
The old basin canal, coming into the !
city on Toulouse street. OverflOWed its !
banks, inundating the entire second |
district. A thousand men have been
put TO work on it and are raising its |
banks.
a coal feet of "a barges belonging to |
the Monongahela Coal Co, and anchor
ed at Coal Port, nine miles above the K
city, had a rough experience. and every 1
tug in the harbor was sent up there to /
save the barges- Six of them with an 1
aggregate capacity of 5000 tons of coal. |
sank The tow boat Henry Marx, be- /
longing to the Interstate Transporta- |
tion company. pounded a hole in her /
sank