The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-08-21
BUT GREAT ANXIETY IS FELT IN
new ORLEANS.
The Cost Of Life and The Damage
10 Property Recalls
The Terrible Tropical Flood of
1893 When Thousands Perished.

New Orleans. La, Aug. 1o.-Ihe
storm which has been sweeping tne
Calf coast from Pensacola and moving
westward during the past two days,
has Frustrated telegraph and telephone
wires to such an extent that news
from outlying sections is hard 10
get at. -,
tained for the safety of the people liv-
inc at Port Eads, which is at the
mouth. of the river, and for the snlps
that started for sea Just before Vhe
storm began.
The wires there have been pros
trated since Tuesday night at O'Clock
but The Picayune reached a man Wno
left Port Eades Wednesday. He was
seen at Buras, which is so 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 tloal
wave, similar to the one which result
ed in such awful loss of life IN 1888.
He saws all the people living on the
east bank of the river have moved up
to the ssiump," which is Is miles
from the mouth of the~river:
The house of a man named Copoen,
half mile above the quarantine sta
ton, was swept away, and the 10 mem
bers of the family, including chill
dren drowned. -,
The ouarntine buildings were badly
damaged but no one injured. The big
+owboat Chamberlain was driven high
and drv in the marsh, but her crew
are safe. The government boat Gene
raj Reise is believed to have been lost.
Cant. Obriens house was swept
away. but be was on the boat. which
was believed to be OUTSIDE. Inc M PIE
driver at Port Eads was sunk. Inc
steamboat Buras was driven ashore
near the lighthouse and later 1t was
reported that she had sunk. her crew
were said to have been saved.
The tugboat Velasco went down to
Pass a L'Outre, which is the eastern
neuth of the river, with two barges.
When last seen she had her deck
awasb. and it is feared she has gone
down. If this boat and her barges
have been lost 20 people more have peen
drowned. There are numerous reports
Of individual casualties all along the
river from Buras down to the Passes.
All the steamers which started Ior
the sea Tuesday remained inside the
Passes until Wednesday evening ana
then went out safely, among the num-
her being the Cromwell liner Proteus,
and the British transport Mechanlcan
which was dynamited while IN port a
few days ago. Not single vessel mas
nassed I'D the river since the storm pc
gan and great fears are entertained Ior
the ones which are expected.
There is serious apprehension con,
cerning tie Cheniere Camlnada ana
Grand Isle sections, on the south
TJonisiana coast, west OF the Misslssip-
y; river. where 1000 lives were lost in
fso3 bv the tidal wave. Up to this
writing no word has been received
from that section, which is largely
Inhabited by fishermen, mostly Chl-
nese and Malays.
IN to last midnight everything
seemed to be safe at the Mississippi
coast towns, Bay St. Louis, Pass
Christian, Biloxi, Mississippi City and
Ocean Springs, but since then not a
word has been heard from them. All
wires are down. The only reports OF
damage so far received are OF destroy
ed bath houses and uprooted trees. :.
The Louisville and Nashville rail
road is blocked off beyond Chef Men
teur. 50 miles from this city. Ihe olg
steel bridge there is safe, but beyond
there are several washouts on the road.
The New Orleans and Northwestern
railroad is also blockec by washouJs on
the lake and its big trestle over Lake
Pontchartrain has been shaken by the
heavy seas breaking against 1t.