Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-01-30
Mr.. NAsRs TRIP 70 GALVESTON.
He Writes Interestingly Of His Visit Views
the Big oil Geyser al Beaumont, Texas. #

Galveston, Texas, January 81. -Edf-
tors Courier: Leaving Walhalla, "tbe
beautiful Land of the Sky on tho 18th
we boarded the Southern Railway train
nothing to attract special attention
through Georgia or Alabama. At Bir-
mingham we boarded the A. G. s.. and
onward we speed, only the rattle of the
train and the falling rain to lull the
sleepy night away. at dawn we find
ourselves in Mississippi In q forest Of
fine pine timber, settled only. by sawmill
this bolt of about eighty miles we reach
Lake Ponchartrain. This is lovely
body of salt water, fed from the Gulf.
1t is eighteen miles wide whore we
crossed. At 8.15 we landed in New
Orleans. After lunch we took the street
car to get a glimpse of the oity. At11.30
q. m. our train, the Southern Pacific, was
sippi river. Next we see the largo sugar
plantations of Louisiana. There is moth
ing but cane raised in this belt of about
100 miles. Then come tho rice farms.
AlLis prairie country; no timber grows
except along the streams. We GROSS
some beautiful lakes fed from the Gulf
Among them, are Galveston Bay and ST.
waters up to the s.. p. r. Il. Two hun.
dred and seventy-e eight miles from New
Orleans we GROSS the Natohez river into.
the town Of Beaumont, Texas, and SEQ
the new oil well throwing its fluid sin a
.six-inch stream about 125 feet high
This we'll is 1900 feet deep. The town
is crowded with people from all parts of
the country, both capitalists and curl
Is the strength of the oil, but it certainly,
Is great find for Texas. Leaving Beau
mont we next arrive in Houston and
board the railway for this place. Soon
we see signs of the September storm. It
Is prairie country all through South
ern Texas. In about twenty miles of
Galveston. on the main land, we see the
this thinly settled country there was not
house left standing. Il.
We arrive here at p. m. After TAX
ing nights rest we looked over the
city. Pen cannot describe what tho eye
sees here of the destruction wrought BY
the great storm of wind and water on
September 8. We will not attempt to
add anything to what has been published.
There has been much done to clean up
the place and relieve the suffering. But
the work of cleaning the city has hardly
begun. Dead bodies are found daily in
tho muddy drains in such condition that
they cannot be handled. Several large
brick buildings are said to contain dead
bodies. We were shown the ruins of a
large brick church which is supposed
now to contain not less than 200 dead
bodies. 1t has never been touched. The
wharves have nearly all been rebuilt and
the shipping business is lively. There
are now six large foreign vessels in tho
harbor besides several Of our own.
There is plenty work in all lines at
good wages, but the unhealthy condition
only few days longer. w. p. Nash.
p. S.-We left Galveston only two
days after the above was written, and
arrived in Walhalla on the. 9th instant.
We are glad to get homo again, and are
content to abide awhile longer under tho
shadow of the Blue Ridge, where good
water and pure air contribute so much
to health and happiness. After all, there
is no place like the Piedmont section
when 1t comes to the real enjoyment of
life. And last, but not least, the bust
ness is coming this way, too. Watchl
W. p. Nash