Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-05

in the Pacific, and before night $4,000 will
be starving. What under heaven can we
DOR
Spellane up to his time had himself
wandered as IL In a half dream, but at the
question the telegraph operator. who for
years had sat taking messages Of disaster
by land and sea, awoke. do, man? Get
into communication with the outside world
somehow
Within an hour Spellane was aboard the
Pherabe, a powerful thirty-foot launch.
and had set forth to cross Galveston bay
to the mainland, and 10 follow the railroad
track on foot for Houston, forty-seven
miles away. For two hours the launch
fought, covering a bare seven miles abreast
OF the mainland; but nowhere along shore
could Spellane see a place to land. Wreck
age Of houses, barns, ships, railroad trains
Uttered the shore far as the eye could
reach. Off what had been Texas City,
S~pellane realized he would have to hit or
miss, and ran full speed ahead at the
shore, fetching up in a heap OF debris.
All he could find OF the railroad was the
/ Il fht-of-way. Ties were gone. Seventy
pound steel rails lay bent and twisted like
hairpins and corkscrews, and telegraph
poles were RACED clean as IL cut off with
a buzz saw. Through knee-deep water and
ankle-deep mud he slipped and floundered.
The hot sun, beating through the murk OF
the sweltering calm that had followed the
storm, baked him as il In a kiln, until he
was mad with thirst: but In the midst OF
that watery desolation there was not a
drop OF water fit to drink, for the brine
Of the gulf had flooded streams and wells.
His feet were covered only with felt slip
pers, and dye had soaked out OF these,
poisoning his ankles until they were as
II on fire and swollen big around as
saucers.
Yet he staggered into Houston that even
ing. A CHASTITY figure he was. clad in an
undershirt. linen trousers and an outing
cap, bare legs swollen to the size Of water
melons.
Galveston Is gone! Galveston Is gonei'
he mumblcd thickly as he llmped through
the streets toward the telegraph office.
followed by a crowd. Amy wires work
ing?' he gasped. He sank into a chair
IN front Of a desk. and the magic fingers
that had sent the quick, clear, even, in
cisivc Mores for which even today this
man is famed, grasped the knob OF a tele-
graph key and called up ST. Louis, where
President Mckinley happened to be, This
was the message:
President Mckinley,
st. Louis. Mo.
"A hurricane and tidal wave destroyed
Galveston. At least ten thousand are dead
in Galveston and surrounding country.
Twenty to thirty thousand are homeless
drugs. anG-above all d!slnfectants.'
Then, presently, came a moment Wher
Spellane did that for which congress owes
him a medal a New York sheet had
been tipped Off that spellane had ar.
rived with one Of the biggest stories in
a generation, and a braEen editor thought
he saw his chance for a beat. He sen.
this message to spellsne;
THE - offers you $500 for EXCLUSIVE,
story OF Galveston disaster"
Five thousand dollarsl What was mol
$500 to a man unnerved, unstrung, a mar
IS years old. on the threshold OF begin.
ming life all over again, with a wife and
three hungary little ones TO feed! Fol
a minute spellane sat, face flushing. Thei
the blood receded. and out Of his brow
eyes snapped a spark and under his blacl
mustache the teeth came together will
q click.
impossible" he answered simply.
Name your own price came IN
answer.
I am not selling the lives OF 5000 human
creatures at any price. Ny first duty
toward them" Within ten minutes. int
the office Of the Associated Press, spell
lane clicked the story. without writing
word Of oopy-in itself a marvellous teie
graphic feat Almost word for word a
he sent the story, 50 Il sped t~hroushou
the country to the hundreds OF papers b
the Associated Press service; ard how IN
country responded, how at first warship
and then uainlOads and shiplOads OF as
sistanoe were rushed from every port an
point. Is a matter 81 histOry.'-A v