The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-07-29
SAVES GALVESTON
MAN-BCILT BULWARk PROVES
IMPROBABLE TO WATERS.


Storm Reaps it's Toll of Dead on Fish
ing Pier Beyond Protecting
Walls of the Town.
Galveston, Tex, July 21.-Ten
dead is the total number of lives lost,
50 far as is known, in the hurricane
which swept over the Gulf of Mexico
and struck Galveston this morning
and continued until after midday.
While the city of Galveston was held
safe against the fury of the storm
by the new sea wall, far out in the
gulf, on Tarpon fishing pier, seven
miles from the city, where the storm
whipped over the jetty into the bay,
10 persons were washed from the
rocky promontories into the gulf.
Boats tonight are searching the bay
for bodies, but so far have been un-
successful.
Those drowned were members Of
a fishing party and employees OF the
Tarpon pier, marooned from the JET
ties. Boats were sent to their assist
ance late to-day and it was learned
that the house in which they had
taken refuge had been washed away.
While it is impossible to get an ac-
curate list of the dead owing to the
fact that the register has always been
kept at the pier, the best information
obtainable is as follows:
Capt. Bettison and wife, Edward
Lewis, C. H. Daley, circulation man
ager of the Galveston Tribune, for
merly of Chicago, Ray Teetshorn, Of
Houston, and four negroes. The 9TH
ers are unknown.
Mans strength and skill were pit
ted against the fury of the elements
to-day, and man won when the city
of Galveston, entrenched behind her
impregnable 17-foot seawall, with
stood, with comparatively trifing
loss, a tidal wave and hurricane
equal in intensity and destructive
force to the one which destroyed the
city on September 8, 1900.
With wires down and railroad COM
munication destroyed, the exact loss
is impossible to estimate. The hur-
ricane struck Galveston about II
o'clock this morning, the wind at
tanning velocity of 70 miles an
hour, which whipped the treacher-
Gus waters of the Mexican gulf into
a fury Of destruction. With the pent
up anger of 10 years Of hate, the
waves blindly assaulted the grim par
apets of stone which man had build
ed to restrain it's attacks. In vain
it hurled it's thousands Of tons OF wa
ter upon the splendid breastworks.
Only feeble burst of spray and q
little water reached it's objective and
the beleaguered city lay calm and
safe behind the wall. -.
Waters Vainly Vent Wrath.
Outside the limits of the city,
where the wall had not been reared
and the city had not been elevated,
the waters had their way, but they
wrecked only deserted huts and aban-
doned territory. In this section OF
the city, which is low and sparsely
settled, the water rose to height of
seven feet, but the warnings OF the
weather bureau had been needed and
the inhabitants had removed their
possessions out of the danger zone.
From other cities in the affected
area come tales of narrow escapes
and much destruction to property.
What damage and loss of life will be
reported from the many resorts along
other sections of the low-lying gulf
coast is not known yet.
There is no communication by wire
with the island city Of Galveston to-
night. A schooner, torn from her
anchor, smashed the one bridge
which connects Galveston with the
mainland and severed the telegraph
and telephone cables as well as rem
dered the bridge unsafe. Tonight all
communication with the world is by
tugs.
Sweeping westward, the tropical
storm which had been central over
the Gulf of Mexico for "a hours,
struck Galveston shortly after IL
o'clock. The wind attained a veloc-
ity of 6S miles an hour and shifted to
the northeast, heaving the waters
of Galveston bay up against the Is
land and flooding that quarter which
had not been raised.
Inc water UdChSu up luIo Ino nteAA.
streets of the city, but the principal
damage was confined to the beach
front, where bath houses and pleas
ure piers were swept away. Shipping
was undisturbed.
Hurricane Foretold.
A hurricane for east Texas was
forecast at the district weather bu-
reau in New Orleans early this morn
ing and warnings were sent out:
When wind and rain arrived several
hours later, they found Galveston
prepared. The inhabitants of the
few scattered houses in the low part
of the island had already sought safe
ty and the vessels that had cleared
and prepared to sail were riding at
anchor in the bay.
The fury of the storm soon abated
and the anxiety of those who enter
tanned fears of another tidal wave
were soon relieved. Small boys pad
ding around in the flooded streets,
o,,on bofo~o tho heavv wind had died