The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-07-29

one end of the Texas gulf coast to the
other yesterday, claimed a toll OF IL
human lives, fatally injuring four
others and seriously wounding l6,
according to the details OF the storm
which began to arrive here late to-
day and tonight. Whole towns were
devastated and the wreck and ruin
to property will amount to hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
Trains from IL to Is hours late
crept into Houston to-day and freight
trains are lost throughout the strick-
en- district.
The details of the disaster on the
southwest coast of Texas are meagre,
as wires were stripped from the poles
and railway communication Is tmpos-
sible.
Bay City Storm Centre.
The territory around Bay City
seems to have been the centre OF the
storm, which moved southwest from
Galveston, For four hours there a
7O-mile wind swept across the coun-
try, carrying everything before 1t.
Velasco, a small town near Bay City,
is reported demolished, but with no
loss of life and none injured. Every
building was unroofed or partly de-
molished and the town tonight is In
four feet of water. People are escap-
ing in boats from the Colorado river,
a mile away.
Reports from the special train on
which General Manager w. G. Van
Week, of the Southern Pacific rail-
road, left Houston this morning in
dicate that the lower coast country
suffered greatly. The loss will total
thousands of dollars and in some dis
tricts reports state that the storm
was worse than the disaster of 1900,
which devastated Galveston.
Eagle Lake seems to have suffered
on a parity with Bay City, very few
houses escaping the fury Of the
storm.
The same situation is reported
from Lissie, Nowatta and East Ber-
bard, though there no fatalities are
reported.
At Glidden round house is en-
tirely demolished and a well derrick
is scattered over the town. AT Will
linger part of the railroad station and
Office was unroofed, as were the Al
lenton depot and East Bernard sta
ton.
Damage Inestimable.
It is impossible to estimate the to-
tai damage.
Along the Brownsville road from
Kingsville in parts the desolation was
nearly complete, Corn fields were
swept to the ground and harvesting
will have to be done by a hay rake.
The cotton, however, withstood the
storm well.
At Ell Campo the electric light
plant is wrecked, all elevators are
badly damaged and almost every
church in town is either demolished
or wrecked.
In the oil field around Markham,
derricks were blown down and wells
were stripped of their machinery.
The iron warehouse Of the Markham
Mercantile Company, the Brown
Grain Company warehouse and the
Enterprise restaurant were entirely
demolished. The new building OF the
Coast Telephone Company was lifted
from its foundation and probably will
be total wreck.
At Bay City about so per cent. of
the business section was damaged, in
cluding the opera house, one bank,
the court house, the new high school
building and the city jail. In the
Jail, the cages were left standing and
the prisoners were exposed to view
but were safe.
Prisoners Escape in Storm.
Six prisoners escaped from the
Jail at Richmond when the windows
had been blown in and while the
guards were repairing the damage.
At Palacios the rain was not heavy,
the damage resulting from the wind
which preceded the rain, which after
wards fell in gusts.
Mrs. Hogan and one daughter we're
injured under the falling brick walls
of their home and were later extri-
Gated by workmen. Their injury may
prove fatal.
At Galveston bay the situation is
not as bad as at first reported. No
part Of the railroad bridge which
spans the arm of the bay between the
island and Virginia Point was wash
ed away, but some so feet Of the
structure was thrown badly out Of
ailment by a huge barge and other