Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-07-23
CPL WESTON SAFE
BEHIND SEAWRlL
TWO MILLION DOLLAR STRU CTUR1
DEFIES ONSLAUGHT OF RAGING
GULF THROUGH STORM.
CITY BASKS IN SUNSHINE NOW.
Ten Lives Toll of Wild Gulf Storm and
Whole Beach Is Laid Waste
for Miles.
CITY BASKS IN SUNSHINE NOW.
SEA SWEEPS HOTEL OFF LAND

GALVESTON, Tex, July 22.-Gal-
weston has weathered repetition of the
storm Of 1900. To the sea wall alone is
attributed the fact that the city is stand
ing today. In the vicinity of Galveston
the loss of life as a result OF the storm
is placed at ten, members of a fishing
party at Tarpon pier, several miles i'll
the gulf. The total property loss is es-
timated at 100000.
Finished but four years ago at a cost
of S2,OOO,OOO by the government and
Galveston county. the sea wall, i giant
mass of iron and concrete stands Il
feet high and II feet thick at the base,
gradually sloping at the top.
Whether or not this mass Of construc-
ton was damaged by the action of wa
ter can only be told when the waters Of
the gulf fall back to normal.
Swept Beach Clean.
Galveston beach will have to be re-
built. When the sea wall was construct
ed the encrcling band of concrete and
steel was laid to the rear of the bath
houses and below the beach stretched
out 1000 feet to the water. Between
the water line and the wall were two
lighthouses. constructed at a cost OF
$4,000 each. These were swept away
and scattered the length of Galveston
island.
\ mile west and at the end of the
sea wall boulevard unscratched, stands
the new surf bath house completed at q
cost of $4,000. Standing on deep pilng
this new hotel was the only thing left
standing between the water line and
the wall.
Pile Drivers at Breach.
Throughout the night by the light of
lanterns, pile drivers worked at each
end of the mile trestle spanning Gal
weston bay, and by midday today the
breach caused by a drifting barge was
expected to be repaired and traffic re-
sumed TO the island.
TarpOn's fishing pier, where occurred
the only loss of life thus far reported. is
at the end of Il narrow and rocky pro
mOntOry which sheers into the deep gulf
Waves sweeping the hotel from the sum
NIT Of the rocks east ten persons into
the water and they drowned.
Search Bay for Dead
All night long boats large enough to
venture upon the turbulent bay, searched
for the bodies of the dead, but as dawn
broke the boats returned unsuccessful
to their slips.
Reports up and down the gulf show
that Galveston was the center of the dis
turbance for which warnings for mari.
ners were posted in Galveston Sunday
The nearest threatened loss of life was
at Follower, Cape Land and Patten
beach, near Bolivar. Here there We're
800 people from Beaumont and sur
rounding cities, camped out for the sum
mer. but ali are reported safe.
This morning the weather was warm
and clear and there was no wind.
Galveston Suffered Most.
NEW ORLEANS, La, July 22.-The
full toll of life and property lost in the
hurricane which swept the western gulf
coast yesterday may not be known for
several days. The hurricane swept
along the gulf bordering shore from
points in Cameron parish, La, almost
to the southwestern extremity of Texas.
Apparently the storm vented it's fiercest
force on the city of Galveston. Reports
received from there indicate that the
loss of life is confined to the ten unfor-
Inmates caught in the gale off Tarpon
pier. The uneasiness which was enter
tanned for outing parties on some of the
islands along the Texas coast was dis
PEELED during the night by messages
which assured the safety of these excur-
siOnioIs.
Seek for Picnickers
On account of the anxiety felt over the
fate of a thousand or more persons in
attendance on the state Baptist Young
Peoples encampment at PalacioS, on the
coast of Texas, south of Galveston, a
special train has started from Houston
Tex, in an effort to reach that point
All telegraph wires are down.
Communication was established this
afternoon with Angleton, town of
2O0O people, on the gulf coast, south of
Galveston. Angleton reported that near
ly every house III the town had been bad
~ damaged and many Of them complete
~ wrecked as a result of yesterday {
hurricane. One man was seriously hurt
HOUSTON, Tex, July 22.-Efforts to-
day to confirm reported loss of life al
Palacios and Blessing, two small set
Elements on Matagorda bay. about 1OC
miles southeast of Houston, have failed
The only known dead are the ten per
sons swept off the Tarpon fishing pier
They are:
c. H: Daily, circulating manager Gal
vestin Tribune; Ray Teetshorn, Houston
Tex; Capt. E. L. Bettison. manager of
the pier; Mrs. E. l.. Bettison, Charles
Johnson, Mrs. Charles Johnson, c. D.
Hopkins, Galyeston; three unknown