The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-22

loss of single life in Galveston. and
a property loss trivial in comparison.
To the sea wall alone is attributed the
fact that the city is standing today.
In the vicinity of Galveston the loss
of life as a result of the storm is
placed at ten. members of fishing
party at TarDOn pier. several miles
out in the gulf the total property loss
is estimated at 100000.
Finished but four years ago at a
cost of S2,000,00O by the government
and Galveston county, the sea wall. a
gigantic mass of marble and concrete.
standing II feet high and l! feet
thick at the base and gradually
sloping al the top. yesterday success
fully caught the onslaught of the rag
ing gulf as white capped wave af-
ter wave was hurled against it.
Whether or not this mass of con-
struction was damaged by the action
of the water can only be told when
the waters of the gulf finally fall
back to normal Constructed on pill
ing driven deep into the ground. it
was thought impregnable to the action
of the gulf. but the Diiing IS driven
into sand only. Should the sand
have seeDed away million dollars
~more will haze to be expended in
filing in.
The sea wall served its purpose and
had it not been for the high waters
in the back bay forcing water
through the sewers into the streets
Galveston would have been destroyed
by the stress of water encircling the
city on the east.
Damage on the Beach.
Galveston beach will have to be
rebuilt. When the sea wall was con-
structed the encircling band of con-
crete and steel was laid to the rear
of the bath house and below the
beach stretched out 1000 feet to the
water Between the water line and
the wall were the two bath houses,
Murdock'S and The Breakers. con-
structed in recent years at cost OF
$4,000 each. They were swept
awav and scattered the nine mile
length of Galveston Island A mile
to the west and at the end of the sea
wall. unscratChed. stands the new
surf bath house completed at 4 cost
of $4,000. Standing on piling driven
as deem as that supporting the sea
wall. this new hotel and resort sue
cessfully withstood the onslaught OF
the gulf and today is the only thing
standing between the water lire and
the wall
working throughout the night by the
light OF lanterns. pile drivers worked
at each end of the mile treStle span
ming Galveston bay by the island and
mainland and by midday the breach
caused by a drifting barge viii have
been repaired and traffic resumed TO
the island Until this is repaired. Gal
weston will be isolated from the main
land as this is the only bridge and no
launch viii attempt to cross the rolling
bay
Where Drowning Occurred.
Tarpou fishing pier. where occurred
the only loss of life, thus far reported
is at the end of a narrow and rocky
pronontory which sheers into the deep
sulf Waves sweeping the hotel from
she summit of the rocks, cast ten per-
Sens into the water and they drowned.
All night long boats large enough to
venture upon the turbulent bay, search
ed for the bodies of the dead but IS
dawn broke the boats returned to their
slips empty handed. Like the storm Of
1900 the bodies probably have been
swept out to sea to be dismerged days
later when the waters have calmed and
the tides roll in.
Reports up and down the gulf show
that Galveston was the center of the
disturbance for which warnings for
mariners were posted Sunday. The
nearest threatened loss of life was at
Follower. Copeland and Patten beach,
near Bolivar Here there were 800 peo-