Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-07-30
GALVESTON SAVED
BY HUGE SEA WALL
Loss of Life in Southern Storm
Is Confined to Tarpon
Spring Victims.

Galveston, Tex, July 24.-Galveston
has weathered q repetition OF the storm
of 1900, when a tidal wave wrecked the
island city, without the loss Of a single
life i'm 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 re-
suit of the storm is placed at 10 mem
bers of a fishing party at Tarpon PIER.
The total property loss Is estimated at
800, 600.
Finished but four years g at a cost
of 1000 600 by the government and
Galveston county. the sea wall, a gigan-
tic mass of concrete. II feet high and
II feet thick, yesterday successfully
withstood the onslaught of the raging
waves which were hurled at it.
Whether or not this mass of construc-
ton was damaged by the action of the
water only can be told when the wa
ters fall back to normal. Constructed
on plling driven deep into the ground,
1T was thought impregnable to the ac-
ton of the golf, but the piling is driven
into sand only. Should thes and have
seeped away 81 600, 900 more will have to
be expended in filling.
The sea wall served Its purpose. Had
IT not been for the high waters in the
back, forcing water through the sewers
into the streets, Galveston would AVE
been destroyed by the stress of the wa
ter encirciing the city on the east.
Must Rebuild Beach.
Galveston beach will have TO be re-
built. When the sea wall was con-
structed the encircling 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 the two bath houses. Murdock's
and the Breakers, constructed in recent
years at a cost of S25, 900 each. These
were swept away.
A mile to the west and at the end
OF the sea wall boulevard unscratched
stands the new surf bath house COM
pleted at a cost of 10000, Standing on
piling driven as deep as those support
ing the sea wall, this new hotel and re-
sort successfully withstood the on
slaught of the gulf and today is the
only thing standing between the water
line and the wall.
Save the Trestie.
Throughout the night, by the light of
lanterns, pile drivers worked at each
end OF the mile trestle spanning Cal
weston bay and by midday the breach
caused by a drifting barge will have
been repaired and traffic resumed to the
island.
Tarpon's Pier, where occurred the
only loss of life thus far reported, is at
the end of a narrow and rocky promon-
tory which sheers into the deep gulf.
Waves sweeping the hotel from the
summit of the rocks a s. 10 persons into
the water and they drowned.
All night long boats large enough TO
venture upon the turbulent bay,
searched for the bodies. but failed.
Center Of Storm.
Reports up and down the gulf show
that Galveston was the center of the
disturbance for which warnings for
mariners were posted in Galveston Sun
day. The nearest threatened loss of life
was at Follower Copeland and Patten
Beach, near Bolivar. Here there were
800 people from Beaumont and sur
rounding cities, camped out for the
summer, but all are reported safe.
The only known dead are the 10 per-
sons swept off the Tarpon Spring pier.
They are.
c. II. DAILY, circulation man
ager Galveston Tribune.
RAY TEETSHORN, Houston.
CAPTAIN f. l.. BETTISON,
manager of the pier.
MRS. T.. l.. BETTISON.
MRS. CHARLES JOHNSON.
c. ID. HOPKINS, Galveston.
THREE NEGROES.
A large force of men is at work re-
pairing the railroad bridge leading into
Galveston and officials that
trains will be running into the city noon
today.
A dispatch from Sabine Pass says the
gale caused record breaking tides there.
but no serious damage was done. The
streets were flooded but the waters re-
ceded rapidly.
Other small coast towns report that
the floods have subsidized with minor
damage.