The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-19
DEATH over A BAY
Weight of Gulf Storm Falls on
Sea Shipping.
Warnings From e. s. Bureau
Saved Thousands.

San Antonio. Tex. Aug. 19.-Pro-
| tected by her Seawall. which withstood
the battering of the waves hurled
against it by the force of wind rang
ing from 80 to 124 miles, Galveston
escaped the hurricane which broke
( over that city Monday night and
Tuesday morning with a minimum
loss of life and a relatively small loss
of property.
Up to noon Wednesday only IA
] bodies had been recovered and it is
doubtful if many more than this were
drowned in the city itself
/ Heaviest Loss in Bay.
The heaviest loss of life will be
] found to have been sustained by the
/ shipping and dredges anchored out in
the bay. The total including those
/ lost in the city. from ships and in the
/ lowlands of Galveston, may reach ESQ
/ to 800. The exact number, however.
probably never will be known With
the deaths reported In Virginia Point
Texas City, Laporte, Houston and
other nearby coast cities, the grand
total will approximate 400 lives.
! The above statement was brought
| to San Antonio this morning by
Charles S. Hayden, staff correspond
ent of the Light, who returned today
from Houston and Galveston Mr.
Hayden was sent to Galveston Monday
night and was in the first boat to
reach the stricken city from the main
! land.
Warnings. Save People.
Thanks to the ample warning given
by the United States weather bureau
as to the approach of the storm.
coupled with realization as to what
this might mean, due to the terrible
record in the storm of 1900, thou
sands of people who remained in Gal
weston, left their homes Monday night
and sought refuge in the big buildings
in the heart of the city. The fremont,
Royal Panama and GalveZ hotels
were crowded to capacity. while the
upper floors of the Atchison. Topeka
& Santa Fe station. American bank
building and the Rosenberg library
also held their thousands
1t is estimated that the property
loss at Galveston may reach 100000
600, but in the face of this the citi-
zens are jubilant for the sea wall built
at a tremendous cost following the
great storm of 1900. has done it's duty
and stands intact. Great holes have
been torn in the pavement of the
boulevard just inside the seawall for
practically the entire distance from
Seventh to Nineteenth streets and in
places the wall itself has been under
mined. These are things which can
be remedied, however.
Rows of Buildings Wrecked.
Almost as great damage to property
in Galveston was created by the water
which flowed in from the bay front
Monday From one-half to two-thirds
of the buildings which lined this front
have been wrecked and most of the
buildings about the docks are little
better than ruins. This, however, is
attributed to the wind, as the piling
ori which these buildings were erected
still stands. Back of the sea wall, in
the vicinity of fremont street, all the
smaller frame buildings have been
foundations.
All bath houses. the Breakers, Surf
and Murdocks, together with piers
extending out into the gulf. have been
washed away and a big four-maSter
schooner, hurled in from the gulf, lies
half way across the wall. The sailors
from this vessel were rescued by SOL
diers at Fort Crockett.
There have been three disastrous
fires in Galveston since the storm.
The first of these, which broke out
in the o. K laundry, near the Atchi-
son. Topeka & Santa F'e depot. oc-
CURED early Tuesday morning. This
building, with the one adiOinin :, was
burned to the ground Later u fire
started in the store of the Galveston
Dry Goods company and at noon
Wednesday there was a fire in the
war enc use of the Direct Navigation
company. 1t is estimated that these
three fires alone caused damage Of
approximately $20O,O0O IN excess of
that storm.
Water From Street to Fire.
Late reports received al Texas City
stated that this fire was subsequently
got under control by fire engines
pumping water from the streets
The greatest need of the 10000 or
more persons who remained in CAL
weston during the storm, is food and
water. At noon Wednesday it was
reported there was scarcely enough
water to last another day and much
Of this would be required for baking
bread. Nearly all the stores of gro
ceries were water soaked, packages of
crackers bringing price of fifty cents
each
Efforts to supply these people with
provisions and water are being made
as rapidly as possible.
Both ends of the causeway were
washed out and it will be several
weeks before direct rail connection can
ever, several gangs of men are clear
ing the railroad tracks of the debris
which is piled on them for the four
miles between Texas City Junction and
Texas City The warehouse and dock
people of that city have placed these
facilities at the disposal of a commit
tee of Galveston men and as soon as
rail communications can be made am
pie supplies can be sent across the
bay in barges and United States trans
ports
Breaking of the Storm.
The storm. which had been predict
ed for several days, broke over the
city at o'clock Monday afternoon.
attained a velocity of about sixty miles
an hour This was the wind from the
north and il continued to blow the wa
ter in from the bay. flooding the
streets and cellars. Business men and
their clerks continued to work until
O-cl0ck goods