Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-08-19

waves from the gulf to break against
the sea wall. which did the damage TO
/ the western part Of the city and 10
she boulevard At no time however,
say those who spent the night in the
Hotel Galvez, did the sea run clear
F across the wall. The breakers thun-
dered against it. sending the spray
high in the air. and the waves broke
over the wall with terrific force. So
great was this force, in fact, that the
/ two granite Monuments which were
placed at the foot of fremont street
to commemorate the storm Of 1900
we're blown clear across this b0ule-
ward, a distance of more than so feet
In other places the iron posts have
been bent double and the granite cop
ing on the sea walls have been
wrenched loose, some of these stones
being carried a block or more.
The wreckage from the shattered
buildings. nearly all of which we're
Of frame construction. are piled high
ia all parts of the city. Telephone.
telegraph and trolley poles. together
with their wires, make an iudescrib-
able taugle, which in places fl viii
take weeks to clear IT is doubtful if
any of the public service corporations
will be able TO resume operations for
a month
500 Houses Wrecked.
A few brick buildings were wreck
ed. but these are of the older sort and
i'm themselves NOT a serious loss. Not
a new brick building in the city sus-
tanned more than trivial damage,
though nearly all the windows were
broken In and in some places roofs
torn off This occurred at the Hotel
Galvez. where several sections Of the
tile roof were blown away. The total
number of houses of all kinds. ex-
elusive Of sheds, which were wrecked
is estimated at 500.
The work which has been done fn t
the last Is years TO raise the level /
of the island had its share in the sal f
walton of the city.
IH one section in the residential
district I'm the vicinity of Twenty
fifth and Avenue NJ, the water did not
reach the first floors Of the houses
and even the household goods escap-
ed damage.
C@e Of the greatest losses to Gal
weston is the partial destruction of
sae causeway. This great concrete
bridge, the one connecting link be-
tween the island and mainland. was
completed barely two years ago. Both +
approaches. approaching 5000 feet.
are gone The east side of the cause
say. is said to have been torn awav
By one Of the dredges which is he
ieved 10 have been sunk subsequent
81 out i'll the channel The other was
battered down by a huge Oil tank
Fhich doated away from the Pierce
sordyce refinery. near Texas City.
There were six Of these tanks. val
led at from $4,000 10 $4,000 each. Z
md holding approximately $1,000 bar
els of oil. which were lost. and but
or This Oil. which tended to allav the
1eight of the waves. it is believed tho
oss in Texas City would have been
wen greater.
Many Trapped in Hotel.
Loss Of life known to have been :
.asLalheQ al any one place is said to
lave occurred at Virginia Point. at
ne western end OF the causeway. It
sas at this place that the last inter
rhan car out Of Galveston was STALL
d at . O'Clock Monday afternoon. It :
lad about 80 persons aboard ana when
appeared the car could get no fur
her, The people made their way to
he Virginia hotel The water con
.nued 20 rise about this structure IN
I ESQ O'Clock Tuesday morning.
then it collapsed. OF the "a persons
aid to have been in the hotel al the
inc not more than % were able to =
lake their way across the swirl of
'ater 10 railroad tower situated on I