Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-08-25
GALVESTON HURRICANE-sWEPT
loss OF Life Was Small-Property
Damage $15,OOO,OOO.

Doli"o' ieAdS, aug. lS.-GalVeS-
ton has emerged from one of the
most severe storms in the annals Of
the Gulf Of Mexico, battered and Sc
verely burdened with financial loss,
but with the known loss of life less
than a score.
Ihls summarizes the first definite
news received from the island city
since the tropical hurricane which
Monday began battering against the
gigantic sea wall which protects the
city from the waters of the gulf. An
accurate estimate of the property
damage was not possible tonight,
but those who did venture an esti-
mate say that 1t might reach the
proportions Of the storm of 1900,
when property valued at $15.OOO,-
900 was swept away.
The first messenger from the
stricken city reached Houston to-day
and reported thousand feet of the
sea wall swept away; the causeway
which connects Galveston with the
mainland cut in two, and the city
StreWn with the debris Of 500 build
ings crushed by the assaults of wind
and tidal waves.
Fires Add to Damage.
Three fires also did great damage
and the city is without an adequate
suppl Of drinking water, the mains
leading to the city's supply wells at
I
been broken.
The belated report to-day says
that the storm reached its zenith at
o'clock Monday and the cottages
along the sea wall were cumbled
and scattered into flying timbcrs.
The waters Of the gulf, whipped into
fury, tore away bits OF sea wall until
an opening had been dug into the
tough cement, then the battle be-
tween water and concrete began.
Despite the fact that a thousand feet
Of the wall was battered away, Gal
weston attributes its salvation as a
city to the big dixie which was built
a few years after the storm of 1900.
the Galvez Hotel let in most of the
water that damaged the residential
section.
All the city's resort bath houses
and beach amusements have been
swept away. The Murdoch, the
Breakers and the Surf bath houses,
each OF which was a commodiouS
frame structure, were demolished
and heaped upon the boulevard in
debris. @.
The loss to the city port facilities
has been enormous and all kinds Of
craft have suffered. The United
States transport Mcclellan is high
aground on Pelican Island, an arti-
flcial spot north Of Galveston just
across the ship channel. Many YES
sells have been capsized and several
reported as destroyed.
Yesterday the city was placed un-
der martial law and after surveying
the property damage the mayor an
nounced that the city would not need
to call on other communities for
financial aid.
The surprisingly low loss of life
probably is due to the leSsCn of 1900.
for the population Monday night
sought refuge in the stronger build
ings, where the disaster of Is years
ago found the residents sleeping
while the gale took the lives of over
5000.
Coast Storm Reports.
With large sections of the storm
swept southeastern coast of Texas
still cut off from communication re-
ports received last night and early
to-day place the number known to
have been killed in the tropical hur-
ricane which swept the Texas coast
at more than 100. The property loss
was vaguely estimated in the mil
lions, some estimates placing the
probable loss as high as $30,0O0,OOO
Galveston suffered probably the
heaviest financial loss. but only II
persons are known to have lost their
lives in that city, while at. Virginia
Point 30 were killed, and at Texas
City, across the bay from Galveston.
Is lost their lives. Other points re-
porting loss Of life were: Morgans
Point II, Sylvan Beach 3, Houston
9, Hitchcock 7, La Porte Z, Port Ar
thur 4, Lynchburg 3, SeabrOok 3.
Many Brave Fcats.
Many brave feats were performed