Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-16
Hundreds May Have Perish
ed and Thousands Are Now
Without Homes.
STRICKEN CORPUS CHRISTI
DELUGED BY TIDAL WAVE
Relief Trains Answer Distress Call,
While Troops Are on Guard.
q. S. Army Gives Aid.

| Mounting rapidly as reports from
! Isolated sections begun tricklinE n.
the death HIT. M the result Of the
i tropical hurricane. which Sunday
swept tie Texas znh coast MT ard
around Corpus Christi, WAS variOasiy
placed Mt ~ 10 40 today.
Just what the storms toll was prob
ably will not be known for several
days. for reports show bodies of vic
tins found ut scattered points along
the Nueces and Corpus Christi bay.
"ne compilation giving tn total re-
covered at several point at seventy
The victims found along the bay
shores were believed to be largely
from Corpus Christi. the bodies whirl-
ed way from the city by the recedfng
waters from the ten-foot tidal wave
that swept in on sixty-mile gale
early Sunday.
More Serious Reports.
Reports from Odem. Tex. were that
the situation in Corpus Christi was
increa Singly serious and the mayor of
Sinton. north of Corpus Christi. re-
port ed the bodies of twenty-one storm
victims had been gathered in a school,
house five miles from Sinton.
Another report from Odem was that
a DR.. W. c. Reinhart. who returned
last night from Corpus Christi. said
the number Of dead there and at Port
Arkansas and Portland might reach
1000. and that lit was estimated that
goo to SEQ bodies have drifted across
the bay" from Corpus Christi and
other points.
BY the Associated Press
CORPUS CHRISTI. Tex. September
16.-The death toll in Sundays storm
will reach between Is and 100 in Corpus
Christi and surrounding towns along the
coast. according to an estimate today
by Dr. W. E. Wills. city health physi-
clan.
With troops petrolling the main
streets and relief trains headed this way
from many parts of the state, Corprs
Christi today began slowly emerging
from the wreckage caused by the gulf
hurricane which did property damage Of
millions.
/ Finding Of Bodies Unconfrmed. 9
One report in circulation today. but
as yet unconfirmed. was that 40 bodies.
n ost of them recognized as residents Of
reef near Portland. on Nueces bay. upon
which Corpus Christi is situated.
]. More than 5000 persons were made
homeless by the storm. and the problem
OF taking care Of them was one officials
|f&ced when they began the day. How
ever, with the coming of relief trains. it
was expected that by night most Of
those made destitute hy the storm would
! No. toI ara 0f
! Considerable anxiety was expressed
regarding the fate of the launch Waldo
with fifteen persons on board. which
left Corpus Christi Saturday afternoon
on fishing excursion. Since the storm
no word has been received from the
marty, which includes four women.
Fears are entertained that a heavy
casualty list will be reported from
surrounding towns, several OF when
were directly in the path Of the
storm.
Tidal Wave Ten Feet High.
The storm sent tidal wave ten
feet high over the business and North
E.ach districts of the city.
That the loss of life was not ap-
paliing was due to the prompt warn
ing sent out to the lower portions of
the city early Sunday morning. urg-
ing all persons at exposed places to
seek safety in the higher districts OF
sons carrying their most valuable
personal belongings poured out of the
bay-front district into the higher Sec
tions. Hundreds Of others who re-
manned in their homes until the water
reached dangerous depth were
brought to safety by volunteer rescue
parties, which kept a sharp lookout
in the flooded districts during the
, , storm At the height Of the tidal
wave practically the entire business
section was partly submerged. 81.
The water was about four feet deep
in the lobby Of the Nueces Hotel, and
every business house between the
BLUM and the bay was under water
from eight to ten feet.
Hundreds Remove Debris.
The work of removing the debris
from the streets Of the lower portion
of the city was begun Monday. and
hundreds Of men worked without re-
! lief throughout the day.
Households. fishing craft and
wreckage- of every conceivable char
acter were piled in the streets by the
waters.
Nothing remains on North Beach,
| the city's bathing and pleasure dis
trict, except the United States Marine
| Hospital and one large residence.
The dispatch Of relief trains to
Corpus Christi followed energetic
| liam p. Hobby and Gen. Joseph Dick
| man, commander of the Southern De-
partment of the United States Army.
| At the request of the governor. Gen.
Dickman Immediately dispatched a
train with food, medical supplies and
| blankets In the meantime the gov
| ernor issued a proclamation calling
upon all of the citizens OF the state
| to lend assistance to the storm SUI
| ferers Indications early today were
| that the governors appeal was meet
| ing with a generous response.
Arrival of Relief Train.
Some relief was afforded the home
less shortly after midnight, when the
| first train to reach the city in many
| hours arrived with foodstufYs and
other supplies from Kingsville and
Robstown. Although both of these
| towns were damaged by the storm
to some extent. word Of the more
serious plight of Corpus Christi caused
the residents Of those places to for
| get their own troubles and-lend as
| Sistance.
! Military rule was invoked yester-
day and no one was allowed to enter