The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-17
Many BIackened by Oil and
MutiIated-ReIativeS Be-
M siege Morgue.
ARMY SUPPLIES ARRIVE
Seven Airplanes Leave for
# Lockport and Arkansas
& Pass.


bodies being recovered today are
IA such condition that Identification
Will be almost impossible. A drench-
lng rain began falling this forenoon
n handicapping relief workers and add
u Frg to the suffering of the homeless
Hi Many of the bodies were unrecog
because of mutilation. Some
%were so blackened by oil that it was
black or white.
# Headquarters of the relief dstri- =
8 buton and the temporary morgues
have been besieged with frantic
Mrelatives who fear their loved ones
may be buried in nameless graves
and never identified.
Nj Seventy-five bodies have been
n washed ashore on the north end Of
n the bay. They, like the others, have
been so bruised and torn by pound
y Ing of waves that identification may
4 never be possible. Clothing had been
torn off of most of them.
S One House Left Standing.
& Rescue workers have been forced
81 to rely almost wholly on cards and
i papers in what little clothing re-
+ NAMED on the bodies for identifica-
Sstion. The faces Of many of the bodies
Z have been burned and scorched by
heavy crude oil released in the bay
I when the giant storage tanks We're
Il wrecked at Port Aransas and other
) points.
4 In Corpus Christi the wind tore
down the streets, wrecking stores and
+ dwellings. Then came the tide wa
liter which had drenched and ruined
household effects and carried them
Unto the bay.
Between 300 and 400 houses on the
peninsula between Corpus Christi
/ and Neuces bay were demolished. A
freak Of the storm left one home
& Standing. that of Judge Mcdonald.
Nile and his family spent a terrible
#twenty-fou hours there before they
fWere rescued,
AS the waters recede more bodies
.nre revealed. Many of them are at
h tired in tattered night garments, in
Ndicating they were caught in bed
with little or no chance to escape.
q Train of Supplies Arrives.
A trainload OF army supplies ar
rived at Corpus Christi early today
#Nnder command of Lieut.. Col. John
"a Porter, quartermaster corps, who
ssdirected relief work in Galveston fol-
lowing the great 1900 storm, and who
Recently returned from overseas,
where he was in charge Of Belgian
relief work. Col. Porter Immediately
assumed charge of relief work in the
Corpus Christi district
Maj. L. B. Chambers, army air
\ service, provost marshal under the
i military rule in force here, today
\ frightened military discipline and be-
gan rounding up every available man
to work in clearing the streets,
searching for storm victims and eff
fecting sanitary measures. Col. Por-
/ ter has sent an officer to Rockport
sand other towns in the Corpus
!. Christi district to investigate condi-
Ntions with a view to extending relief
work to every needy section of the
&Coast.
City officials expressed the belief
Stoday that two weeks must elapse
Before business can be resumed in
8Corpus Christi.
II Austin, Tex, Sept. 1.-THE ap-
Rpeas for aid came to Gov. Hobby in
two kilograms dated 8 p. m, Sept. 1f,
land said rs Per cent of the dwellings
sat Rockport had been completely
wrecked, Port Aransas practically de-
9stroyed and Aransas Pass badly
wrecked, with half the population
I homeless. The text of the appeal from
+ Rockport. signed by Mayor A. R.
Price, follows: THE city of Rock
port is under three feet of water,
most of business houses and bank,
spletely wrecked The city is under
sprovisions here to feed the people.
%1nease call on the state to send us
bid. Worst storm and highest tide
ever known"
THE appeal from Mayor John C.
McKeon. of Port Aransas, reads:
II NF'Terrible tropical hurricane raging
|Since Sunday morning. Only abated
Eaaylight today (Tuesday). Awful de-
struction; one death Aransas Pass.
several missing; four deaths at Port
Aransas and town of Port Aransas
practically destroyed. Aransas Pass
hndly wrecked and over half popula-
|Eion homeless. Need outside aid i'm
nediately. Town under martial law"
"a Virginia to Give Aid.
| Richmond, Va, Sept. IA meet
Ing of all civic bodies of Richmond
aas been called by Acting Mayor ].
|E Powers to take immediate action
an the request of Corpus Christi, Tex,
|br aid. The meeting, which will be
|held this evening, was called a few
minutes after a telegram was re-