The Great Galveston Disaster: Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times Including Vivid Descriptions of the Hurricane and Terrible Rush of Waters; Immense Destruction of Dwellings, Business Houses, Churches, and Loss of Thousands of Human Lives; Thrilling Tales of Heroic Deeds; Panic-Stricken Multitudes and Heart-Rending Scenes of Agony; Frantic Efforts to Escape a Horrible Fate; Separation of Loved Ones, etc., etc.; Narrow Escapes from the Jaws of DeLester, Paul
Philosophy
The Great Galveston Disaster: Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times Including Vivid Descriptions of the Hurricane and Terrible Rush of Waters; Immense Destruction of Dwellings, Business Houses, Churches, and Loss of Thousands of Human Lives; Thrilling Tales of Heroic Deeds; Panic-Stricken Multitudes and Heart-Rending Scenes of Agony; Frantic Efforts to Escape a Horrible Fate; Separation of Loved Ones, etc., etc.; Narrow Escapes from the Jaws of De
Lester, Paul
Floods -- Texas -- Galveston -- History -- 20th century; Galveston (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century; Hurricanes -- Texas -- Galveston -- History -- 20th century
Additional details by tug from Galveston show that west of Thirty-third
street the storm swept the ground perfectly clear of the residences that
once stood upon it and piled them up in a conglomerated mass five blocks
back on the beach, strewing the piling with the debris and the bodies of
its many victims. Many of these were lying out in the afternoon sun and
were frightful to look upon. The fearful work of the storm was not
confined to the district along the beach, but took in all the district
in the city and the Denver resurvey, but it was near to the beach that
most destruction to human life occurred.
The waves washed away the Home for the Homeless, and it is thought that
the inmates, consisting of thirteen orphans and three matrons, were
drowned. Out in the Denver resurvey the destruction was terrible, and
victims of the storm were many. The government works were greatly
damaged, the buildings on the beach were washed out into the Gulf and
their occupants are thought to have perished.
COMMUNICATIONS ALL CUT.
In the north part of the west end the damage was great also, almost
every building being damaged to some extent, and many completely
wrecked. The cotton and lumber yards in that section of the city were
completely razed, and much valuable machinery is ruined. However, the
loss of life was not nearly so great in that district as it was out
towards the beach.
A special to the “News” from Galveston brought to Houston by the tug
“Brunswick” gave the following additional particulars of the storm:
“The big iron oil tank of the Waters-Pierce Oil Company was picked from
the Fifteenth street pier and carried to Thirteenth street. The old
Union Depot, in recent years used as the office of the superintendent of
the wharf yards, was dashed to pieces, as were numerous small frame
buildings along the wharf front. Men were sent out Sunday morning to
report the condition of the bridges across Galveston Bay, but were
unable to reach them.
“Telegraphic communication was also cut off on Saturday. The linemen who
went out Sunday reported that the railroad bridges were all washed away,
and there was not sufficient material in Galveston to rebuild the
telegraph lines. The cables under the channel are gone. The lines will
have to be built to the city from the mainland. Strenuous efforts were
made on Sunday to repair the damage to the Mexican cable, but on account
of the sea being high it was impossible to pick up the lost end of the
cable.
“Thousands of telegrams were filed at the telegraph office during the
day, with the expectation that they would be sent to Houston for
transmission, but the captain of the only small tug available would not
venture on the trip with a new crew, his engineer and fireman having
been lost, while tugs which might be hired were of too deep draught to
go up the bayou.
IN THE BUSINESS DISTRICT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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