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 — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
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
John Stuart Mill · en
“Soon after a third house, 200 feet away, was blown to pieces and a man,
wife and three children saved from the wreckage by those on the train.
We reached the timbered section and were soon blocked by the wreckage of
fallen trees across the track. Everyone who could wield an axe got one,
set to work diligently to cut our way through. At the same time a large
crew was working from Rosenberg down toward us. From Thompson to Duke
large pecan, elm, oak and pine trees were encountered on an average
every 100 feet.
“Arriving at Thompson, we found Slavin’s store a perfect mass of ruin,
the gin a partial wreck and many houses blown down. Here the first
victim of the storm and train was placed on board. He had been knocked
off the track the night before and had his leg broken. At Booth, Booth’s
store was badly wrecked, trees blown all over the land, several houses
blown down. One negro was killed in a falling house. At Crabb everything
was blown down, and we reached Rosenberg at noon.
“We had many dire expectations all night, worked hard all morning and
had nothing to eat since supper the night before. I reached Houston over
the Macaroni in time to reach my nurseries and people at Hulen. I found
only one house standing here intact, my large barn and packing shed are
damaged but not wrecked. My large office building was blown from its
foundation and considerably twisted, but left it so my manager can live
in it with his family until something else can be provided for. None of
my employees were hurt, and, in fact, no deaths or injuries at Hulen.”
TERRIBLE TALES OF VANDALISM.
Passengers who arrived at Dallas told terrible tales of the work of the
vandals in that city. According to them, men inflamed with liquor were
roaming among the wreckage over the city rifling the hundreds of bodies
of even the clothing and leaving them to fester in the semi-tropical
sun. Much of this horrible depredating, it is claimed, is being done by
negroes, who will not work and cannot be made to leave town. This was
before the saloons were closed.
Among those who arrived from Galveston was J. N. Griswold, division
freight agent of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. His story is
as follows:
“There were many acts of vandalism. Fingers and ears that bore diamonds
were lopped off with knives. Upon our arrival at Texas city I saw an old
man who was drunk. Sticking out of a pocket in his pants was a bank
deposit book full of bank notes.
“I asked him where he got it. He said he found it on the bank.
“‘How much have you got?’ I asked him. ‘Oh, about twenty-seven dollars,’
was his reply. He must have had several times that amount at least.
“The darkies are doing most of the pilfering. Sunday morning before
daylight they were breaking into warehouses and looting stores and
saloons particularly. The town was full of drunken negroes Sunday
morning at daylight.