Читать книгу The Great Galveston Disaster - Paul Lester - Страница 39

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The Opera House, City Hall, Masonic Temple, Moody’s Bank Building, Knapp’s publishing house, and Ritter’s saloon and restaurant, on the strand, are wrecked. From the latter seven dead bodies were removed from beneath the debris.

Parties are engaged in removing the debris of the Knapp Building. Beneath they expect to find the body of Oscar Knapp, senior member of the firm. Richard D. Swann, cashier of John D. Rogers & Co., was drowned during the height of the storm while heroically attempting to rescue two ladies from drowning. It will be days before the full extent of the frightful disaster is known or a correct list of the dead is obtainable. A meeting of citizens was held to-day and a general committee, with the Mayor as chairman, was appointed. Sub-committees on Finance, Relief, Burial of the Dead, and Hospitals were appointed, and are now actively at work to relieve the distress prevailing and give decent burials to the dead.

The terrific cyclone that produced such a distressing disaster in Galveston and all through Texas was predicted by the United States Weather Bureau to strike Galveston Friday night and created much apprehension, but the night passed without the prediction being verified. The conditions, however, were ominous, the danger signal was displayed on the flag staff of the Weather Bureau, shipping was warned, etc. The southeastern sky was sombre, the Gulf beat high on the beach with that dismal thunderous roar that presaged trouble, while the air had a stillness that betokens a storm. From out of the north, in the middle watches of the night, the wind began to come in spiteful puffs, increasing in volume as the day dawned.

By ten o’clock Saturday morning it was almost a gale; at noon it had increased in velocity and was driving the rain, whipping the pools and tearing things up in a lively manner, yet no serious apprehension was felt by residents remote from the encroachments of the Gulf. Residents near the beach were aroused to the danger that threatened their homes. Stupendous waves began to send their waters far inland and the people began a hasty exit to secure places in the city.