The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times Page: 45
xiv, 17-536 p. : front., plates ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INCIDENTS OF THE AWFUL HURRICANE. 45
"Chief of Police Ketchum ordered the sale of liquor stopped,
and began to swear in hundreds of special policemen to rescue the
wounded, feed the living and convey the dead to a hundred different
morgues. He worked for thirty-six hours without going home
to inquire about his family's fate, which was in doubt. When
told he should do so he replied, characteristically, 'God will be
good to me and mine, for I am going to be good to others.'
THE STENCH UNBEARABLE.
"The stench from the dead by Monday morning was unbearable.
The triumvirate ruling the city pressed citizens into service
to take the dead out in barges and bury them in the Gulf. The
soldiers impressed into service, at the point of the bayonet, every
wagon that came along and every negro to assist in throwing the
dead into the sea. It was impossible to give other burial.
" From the stench which pervades the city it is apparent that
hundreds of bodies yet lie under the ruins. The sun is hotter
than in July. The regular soldiers, who had been working for
two days with bloody feet, were utterly exhausted by Monday
evening, and were assembled by Captain Rafferty and put in a
hastily extemporized hospital, which was formerly a church.
Their places were filled by Major Fayling with new recruits,
whom he drafted on the streets and supplied with arms and equipment
from the local armory.
"Every part of the city was patrolled by 6 o'clock in the
evening. Among many other incidents of last night was the
besieging of the squad guarding St. Mary's Hospital. They
were surrounded by a horde of armed negro thieves. Several
hundred shots were exchanged. Sergeant Camp killed four
negroes with his rifle, and about ten or twelve were killed by the
squad. The soldiers have since been picketing the city, doing.
fourteen hours' duty without rest. Every hour during the night
a fresh negro shooting was reported at headquarters.
" The tug 'Juno' and the propeller 'Lawrence' brought 2000
gallons of water here from Houston but the supply is not enough to
go around, and half the population is without any-water. Break-
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The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times (Book)
This book covers the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the United States' deadliest natural disaster. It includes accounts from survivors and eyewitnesses, and photos of the devastation.
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Lester, Paul. The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times, book, 1900~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth26719/m1/56/?rotate=270: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.