Business Resumed at Galveston in a Small Way on the Sixth Day after the
Catastrophe--"Galveston Shall Rise Again"--How the City Looked On
Saturday, One Week after the Flood.
By the time Friday--practically the sixth day after the flood, although
the waters did not subside nor the wind go down until about 2 o'clock on
Sunday morning--had arrived many of the business men of the stricken city
had recovered their courage and two or three banks and a few business
houses were opened, although most of the streets were still choked with
debris and practically impassable. On every corner was this sign:
CLEAN UP.
Some women even ventured out shopping, picking their way over great masses
of wreckage. Tremont street was by that time opened from the bay to the
beach, and Mechanic street, the Strand and Winnie and Church streets were
being rapidly cleared. However, the stench from the putrefying bodies of
the victims of the calamity still in the ruins of scores and hundreds of
buildings was all but unbearable.
"GALVESTON SHALL RISE AGAIN."
"Galveston must rise again," said the Galveston News in an editorial on
Thursday.
"At the first meeting of Galveston citizens Sunday afternoon after the
great hurricane, for the purpose of bringing order out of chaos, the only
sentiment expressed," the editorial says, "was that Galveston had received
an awful blow. The loss of life and property is appalling--so great that
it required several days to form anything like a correct estimate. With
sad and aching hearts, but with resolute faces, the sentiment of the
meeting was that out of the awful chaos of wrecked homes and wrecked
business, Galveston must rise again.
"The sentiment was not that of bury the dead and give up the ship; but,
rather, bury the dead, succor the needy, appeal for aid from a charitable
world, and then start resolutely to work to mend the broken chains. In
many cases the work of upbuilding must begin over. In other cases the
destruction is only partial.
"The sentiment was, Galveston will, Galveston must, survive, and fulfill
her glorious destiny. Galveston shall rise again. * * *
"If we have lost all else, we still have life and the future, and it is
toward the future that we must devote the energies of our lives. We can
never forget what we have suffered; we cannot forget the thousands of our
friends and loved ones who found in the angry billows that destroyed them
a final resting place. But tears and grief must not make us forget our
present duties. The blight and ruin which have destroyed Galveston are not
beyond repair; we must not for a moment think Galveston is to be abandoned
because of one disaster, however horrible that disaster has been.
"It is a time for courage of the highest order. It is a time when men and
women show the stuff that is in them, and we can make no loftier
acknowledgment of the material sympathy which the world is extending to us
than to answer back that after we shall have buried our dead, relieved the
sufferings of the sick and destitute, we will bravely undertake the vast
work of restoration and recuperation which lies before us in a manner
which shall convince the world that we have spirit to overcome misfortune
and rebuild our homes. In this way we shall prove ourselves worthy of the
boundless tenderness which is being showered upon us in the hour of
desolation and sorrow."
This sentiment voiced the feeling of the people of the prostrate city
pretty accurately, for they had begun to look around them and make plans
for rebuilding, although it was many days after that before the streets
were cleaned and the ground was dry enough to begin work.
THE SITUATION A WEEK AFTERWARDS.
A newspaper correspondent who had unusual facilities for getting at the
true state of affairs summed up the situation on Saturday, September 15,
just a week after the awful visitation, as follows:
"The first week of Galveston's suffering has passed away, and the extent
of the disaster which wind and flood brought to the city seems greater
than it did even when the blow had just been struck.
"That 5,000 or more of the 40,000 men, women and children who made up the
population of the city seven days ago are dead is almost certain. And the
money value of the damage to the property of the citizens is so great that
no one can attempt to estimate it within $5,000,000 of the real amount.
"In one thing the effects of the flood are irreparable. Water now covers
5,300,000 square feet of ground that was formerly a part of the city, but
which now can never be reclaimed from the gulf.
"A strip of land three miles long and from 350 to 400 feet wide along the
south side of the city, where the finest residences stood, is now covered
by the waves even at low tide. The Beach Hotel now has its foundations in
the gulf, although before the hurricane it had a fine beach 400 feet wide
in front of it. This land is gone forever.
"Like men stunned and dazed, the survivors of the flood have worked and
struggled to bury their dead and to make the city habitable for the
living, but it may be doubted whether they even yet realize to the full
extent what they have lost, or guess the suffering that is in store for
them when their moments of leisure come and they begin to miss their
friends and loved ones who are dead.
"It is certain now that, however much Galveston has suffered, the city
will be rebuilt and be the scene of as great a business as before. But few
of the men of the city can pay any attention yet to the work that is
necessary for this restoration. To-day they are busy with the roughest
work of cleaning the city, of clearing away the debris, of burying the
bodies which still are being discovered under ruins each day and of
providing for their simplest necessities.
"The woman who a few days ago was the mistress of a splendid mansion, with
every want provided for, may now be seen half-clad making her way through
the streets in search of a little food, and esteeming herself fortunate if
her family is still intact to gather in the wreckage of the former home.
The man who a few days ago was the owner of a great business and the
master of many servants may to-day be seen working in the trying tasks of
removing wreckage and hauling away to burial the decayed and
unrecognizable bodies of the dead, under the direction of armed soldiers
and deputy sheriffs, who are there to see that the work is not slighted.
"And around every one is ruin. The broken and shattered houses, the
scattered articles of furniture, above all the burning funeral pyres on
which the bodies of many of the dead are being consumed, make the city a
place of horror even to those whose personal wants are best provided for.
"The peril from the wind and waves was followed for those who survived by
a peril of hunger and a peril of disease. There came also a peril to life
and property from the great horde of robbers and inhuman outlaws who were
attracted by the helpless condition of the city to seek their prey.
"The splendid response of the country to Galveston's appeal for help has
removed all danger of further suffering from hunger, and the prompt action
of Governor Sayers, through Adjutant General Scurry, and of Mayor Jones
and the citizens' relief committee have re-established order and made the
horrible scenes of the stripping of corpses and the assaults on persons no
longer possible. The city is still under martial law, and it will remain
so, nominally at least, until normal conditions otherwise have been
restored.
"The danger of pestilence is still great, however, and indeed the fear
that other thousands may fall victims to a scourge of disease is gaining
in strength and leading to an exodus of all the women and children and of
many of the men of the city, who are crowding the boats to get away to the
mainland.
"Added to the danger from the thousands of decomposing bodies both of men
and of beasts, which still lie under ruined houses and along the gulf
shore, is the danger from the unflushed sewers and closets in the city.
Until yesterday it was practically impossible to flush the sewers in any
part of the city on account of the lack of water, and although the
condition is now much better there is much of evil still.
"Fevers and other diseases which may be bred under these conditions will
not show themselves for ten days or longer, at the earliest. Some of the
physicians in the city have issued statements to-day calculated to calm
the apprehensions of the citizens in this matter. Among them is Dr. W. H.
Blount, state health officer, who says that there is no great danger. He
refers to the cyclone of 1867, which covered the city with slimy mud, and
instead of breeding disease served practically to put an end to the yellow
fever then prevalent.
"The work of clearing away the debris in the streets has been carried on
with a fair degree of vigor, and it is expected that it will be pushed
much faster from now on. The 2,000 laborers whom it has been decided to
bring in from outside the city for the work will be able to take up the
task without having to worry about the safety of the remnants of their own
property which they may have left unprotected.
"The most important need is, however, for money to pay the men. Adjutant
General Scurry said to-day: 'I have not a dollar to pay the men who are
working in the streets all day long. I am not able to say to a single one
of these men, "You shall be paid for your work." I have not the money to
make good the promise and I hope and believe that the country will relieve
the situation.
"'We must have this city cleaned up at any cost, and with the greatest
speed possible. If it is not done with all haste, and at the same time
done well, there may be a pestilence, and if it once breaks out here it
will not be Galveston alone that will suffer. Such things spread, and it
is not only for the sake of this city, but for others outside of this
place that I urge that above all things we want money.
"'The nation has been most kind in its response to the appeal of
Galveston, and from what I hear, food and disinfectants sufficient for
temporary purposes at least, are here or on the way. The country does not
understand, it cannot understand, unless it visit Galveston, the awful
destitution prevailing here. Of all the poor people here, not one has
anything. A majority of them could not furnish a single room in which to
commence housekeeping even though they had the money to rebuild the room.
"'These people have absolutely nothing except what is given them by the
relief committee. They are in a condition of absolute want, they lack
everything, and save for the splendid generosity of the nation they would
be utterly without hope.'
"The gangs of men in the streets are still finding every now and then
badly decomposed bodies. Few of these relics of human life can be
recognized, and many of them are naked and without anything about them
which would lead to identification. They are disposed of as rapidly as
possible, but the work is very offensive and the men engaged in it cannot
endure it steadily for any great length of time.
"'Pull them out of the water as soon as seen and throw them into the
flames as soon as taken from the water,' is the order, and it is
effectually carried out.
"The best work in this direction was done along the shore line of the gulf
on the south side of the city. During the day bodies were found at
frequent intervals, and just at sunset seven were found in the ruins of
one house. It is expected that more will be found to-morrow, as the work
gang that to-day found seven bodies will clear up the debris where it is
known that fifteen people were killed.
"The soldiers from Dallas and Houston who have been here providing for
order and helping in the work of cleaning up the city have become
exhausted and it has been necessary to relieve them. The Craddock Light
Infantry of Terrell arrived to-day to take up the work.
"The exodus to Houston and other neighboring cities is still going on. The
sailboats across the bay are crowded to their fullest capacity, and they
make as many round trips each day as they can."
NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.
"No calamity in the history of the United States approaches the horror of
Galveston." Such was the declaration of Col. Walter Hudnall of the United
States treasury department, Saturday, after filing a secret report to the
government in which he outlined the damage sustained by the government and
made confidential suggestions concerning the advisability of continuing
the expenditures that have been made there annually.
"Galveston needs no more physicians or nurses," he continued. "Those who
would rush to the aid of the stricken island should send quicklime,
chloride of lime, carbolic acid and other disinfectants and stay away
themselves. To-day Galveston is a gigantic funeral pyre. From the wreckage
ascend numerous pillars of smoke and the air is filled with the sickening
odor of burning human flesh. But above all, making one forget even the
presence of the uncounted dead, is the stench of decaying coffee, rice and
other vegetable products that lie swelling with the heat and putrefying.
Powerful chemicals and disinfectants are required to prevent what this is
sure to produce--disease.
"In the face of these conditions Galveston is burying her dead, burning
her wreckage, attempting to restore order and bring about a resumption of
business.
"No words of complaint are heard. The woe which has come upon the island
city is too great for tears and the afflictions of individuals in the loss
of dear ones is entirely forgotten in the heroic fight that is being made
for self-preservation for the community. Women of wealth steal through the
streets without clothing, save for a bit of torn and grimy cloth wrapped
about them. Men of means are in the same sorry plight and go about their
grewsome task of cleaning up in so stolid a manner that it is obvious that
Galveston has not awakened to the full horror of the situation. There has
not been time to think.
"It is not uncommon to hear worn and haggard men refer to the loss of
their families and their all with so little evidence of concern that it
would attract wonder were not the senses of the visitor numbed by the
terror of the situation. It is the reaction that is feared most by those
who are leading the effort to make the city habitable. When this work is
completed and there is time to think a heartrending wail of woe will go up
from the twenty-odd thousand mourning survivors and gloomy desperation is
expected to succeed the energy that is now manifested.
"The spirit of the people is aptly illustrated by Capt. John Delaney,
chief customs inspector of the port. Delaney, 60 years of age, lost his
entire family, wife, son and daughters. The bodies of the son and
daughters were recovered, but no trace of Mrs. Delaney has been found.
Whether her body was cast into the sea from one of the dread funeral
barges or buried may never be known. Terrible as was the blow, Delaney was
at his post the day following the disaster, attired in a pair of overalls,
all that he managed to save. Yesterday a butcher, fortunate in saving a
portion of two suits, loaned Delaney a pair of trousers. Clad in them he
boarded a big German tramp steamer that arrived in port, inspected her and
sent her back to New Orleans, as she was unable to discharge her cargo at
Galveston."
In his report to Washington Col. Hudnall placed the loss of life at from
6,500 to 8,000 and ridiculed the idea that any person could estimate the
property loss at that time. He predicted that it would be impossible to
estimate within $10,000,000 of the correct figures. His estimate was based
upon what was said to be better information than that of any other visitor
in Galveston, as he had made a thorough canvass of the city on horseback,
visiting every locality where it was possible to travel, instructions from
the treasury department being to thoroughly investigate in every detail.
No one else had made such a canvass.
Vice-President and General Manager Trice of the International and Great
Northern railroad, after looking over the situation in Galveston, said the
railroad losses would aggregate $5,000,000 or $6,000,000 in that city
alone.
At Galveston their wharves, warehouses, depots and tracks were ruined. The
costly bridges which connected the island with the mainland were in ruins
and must be entirely rebuilt.
The International and Great Northern and Santa Fe had considerable track
washed out, while the Galveston, Houston and Northern suffered heavily.
All track between Seabrooke and Virginia Point, with all of the bridges,
was washed away, and Section Foreman Scanlan and all his crew at Nadeau
had been lost.
HOW THE INSURANCE COMPANIES FARED.
Naturally the question of insurance carried on the lives and property of
people of Galveston was one much discussed after the first feeling of
horror occasioned by the catastrophe had worn away, and the fact was
developed that while the life insurance companies were somewhat badly
hit--although in not so great a degree as would naturally be supposed when
the heavy death list was taken into consideration--very little property
insurance was carried by the business men and property owners of the
desolated city.
Although the loss of life was over 5,000, a large proportion of the
victims was composed of women and children, a class which rarely if ever
carries insurance; again, the majority of the men drowned and crushed were
residents of the poorer districts of the town, the wealthier men having
abandoned their homes at the first alarm and fled to the elevated places.
These victims were caught in their houses, together with their families,
and husbands, wives and children died together.
As a matter of fact, the men who work for a living at trades and in the
various branches of employment where skilled labor is not demanded, do not
carry life insurance as a general thing, except in benevolent or fraternal
societies of which they may be members, and this is the main reason why
the "straight" life insurance companies, as they are called, did not
suffer more than they did.
One of the most prominent insurance managers in the United States said
three days after the catastrophe:
"Life insurance companies will feel the blow of the Galveston storm. How
much insurance was carried by the victims of the storm is not known, but
it must have been great in the aggregate. The large proportion of women
and children among the dead will lighten the burden, as they do not often
carry insurance.
"The rule requiring the body of the insured to be identified will have to
be waived, because of the number of bodies buried at sea and otherwise
without identification. Unless the rigor of this rule is relaxed by the
insurers litigation will be boundless.
"Practically no property insurance was carried at Galveston."
Galveston and Houston representatives of the largest eastern insurance
companies when seen concurred in the opinion that the insurance policies
against storm losses carried by Galvestonians would not aggregate $10,000.
They said there was absolutely no demand for such insurance at Galveston.
The head of one of the leading insurance firms in Galveston which
represented many large eastern companies said: "We did not carry a dollar
of storm insurance at Galveston, and while my information on that point is
limited, I feel sure the storm insurance was very small. We never had a
request for storm insurance policies. If there had been any demand at
Galveston for insurance of this kind we would have heard of it.
"We held $50,000 storm insurance on two big oil mills at Houston and our
loss will probably be $40,000 to $50,000 on these two structures. We held
$25,000 storm insurance at Port Arthur and about $1,200 at Alvin. The
insurance situation at Galveston is very quiet. There was no loss by fire,
and I think the insurance against storms was trivial."
More than 4,000 houses were destroyed; millions of dollars' worth of
property in dry goods, grocery and other business houses--wholesale and
retail--was ruined; there was hardly a house in the city which did not
suffer damage, the total property losses aggregating about $20,000,000;
and yet, living in a section where storms were liable to occur at any
time, little or no insurance was carried.
The first message by wire was sent out of Galveston Thursday at 4:16 p. m.
over the wire of the Western Union Company. The company laid a cable
across the channel, and through it they transmitted the message. The cable
was brought from Chicago on a passenger train. The Postal Telegraph
Company had several wires in good working order by Saturday night, as also
had the Western Union Company.
The Mexican Cable Company secured both ends of its cable and established
communication from Galveston with the outside world via the City of Mexico
Friday evening.