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 Death; Terrible Sufferings of the Survivors; Vandals Plundering Bodies of the Dead; Wonderful Exhibitions of Popular Sympathy; Millions of Dollars Sent for the Relief of the Stricken Sufferers

by Paul Lester

MEDICAL COLLEGE SHATTERED.

“Colonel Prather, President of the Board of Regents of the Medical College here, and Colonel Breckinridge, a member of the Board, were among the late arrivals yesterday. They met General McKibben, and were driven to the institution. They found the building in a badly shattered condition, but on their return it was announced that the college would be immediately reconstructed by private beneficence if the State was unable to bear the cost.

“Large gangs have been at work in the business district, and splendid progress in clearing away debris has been made. The street car company has a large force of men at work cutting wires, removing obstructions, and putting their track in condition.”

The News correspondent telegraphs as follows from Houston: “Inquiries as to the loss of life and property continue to pour in. The list will never be known. There have been already handled on the Galveston island, and along the bay shores of the mainland opposite the island, about 4000 corpses. The long stretch of debris along the beach and the western part of the island has not yet been heard from. The prairies of the mainland over which the waters rushed have also their tales to tell. I should say, after investigation, that a conservative estimate of the loss of life in Galveston would be 8000. The names of thousands of victims will never be known. They have simply passed out of existence. As to the property loss, it is hard to make an estimate. Colonel Lowes’s estimate of $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 is conservative.”