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

TOO MANY ON THE COMMITTEE.

Relief committees from the interior of the State have commenced to arrive, and, as usual, they are much too large in numbers, and to a certain extent are in the way of the people of Galveston, and an impediment to the prompt relief which they themselves are so desirous of offering. Several of the relief expeditions have had committees large enough to consume 10 per cent. of the provisions which they brought. The relief sent here from Beaumont, Tex., arrived this morning and was distributed as fast as possible. It consisted of two carloads of ice and provisions, and came by way of Port Arthur.

The great trouble now seems to be that those people who are in the greatest need are, through no fault of those in charge of the distribution, the last to receive aid. Many of them are so badly maimed and wounded that they are unable to apply to the relief committee, and the committees are so overwhelmed by direct applications that they have been unable to send out messengers.

The wounded everywhere are still needing the attention of physicians, and despite every effort it is feared that a number will die because of the sheer physical impossibility to afford them the aid necessary to save their lives. Every man in Galveston who is able to walk and work is engaged in the work of relief with all the energy of which he is capable. But, despite their utmost endeavors, they cannot keep up with the increase in the miserable conditions which surround them. Water can be obtained by able-bodied men, but with great difficulty.

Dr. Wallace Shaw, of Houston, who is busily engaged in the relief work, said that there were 200 people at St. Mary’s Infirmary without fresh water. They had been making coffee of salt water and using that as their only beverage. Very little stealing was reported and there were no killings. The number of men shot down for robbing the dead proved a salutary lesson, and it is not expected that there will be any more occurrences of this sort. The soldiers of the regular army and of the national guard are guarding the property, and it is impossible for thieves to escape detection.