In these stores the watermarks on the walls and shelves varies from waist to shoulder high. Everything below these levels was saturated. The loss of stocks affected by water is very great. But the disposition of the storekeepers to make the best of it and to save something, even if badly damaged, is cheering.
Full of confidence and even optimistic are the expressions of the men who have taken the lead in this crisis. Said Colonel Lowe, of the Galveston News: “In two years this town will be rebuilt upon a scale which we would not have obtained so quickly without this devastation.
“I took it for granted that when the Southern Pacific management said to its representatives, as it has said: ‘Build a bridge ten feet higher than the old one and put on a double force to do it,’ our future was assured. We shall go forward and create the city. We shall have some restrictions as to rebuilding lines, especially on the beach side, where the greatest losses were sustained. The ramshackle way in which too much construction has been done heretofore will be of the past.”
SAVING VAST GRAIN STORES.
If any one had predicted on Sunday or Monday that on Friday and Saturday Galveston would be doing business at the old stand, he would have been laughed to scorn. What the grain men are planning very fairly tells the story. It applies to all lines of business. The storm caught 2,500,000 bushels of wheat in cars and elevators. Superstructures of the elevators were carried away, and in other ways the immense buildings were somewhat damaged. These indefatigable people six days later are perfecting their arrangements to save that grain and export it. Robinson, the inspector, said:
“Without more rain for a few days, say six or eight, we shall begin loading that wheat on ships for export. Don’t you believe anything you hear about permanent damages to Galveston as the result of the storm.
“We have got the grandest harbor here. Why, our channel instead of being filled by the storm carrying sand into it was scoured two feet deeper than it was before. We had then twenty-eight to twenty-nine feet of water. We have now thirty feet.
“None of the danger of sickness that was feared has shown itself. We are getting rid of the wreckage, and we are scattering car loads of lime and other disinfectants everywhere. I believe all danger is passed. Talk about Galveston giving up!” continued Mr. Robinson, “This great wharf property is worth $18,000,000. It sustained a loss of less than $500,000.
“The company has 1000 men at work on the repairs. It stared eternity in the face Saturday night, and was ready to go. To-day I have got more energy and ambition than I ever had. I don’t know where I got it. I guess God gave it to me. Come back in sixty days, and you will not know Galveston, remembering it as you see it to-day.”