“Once let the fire demon get hold of the immense masses of lumber and the remaining portion of the city may be wiped out. No one who has seen a conflagration in a city can doubt that all the fire apparatus in Texas would be ineffectual to stop the march of the flames to the bay in case of a strong south wind. Many houses, partially wrecked, are in the piles, and many household goods belonging to people who have lost all may be recovered. Disinfect the rafts as far as possible, and remove the lumber. Preserve it as far as can be done conveniently. It will be needed for building temporary homes for the destitute.
“We have thousands of homeless people in the city, and while free transportation is offered to those who wish to go, there are many who have no friends to go to. These people must be cared for. Some are now crowded in the homes of friends, and others are located in the large buildings in the business district. All are only temporarily provided for. Something must be done to house them, at least temporarily, when cold weather approaches. It would be well to issue permits for temporary buildings to be erected from the debris of wrecked homes, without regard to the fire rules of the city as they now stand, but with the distinct proviso that they should be removed after a certain date. I am no advocate of ramshackle shanties as permanent buildings in the city, in any part of it, but I appreciate the fact that we are facing an emergency that requires prompt action to prevent severe suffering in the near future.
A CHARITABLE PEOPLE.
“Galveston’s people have not in the past turned their faces against the suffering poor, and I do not think they will do so in the future. While strong, substantial buildings should be required in permanent structures, there is no reason why the wreckage should not be used in erecting temporary shelter for the homeless. Lumber promises to be a scarce article when once the resumption of building is begun, and every board, rafter and scantling on the pile of wreckage should be saved.
“There is valuable wreckage strewn through the rafts. There are desks and trunks that may contain papers of value to the owners but valueless to others. These should be placed aside and saved for identification by their owners. Articles of personal apparel may some time be of use in settling the estates of the dead. Wills may be found stowed away in frail desks that by some chance may have escaped total wreckage in the storm. Jewelry and personal ornaments are not unlikely to be found in places where least expected. People fleeing from wrecked houses do not stop to search in trunks for jewel boxes. Many of them doubtless remain in the mass of chaos-like wreckage and may be recovered as the piles are cleared away.
“In a walk over the flats on Friday I turned off the water—or rather turned the faucets so as to prevent the water running out—wherever I saw a water pipe, and I would suggest that others seeing water pipes should do the same thing. The waterworks employes are doubtless looking after these pipes as far as practical, but where so large a district is covered as in the late storm it is almost impossible to find all of them. Water is the prime necessity at this time, and every pipe turned off saves that much water when the works once start up.”
Mr. David H. Hall, city electrician, completed a thorough canvass of the condition of affairs regarding the electric plant of the city. He said it was like awakening from a nightmare to get around and hustle to repair the appalling losses and destruction of property. Speaking after his canvass of the city and inspection of the city’s electric light plant, Mr. Hall said:
PREPARING TO LIGHT THE CITY.
“While the damage to the municipal electric light plant is very extensive, there is a great deal of salvage and nothing to interfere with an early resumption of operations. Temporary sheds will be erected at once over the engines and dynamos and they will be soon put in condition for service. The principal mains, on Market street and Ball avenue, I find to be intact. The engines can be operated as soon as the steam pipes and the breaching to the boilers can be repaired. We will have the business district between avenue A and Church street, Twentieth street and Rosenberg avenue, lighted within a week or ten days. This is about the earliest date that we deem it safe to turn on the current owing to the amount of debris in the streets, the large number of men engaged in saving property and the menace to life and property that an electric current might prove to be.
“One circuit in the business district will be completed in two days. The entire lighting service in that territory embracing Tenth street to Thirty-seventh street, avenues A to avenues K and L, can be restored and in operation within sixty days. The lighting service for the public buildings will be reinstalled as soon as the buildings are put in condition to receive the wiring. I have received such generous and noble offers of assistance from strong financial quarters in the north that we will be able to secure all the material necessary to restore the plant and system at our own terms and have as long as the city wants to pay for same. The most regrettable and deplorable feature to me is the loss of fifteen of my employes and their families.