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

CAPTAIN RICHE’S REPORT.

General John M. Wilson, Chief of Engineers, received the following comprehensive report from Captain Riche as to the condition of Government property at Galveston:

“Jetties sunk nearly to mean low tide level, but not seriously breached. Channel at least as good as before, perhaps better. Twenty-five feet certainly. Forts as follows: Fort Crocket—Two fifteen-pounder emplacement, concrete all right, standing on piling, water underneath. Battery for eight mortars about like preceding, mortars and carriages on hand unmounted. Battery for two ten-inch guns about like preceding, both guns mounted and in good shape. Shore line at Fort Crocket has moved back about 600 feet. Fort San Jacinto—Battery for eight twelve-inch mortars badly wrecked, magazines reported fallen in; mortars reported safe. No piling was under this battery; some of the sand parapet left. Battery for two ten-inch guns badly wrecked. Central portion level, both gun platforms down, guns leaning; no piling was under this battery.

“Battery for two four seven-tenths rapid-fire guns, concrete standing upon piling; both guns apparently all right. Battery for two fifteen-pounder guns, concrete apparently all right, standing on piling. Fort San Jacinto battery could not be reached by land; inspection was from a distance. Sand around these batteries seemed pretty well leveled off to about two to three feet above mean low. Torpedo casements, nothing but concrete left and badly wrecked. Concrete portion of cable tank left; cable in it probably safe. Part of coal wharf still standing. Everything else in vicinity gone. Some of the mine cases are down the beach as far as Fort Crockett.

BATTERIES UNDERMINED.

“Fort Travis—Battery for three fifteen-pounder guns, concrete intact, standing on piling. Water underneath. Battery for two eight-inch guns, concrete intact, except eastern emplacement, which has cracked off; eastern gun down and twenty feet from battery; western one all right; concrete standing on piling; water underneath middle of battery. These batteries were inspected from the channel. Shore line has moved back about 1,000 feet, about on the line of the rear of these batteries. All buildings and other structures gone. Inspection was made with General McKibben.

“Recommendation is made that all fortifications and property be transferred to the Engineer Department. That for the present batteries be considered non-existent so that future work may be chargeable as original construction. Much ordnance can be saved if given prompt attention. Unless otherwise instructed, I will take charge of these works at once and save all possible. New projects for jetties and forts cannot be submitted for several weeks until definite detailed information is had. Further recommendations will then be submitted as soon as possible. Galveston is still a deep water port, and such a storm is not likely to reoccur for years.

“RICHE, Engineer.”

Notwithstanding the fact that the number of boats carrying passengers between Texas City and Galveston has been largely increased, it was impossible on Thursday, the 13th, to leave the city after the early morning hours, and hundreds of men, women and children, all anxious to depart, suffered great inconvenience and hardship, and were, after all, compelled to sleep upon the beach at Texas City, waiting for the morning. There is but one steamboat plying across Galveston Bay, which is able to carry passengers in any number, and even this boat is able to make the trip only with extreme caution, on account of the shallowness of the bay.

Yesterday morning somebody lacked something of being cautious in the extreme, and the “Lawrence,” after jamming her nose into the mud, remained aground all day. Her passengers were taken off in small boats. This compelled all those who were unable to come on the first trip of the “Lawrence” to trust themselves to sailboats, and by noon a dozen of them, heavily loaded, started from Galveston to Texas City, where the fleet was scattered over Galveston Bay by a distance of anywhere between one mile and three miles. The wind died away utterly.