The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times Page: 193
xiv, 17-536 p. : front., plates ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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DETAILS OF THE OVERWHELMING TRAGEDY. 193
Oalveston, of the storm and its effects and how he managed to get
out of the city and into Houston again.
"When we crossed the bridge over Galveston Bay going to
Galveston, said Mr. Kellogg, the water had reached an elevation
equal to the bottom of the caps of the pile bents, or two feet below
the level of the track. After crossing the bridge and teaching a
point some two miles beyond we were stopped by reason of the
washout of the track ahead and were compelled to wait one hour
for a relief train to come out on the Galveston, Houston and Henderson
track. During this period of one hour the water rose a
foot and a half, running over the rails of the track.
" The relief train signaled us to back up a half mile to higher
ground, where the passengers were transferred, the train crew
leaving with the passengers and going on the relief train. The
water had reached an elevation of eight or ten inches above the
Galveston, Houston and Hendersofi track and was flowing in a
westward direction at a terrific speed. The train crew were compelled
to wade ahead of the engine and dislodge driftwood from
the track. At 1.15 we arrived at the Santa Fe union depot. At
that period of the day the wind was increasing and had then
reached a velocity of about thirty-five miles an hour.
THE HOTEL FLOODED.
" After arriving at Galveston I immediately went to the Tremont
Hotel, where I remained the balance of the day and during
the night. At 5:30 the water had begun to creep into the rotunda
of the hotel, and by 8 o'clock it was twenty-six inches above the
floor of the hotel, or about six and one-half feet above the street
level. The front windows of the hotel were blown in between the
hours of 5 and 8. The roof was blown off and the skylights over the
rotunda fell in and fell through, crashing on the floor below. The
refugees began to come into the hotel between 5:30 and 8 o'clock
until at least 800 or I,ooo persons had sought safety there. The
floors were strewn with people all during the night.
" Manager George Korst and the employes of the hotel did
everything in their power to help the sufferers from the effects of
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The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times (Book)
This book covers the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the United States' deadliest natural disaster. It includes accounts from survivors and eyewitnesses, and photos of the devastation.
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Lester, Paul. The Great Galveston Disaster, Containing a Full and Thrilling Account of the Most Appalling Calamity of Modern Times, book, 1900~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth26719/m1/240/?rotate=90: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.