Stirpes, Volume 34, Number 1, March 1994 Page: 51
80 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
VTIRPE4 MAIWH 1001
stayed in New York several days. We arrived
in England the latter part of September.
It was delightful to see so many of our
relatives and to meet Harry's family. I was
made very happy to hear that at last sister
Eva had a little daughter, born on Christmas
Eve. They named her "Christine Carol." She
was indeed the Shepherd's Christmas Carol.
Eva's son, Harvey Mellor, was born a couple
of years before Carol, so now she had
five sons and a very lovely daughter. She
looked like a real Christmas baby, lovely
golden-brown curls, roguish-brown eyes,
and cheeks like a ripe-red apple.
On March 13, Emma had another
baby girl, so the aching void was filled. She
named her Dorothy Pontefract. Mother wrote
me such glowing reports of both babies.
I dearly loved being in England. We
were there two years. We returned to Beaumont,
and in September moved to Galveston,
just a few days before the storm broke.
We had shipped our furniture but
could not get it across the bay from Bolivar,
it was held up by the storm which culminated
in the hurricane and tidal wave. We
were staying in a room Harry had, to be
ready for our furniture. We rented a small
cottage and had our trunks and all of our
clothes taken there. It was a good thing we
were not in it as the poor little house was a
complete wreck. So many of our things were
spoiled with the water covering them.
It was a terrifying sight during the
storm to look out and see whole blocks of
houses washed down and float away. The
wind was terrific; no one knows what it
reached. The only thing that saved a small
section of Galveston, including the part we
were fortunate enough to be in, was the
wreckage and debris that washed in from the
Gulf, and formed a huge wall, fifty or sixty
feet in height. All of the island up to that
wall was cleaned off completely, as though
nothing had ever been built. To think of the
lovely houses and huge buildings along the
gulf, that had stood so proudly just a few
hours before, was beyond belief.I forget what the loss of lives
amounted to, but it was in the thousands.
There was a serious problem as to how to
dispose of the dead. The weather turned very
hot, and we were completely isolated from
the mainland. All of the bridges were
washed away. The water supply was a total
wreck. Most of the food was ruined by the
water which covered everything. The city
ordered all of the ice plants to distill water
and make ice. Everyone had to go to the
plant nearest them, drink all they could, and
carry a piece of ice back.
About the third day after the storm, I
heard that a boatload of red snappers had
been landed at one of the docks. It was at the
lower end of the island, a long way from
where we lived. I started with the three children
and got a good big fish. Laurie and I
were dragging it along (we had put a stick
through the gills) and were managing fine
but how hot and tired we all were. All of a
sudden, I looked up and saw Tom, Eva's
husband, and several other Beaumont men.
Tom had chartered a boat and got through to
the island to look for us. It was a grand sight
to see them. Tom had gone to the address I
had sent of the cottage. He located that but
when he saw the state it was in he felt sure
that we had all perished, as so many had. It
was a grand reunion. Tom begged us to go
back with him, but I felt that my place was
there, so we stayed.
We had to stand in line for our food
for several days. Marshal law was declared
as there was so much looting going on. The
Red Cross took charge and did everything
possible to relieve the suffering and destitution.
We soon located a fairly livable home.
I don't know how we managed to get enough
furniture together to make it livable as we
never saw anything of the furniture we had
shipped. It took a long time to clean the island
and get regular communications
through.
The February before this, we had
lost our dear Mother. She passed away after
an illness of several weeks at Emma's, in
Houston.51
gSTit PF.S
MA[RCH 1994
p
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Genealogical Society. Stirpes, Volume 34, Number 1, March 1994, periodical, March 1994; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39868/m1/53/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Genealogical Society.