Fort Bend County, Texas - Chapter 59, 1904

Chapter 59

This fearful storm, which swept over Fort Bend County, causing such destruction to life and property, struck the town of Richmond in the evening, on the 8th day of September, 1900. It first came from the north vdth great fury, the wind being accompanied by torrents of rain, which lasted until near midnight ; then there was an interval, and it came again from the east, which lasted several hours. During this time great damage was done in the city. Many houses were unroofed, blown off of foundations, and some torn to pieces. Only three lives were lost in town - all negroes, a man, wife and child, who were killed by the colored Baptist Church falling in on them. They had quit their houses and ran to it for safety. Several lives were lost on the prairie Iw farm houses being blown away and torn to pieces. The great clock and bell on the court house were blown off with the dome, and the clock entirely demolished as it fell to the hard pavement in the court yard. The bell caught on the roof and hung there throughout the storm, and was afterwards lowered to the ground, where it still remains, not much damaged. The white Baptist Church was entirely destroyed and the Methodist Church badly damaged, while the Episcopal Church escaped injury entirely.

The shaft of the Jaybird monument in the court yard was blown off the pedestal and the representation of a jaybird perched on top of the shaft was broken off and has not since been replaced.

off with some others in the cern'etery. The people were greatly distressed during the long continuation of the storm, and some of them walked the streets all night. In fact no one slept very much. At this time the city of Galveston was being destroyed, or nearly so. Carpenters had to be imported to help repair the damage, sO' great was the havoc made.

Sad Incident Of The Storm

The house in which Mr. Hubbard lived, on John R. ^Fenn's farm, in the lower part of Fort Bend County, w^as partly wrecked, and the family ran out and sought another place of refuge, Mrs. Hubbard with a two-months-old baby in her arms, and Mr. Hubbard taking care of the children who could walk. A tree blew^ down on the mother, breaking her back, but she clung to the child and had it in her arms when rescued. She was fatally hurt, however, and died in a month.

Storm Of 1900

''Our people sympathize with Galveston in her heavy calamity, and would like to have shown our sympathy in a more substantial manner, but unfortunately we, too, are in wreck and mourning, and have little else but sympathy to give. But the heavy calamity of Galveston was so appalling, so overshadowing everything else, that all eyes, all thoughts, were turned there.

the disastrous flood of 1899, when the storm of September the 8th came, sweeping away every vestige that the flood had left us, taking in its path many valuable lives.

"Of course, this is but an estimate, but when the real loss is known, this estimate will prove very nearly correct, perhaps a little less than the loss really is. * * * "When counted in, the loss of timber in the bottoms will bring the loss to nearly |3,000,000. From Wallis to 'Damon's Mound' on the west side of the river, and from the Waller County line to Juliff on the east side of the river, a