When they reached the telegraph office in Houston at 3 a.m. on September 10, a short message was sent to Texas Governor Joseph D. Sayers and U.S. President William McKinley: "I have been deputized by the mayor and Citizen's Committee of Galveston to inform you that the city of Galveston is in ruins."
16 Stunden später, um 3 Uhr morgens des nächsten Tages, sandten sie vom Telegrafenbüro in Houston eine kurze Nachricht an den Gouverneur von Texas, Joseph D. Sayers, sowie den US-Präsidenten William McKinley: I have been deputized by the mayor and Citizen’s Committee of Galveston to inform you that the city of Galveston is in ruins.