The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-09-14
From the Ntsc York Ertning Pest, SCpt.5
GREAT HURRIC ANE.
BARBApoEs IN RUINS, IMMENSE Loss OF LIVES
Consulate Of the Usited States Of America,

3ARBApoEs IN RUINS, IMMENSE LOSS OF LIVES. .
Consulate Of the URited States Of america,
ST. PIERRE, Martinique, 18th Aug. 1881. I
Sir,-The British Government brig, the g Duke |
Of York. has this moment arrived from batoa- {
does, bringing the painful intelligence that tha'
island had been almost entirely destroyed by hur'
ricane the 10th inst. Fortunrtely1 have 90
tanned paper, which now forward. IL, however
gives but poor idea of the damages and loss sus-
tanned as appears by tho memorandum on the oac~
by gentleman of high responsibility, Private
letters estimate the number of lives lost at between
four and FIVE thousand; and great fears are enter
tanned lest the effiuva from the bodies under Inc
ruins tputreiaction having already commenced,
NAV add disease TO famine and want. Many oil the
inhabitants who have ever been accustomed TO the
luxuries of life without clothing or shell
Ter. JOHN S. MElRCKEN.
Description Of the hurricane and its derastations,
from the Barbados Mercury dug H.
"On Wednesday evening. the 10th, about o.
clouds began 10 collect in thick in the n +. pas
sing away in scuds fast they collected, with
rapidly of motion almost incredible. They con-
tinuedt to do so until about nine o'clock, when the
sky became bright, and almost perfect calm sue
ceeded. At about half past ten o'clock the same
fatal night, the wind again began to spring up,
blowing pretty fresh from the S. w. shifting back,
wards and forwards from this point to N. W. and
increasing in violence every instant and contlnu-
ed till about five the following morning, by winch
time the work of destruction had been completed,
leaving the whole island one UNMARRIED scene oil
desolaton and distress. In Bridgetown there is
scarcely house which has escaped lrJury-huh.
dreds have been RACED to the ground, aud many oil
their inhabitants buried under the RUNS, others I'M
rooted and partly thrown down so as 10 be com,
pletey untenantablc. Trees OF Immense slze ana
strength were either upliited by the roots, or here
, of their branches. All the vessels IN CaIilsle
Bay were driven from their moonngs and thrown
on shore At the out ports in Speghts, the Hole
and Oistin's towns, every house has either oeen
: thrown down or rendered decentralization IN
habtants sharing the fate of the numberless victims
who have been crushed to death. In the country
the whole face of nature is changed-on the plan
tations almost without single exception, the build
ings, mills, and negro houses have been destroyed
and many of them have suffered materially In slaves
and cattle.
; "The provisions which had bean housed. as well
as the standing corn and canes in the helds have
been so completely destroyed, as scarcely to leave
a yestige behind and to add to the heart-rendlng
picture, at this moment many OF the estates are
, without single article of food of any kind. Nc
force of language indeed convey an idea OF the
horror and distress every where observable through
out the island, and whichever way the eye II
turned, the head grows dim and the heart become
. faint at the saddening and sorrowtui picture Ma
ny fthe opulent and respectable families, as vel
as those ofthe middng and poorer, by this me an
choy catastrophe, have thus been driven out, dest
I tute Of 4 covering-many who the day before wer
surrounded by their families and comforts, have n
1 where to lay their heads.
"Up to this moment the number of killed has nc
been ascertained, all the unfortunate creature
q who have been inhumed in the fallen dwelling
taken from beneath them. The interval of time be
! TWEEN Thursday morning and the present, has bee
= employed by the living in burying the dead III
! bodies which have been discovered have been born
through the streets to their silent and narrow home
|, in coins trees and whatever else could be obtain
= ed for them.
y "The most remarkable phenomenon attendin
a the storm of Thursday morning, was the sudde
gusts of wind, which instead ofthunder lnxariabi
II accompanied the most vivid flashes Of lightning
a and came with force not to be withstood. Ho
. | low subterranean noises also heard an
some imagine were also visited during the nigh
>, with earthquakes-this, however, we do not youc
for, as we were not sensible of them"
From the Barbados Globe, august Is.
, Through the merciful fo.bearance of an all pow
= erfu Deity, enabled 10 resume the publica
d tion of our paper, by issuing half sheet to-day.
d That printed Thursday, was owing t
the awful calamity which, on the morning OF this
= day, laid the whole country, in confused mass
g ruins Our life having been spared, and our ofic
but partially damaged, the duty Of telling the tai
@ Of affection, however narrowing to our feeling:
e must be performed; but to convey to the distap
e reader a correct idea of the scene of devasatlo
" before US, is task impossible to be accomplished
= Wherever we turn our eye, the desoatlon an
misery presented to the view bid defiance to tn
. power of language to portray them in adequat
y terms. Barbados was never in such a conditie
N since the year 1880! The number of lives lost
n at present lncalcuable.
IT The appearance of Wednesday evening was iE
lie dcative of unsettled weather, and many person
l. prognosticaed that there would be gale befor
in the morning, but few anticipated visitation S
DR. dreadful. The wind was at times rather high, an
about ten O'Clock there shower of rain, whic
was succeeded by calm. After this dense mas
clouds horizon
N Tor some time suspended in gloom At twelve
n they burst IN a severe squall which was FOLLOWED
!, by heavy rain. At this period, there was smsr
breeze from \. F.. and the wind began to increase
h In two hours it blew Tremendous gale, but mod
" Grated for short time, when it suddenly became
. more violent and was perfect hurricane at thret
IL O'Clock. Now the work of destruction commenced
g From this hour until five, it ragged with unparale
is violence, whilst the lightning would at intervals
cast momeBtary but hoTrid glare on the manget
q objects around. The houses were either leveet
[, to the earth unroofed-the largest trees tori
a from their roots, or broken reeds. Numerou
= individuals buried under the ruins. or exposed
. without shelter to the petings of the storm, ant
| threatened with instant death at each successive
" blast that hurled the shattered fragments in ever
= direction. The majestic cocoa-uut tree would b.
tossed to and fro as a withe-tbcn snapped of witt
? an appalling crash, or driven from the earth witt
, terrific force. The wind had now veered to E
back to n. and 10 N. W; again it shifted, and blew
o. !
clock, burst from S. w. with renewed violence
, accomPaned~hy torrents of rain. Once more
the hurricane ragged but there little standing to
encounter its fury. For two hours the wind and
rain continued thus, and it is easier to conceive
than describe the sufferings of those unfortunate
beings who were all this time destitute of even the
slightest shelter to them from the contend.
ing clements The bodily and mental torture of
those who were in health must have been cxcruci-
ating-but what must that have been of delicate
females who had been lingering on bed of sick
ness And many of these there were-somc in
the open fields, separated from their relatives and
friends, and in state Of nudity Helpless infants,
too, were in like manner torn from the arms of
| their distracted parents.
When the light day dawped through the dread
fol gloom of the subsdng tempest, the devastation
| of the country exhibited heart-rendnp picture
The dreadful bowling of the winds and the crash
ing Of the falling ruins having ceased, the shreks
OF the afirighted and the groans Of the wounded
and dying, broke in mournful sounds and pitiablc
accents on the of the less unfortunate surviv-
ors. Those who had sufficient strength remain
ing, commenced sorrowful search for the resDec-
tive members of their families, some of whose