The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1846-10-31
Hurricane al kew xyest.


from Lieutenant Poaso, giving an account Q
the Hurricane Of the llth and 18th inst. Lieu
Pease was passenger on board the u. S. Cut
ter Norris, which was blown from her mooring
\ and stranded on reef After giving an &C
count of their own danger and suiierings h
thus proceeds:
"On the morning Of the 18th the scene wa
anything but agreeable. We had drifted abou
three miles and half Of shat distance, over
shoal with only two feet water on it at ordinary
times. This was the depth Of water arount
the Morris when left her. Around her liz
wrecks of all descriptions; one ship on her beam
ends; three briggs dismasted, also three schoon
ers; three vessels sunk in small channel, and
four vessels bottom up. How many persons at.
tached to these vessels have been drowned,
am unable to say. We have picked up only
two and one Of them, a young man, knew in
timately. The light House at Key West and
Sand Key was washed away, and Key West is
in ruins.
| A White Sand Beach covers the spot where
Key West lighthouse stood, and the waves roll
over the spot where Sand Key was. Fourteen
persons were either killed or drowned at Kew
West lighthouse, and not soul escaped, The
only vestige TO be seen in portion of the iron
posts of the lantern and some pieces Of soap
stone, which was washed one hundred yards
from the spot where they fell. At Sand Key
six persons were killed or drowned, most likely
the former, as the general impression is, they
flew to the storm light house for refuge, the
Key being very low. Poor old Captain Apple
by, q know him very well,)he has told me the
first hurricane would sweep all to destruction,
and alas! his prediction is verified.
AtfKey West the tide was five feet high, and
running six miles an honr through the centre
of the town. The citizens fed to the back part
of the town, which is rather higher than the
rest, into the bushes, LAID down and held on,
expecting every moment, the waves would
reach them. Parents were separated from their
childre I, husbands from their wives, and all
was confusion, terror and dismay. The island
trembled toitsvery centre "a few hours more and
a white sand beach would have covered the
now desolated remains Of Key West. The oc-
cupants of the Marine Hospital were expecting
every momentto go into eternity. Tits large
stone building, and being surrounded with
feet water, running by six miles an hour, cut
ting the sand out from the foundation, the sit
uaton was awful. Thirty feet Of the stone
washed away from one corner, fifteen from the
other, and the roof blown off. All of the
wharves are washed away or injured not one
warehouse escaped the fury ofthe storm: wood
and stone seemed all to be going one way--to
destruction. There isnot more than SIX out of
six hundred houses, that are not unroofed or
blown down. Three hundred are estimated
to have been 5lown down.
The public buildings at the fort. as well as
the wharf, are all gone, and the fort is mass Of
ruins. 1t is estimated that the government a.
lone will lose about 100000. The Custom
house is much injured, but the United States
Barracks at the East end Of the town sustained
no injury and aresoccupied BY the crew Of the
brig Perry and revenue cutter Norris, and BY
the collector of the customs and those whose
houses have been blown down. The streets
and roads are impossible, being filled with lum-
Der and ruins of fallen houses. Some large
sticks of lumber from the fort are up in the |
middle of the town.
In Havana much damage was done by the
'sme gale and also along the whole tlantic
coast Of the United States The loss of life
md property is immense. The steamer, Col
barney was lost at the mouth Of the Rio Grande,
m the 18th. Thirteen out of % persons were
aved. The names of those lost were not given.