Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-11-03
THE STORM IN THE WEST INDIES.
Scenes In Havana and ON the Sea
Great Destruction Of Life and Prop
Correspondence of the N. Y. Times.

and the back .eo1ntrT, were most dlsas-
trous. At tirs1 Two thousand persons were
reported to have persisted at the different
points the gale swept over Half that
number would most likely be nearer the
truth. The force of the tornado seems to
have been spent in the country nearer Car
denas than Matanzas, though the latter
place suffered more than the former. In
| both cases the damage was done princi-
paly by water. The sea seemed to rise,
and TO remain at ar unusual height,
rs though two or thres tides had
come IN at once, cne on top
of the other. As rain had been falling in
! torrents for some time, the streams at both
! places were swollen out of their banks,
and the waters on their way 10 the sea met
/ a wall of water. These tides upon
/ tides caused tidal wave, and the
natural result was general inundation of
/ the low grounds in both cities. The dam"
age TO Cardenes consisted principally in a
destruction OF property, with but little
| loss of life. Ont OF thirteen vessels at an
chor in the Bay OF Oardenas, bat three es-
| capped beng wrecked. Large stone ware
| houses were demolished, not undermined,
but thrown over by simple pressure Of Wa
ter against their walls, and the material of
which they were built was carried away, so
that not even q vestige Of them remained.
| MATANzAs
MatanZas suffered more IN loss of life
| than any other place on the island. Here
| the inundation of the Peublo Nuevo Ward,
bounded by the bay, the san Juan and Yu-
muir Rivers, brought death to the door of
every family within its lin is. More than
| four hundred dead bodies have been recov-
cred, and the end OF the finding Is not yet.
A passenger train from Havana arrived ut
! the depot of the Havana and Matanzas rail-
road, situate in this ward, just before the
overflow took place. Depot, engine rain,
passengers, employees all disappeared in
in the food.
Guines, a town located on level section
between this and Matanzas. Was inundated
by the t1 of rain, many buildings
were blown down, and some Of tbs lnhabI.
tants severely injured The jurisdiction Of
Colon felt the force of the tornado also.
Here mnch damage was done to the grow
ing cane, much Of it being torn out of the
ground by the roots by the mere force of
the wind. The care most backward for the
season was less injured.
By another Correspondent
An eouinoctial storm--a tempest in the
West Indies-you have all heard what that
is, and perhaps remember the old geog-
raphy pictures of childhood, where the
forests are being blown down and cities
swept away and inundated by the ocean
flood. Well, in spite OF TIE predictions of
the weather prophets, who could not be
made to admit that there would be any
connection this year, and who, perhaps.
thought that the day for such atmospheric
disturbances had passed, the hurricane has
visited us and passed over the island in all
its fury.
CITY SCENES.
On Saturday | reached my dwelling.
amid falling blinds and signs, and whirled
about by winds which would blow ones
uoonte on the sidewalk or bring down hun
dreds of trees at one fell swoop. On the
wharves gangs OF laLorers were meanwhile
toiling, and uttering loud, strange cries, as
if mad; vessels were being brought up to
the woodwork though uselessly. as the
result proved. The ferry-noats had ceased
running, and the streets were deserted.
THE SEA.
It was a sight to see the heavy waves
come rushing into the harbor and look
ing to the seaward end of the Paseo de Is
abel, heavy mist and spray could be
viewed, rising even from the flashing of the
waves against the breakers of the shore, to
great distance in the air. l shall never
be able to entertain much respect for the
monotonous and insignificant Fall of Nj.
agara after looking at the angry, curling
waves which broke upon this shore, dash
ing fairly over the city walls and the MORO
Castle, with white, curling crests discern
able for miles to the eastward.
PRECAUTIONS.
That awful night there was not one of
the lofty aud immense doors in the city
but WAS doubly propped and bolted. ana
many of them were resecured and ADJUST
ed every hour. Roofs were blown away
and stone wells thrown down On the
morrow, in the public squares, alpclt
every lamp and tree was throw. o the
ground, and the Plaza de Isabel, from be-
ing q shady promenade, has become but
wide avenue blocked up with fallen trunks
and dry leaves. In the quarter of San
Lazarus, n city car was completely washed
off the track by the rising waves, and some
of the passengers badly bruised by the
overthrow. A dozen vessels in the sur
rounding waters were more or less injured.
ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS.
During the prevalence OF the storm on
the morning OF the 9Th the waters of the
bay suddenly receded, and left it dry for
several minutes. An aurora borealis,
which covered nearly the whole sky, was
seen for ten minutes on the preceding
night, Here, as through many other cities
of the island. wharves and depots have
been levelled with the ground. and the
sugar. houses and cane fields of the neigh
borhood have been almost totally irunda-
ted.
DAMAGE TO SHIPPING.
Beside the British schooner s. V.Nichols
"a total loss the British bark Manlius,
damaged badly, TIE Italian Sscilian, driven
ashore and wrecked, the American vessels
lost or damaged in this port were as fol-
lows: Brig G. W.Barter OF New Yerk, driv-