The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-12-10
THE HURRICANE IN CUBA.
Its Approach Graphically Described--
The Loss of Life and Property.

The Loss of Life and Property.
A correspondent thus describes the
frightful hurricane in Cuba:
A terrible experience has befallen the
entire eastern department of the Island.
1t has been devastated by one OF the
fiercest tornadoes that has occurred
in this latitude for many years. So
disastrous have been it's effects that we
hear already that several of the coast
towns have been almost entirely
wrecked, while the loss of human life
has been terrible. Crops, cattle, men,
women and children have been swept
away in a second of time, and the
amount of destruction is indeed awful.
A letter from Santiago de Cuba says
the weather had been unusually sultry
for days. The morning of the Sth
broke still and steamy with the heavy
mists sluggishly lifting from the noun
tains, and still more slowly from the
surface of the harbor near the old Nor
no Castle. The old residents knew
what this portended. Presently a cloud
no bigger than mans hand appeared,
and spread loweringly, and enlarging
it's angry, ragged borders till it en-
veloped the heavens. The birds flew
low and sought shelter. The negroes
and Chinese at work on the wharves
busily gathered the merchandise under
cover. The ships struck top-gallant
and royal masts, and sent down all their
superfuous tophamper, making all
snug for the storm. The wind had
risen by II o'clock, and blowing off the
mist in huge wreaths, whistled through
the rigging and the beautiful trees in
the Plaza. The miradors of the Casino
and the Cuba Espanol were crowded
with officers, merchants and planters,
who for once dropped the interminable
discussion on the best way to extermi-
nate the rebels for speculations on the
coming tempest. The wind all of a
sudden fell. 1t was dead calm. Then
came faint, cool currents of air from
the mountains, fragrant with the scent
of forest blossoms, harbingers of death
and desolation.
And then came the storm in all its
msiestic grandeur. The rain began
with picket firing of enormous drops,
which ratified like stones on the flat
roofs and each tiled patio, and then
came down in deluge with a rush and
roar deafening to the ear and impene-
trable to the eye. The dome and twin
steeples of the cathedral were swal-
lowed up as in fog, the wind shrieked,
the streets became torrents and impas-
sable, trees were wrenched as if by vio-
lent hands, and branches rent from
them and cast whirling with mighty
force many rods away. Ever and anon
came Iull, amid which would be heard
the agonized cries of frightened women,
who kept themselves invisible, hud-
died with their children and domestics
in the darkest corners of their houses
Itsswas an awful scene, rendered more
tremendous as the thunder began tC
roll in volleys, and the lightning
flashed incessantly, lighting up the pic
turesque archite cture of the ancient
city with lurid CLEANS, and then leav.
ing profound darkness, which might
be felt. This continued till nightfall,
and for some hours afterward. The
damage in the city itself was compare,
lively slight, aud might have been less
had people manifested ordinary pru
dence. The buildings are too substan
tial to be much hurt by mere thunder
lightning, hail and rain. Many roofs
were taken off, and good deal Of
household stuff damaged and destroyed
in this way. But from tho interior OF
the country the accounts speak in &
very different strain. The steamer
from Havana had to lay by in Guam
tanamo harbor for some hours over hel
time, owing to the awful sea running
outside. Her captain reported that
the railroad there was much damaged
aud that the crops of cane had beer
leveled to the ground. The insurgents
with true military tact, seized the op
portunity of the raging storm to haras
the outposts. Wounded volunteer
were fling in on litters, and saggine
helplessly on muleback from Cobre
where there was quite sharp engage
ment. The rebels were even reported
to have penetrated into the very suburb
of the town, and arrests will no doub
be made of supposed sympathizers VIII
are accused of narboring them.
The towns of Sauna and TaDamo, o.
the northern coast, are said to hav
been almost entirely swept away. Th
loss of life is represented to be YER.
large, and great herds of cattle to hav
been worse than decimated.