, 1876-09-13
Supplement to The
ST. CR0IX AVIS"
CHRISTIAN TED, ST. CROIL
Wednesday September 1914, 1876.

nave Do6u OICenClnleS QlIaCeG nDOA with
a feeling akin to lightheartedness, ana
consequent Indifference to precautlon-
airy measures, although we lave had
pretty broad hints that, if not exposed
to the very worst of cyclones, we arlI
could have q pretty telling hit of the tan.
At the moment we pen these observations
which may perhaps be called impertinea.,
this community has uSt passed through
one OF those turbulent atmospheric distut-
Dances which, whether the tail or mar.
body OF a cyclones fact lett to futu4,
elucidations-is nevertheless ACCOMPANIED
with all the misery, which even the most avn
dlous OF newsmongers could deslIy
Ii our catalogue of maritime disaster
rot a long one, as we are happy to sag d
IS not, this fact is simply owing to Their
not being many vessels in port. All that
were there have suffered. The " VigiIant !"
10 apparently lost, probably sunk in the
harbour, the Hugo" is on shore, and
50 is an English SIoop, called "Jessle
Douglas" lying in the harbour. But on
land, what devastation meets our eve
Without attempting a comparison with
our sister island, or other neighbouring
communities, at a time when, fortunately,
we were free, we can assert this mnc6,
that, within the memory of the present
generation, there has been no gale SO
destructive in this Island as the one which
ragged last night. Writing, as we do, so
to say, Gin the midst of things" and
hurriedly, we cannot be expected to give
that graphical and accurate account of
the calamlty,-tor such it inevitably
presents itself to our views at present,-
as we may do after more detailed
and precise information as to ali particu-
'ars. To come down, then, to the few
facts to which we are necessarily limited
at this moment, it may be stated that,
after some days of extremely hot
weather, we had, yesterday and the
day before, quite a stiff breeze from a north
eaSterly direction, which terminated, lRt
night, in what we would call a fierce gale,
II by such Is meant a wind with sufficient
force to uproot the largest trees like 30 many
contemplate weeds, smash up houses like
a chlld's toy, not only those more or Iess
OF the wlgwam type, but, apparently, sub
stantiaI buildings $50 far as we have ascer-
tanned as yet, upwards of 50 houses have
been demolished in this town aloneI
reduce people in comparative com
tort to the wretched situation Of the
homeless petitioner Tor a shelter, and
those still ia less |favoured olrcum-
stances to the last retugo,-that of tins
beggsr. We have not heard of any lives
being lost.
Are we now exaggerating or simply stat
ng facts" All the reports we havs r~eceiv-
ed'-llmitod necessarily as yet 90 this towo
will bear US out in the assertion that
the fact is tha - in the poorest quarter
of the town ts3 uavoc has, as might be
expected, been th6 greatest.-What, now,
should be the action of those who have es-
capped, that is, have 90 far escaped as to be
yet comfortable7 It is not our province to
answer this query, but one thing we NAV
hint, and that is that we do not consider that
man the best who, il an appeal is made to
him, puts Oft the question by observing that
Government ought to edo something" Co.
yernment mnst do something, certainly,
but each individual who has not suffered to
tne same extent can 'do something'' as
Weil' and to judge from the generosity al
waya exhibited on such occasions. will
90 it; There is one great benefit, affecting
Oil Grasses the blew has been accompanied
with rain, not indeed profusely, but still
20 al sPprecIable extent, aud the new
phenomenon may, perhaps. open up a new