, 1876-09-20
To the Editor of the "St. Croix Avis.',

4 0in uoC dUIo W give you any lnIOrma-
ton OF the barometric results of the late
Hurricane, but feel convinced that enough
is patent to us all to prove that the Storm
which visited this Island on the night
between the 18th & 18th was one of the
heaviest gales ever recorded in this Island.
The effects of it have also been by far More
devastating than those of former occasions,
as far as / and other old inhabitants of the
Island can remember. I believe / may
without tear of contradiction, or of tres
passing on truth, say that there are scarce
lY 10 properties in the town of Christian
sted that have not suffered, some to greater
extent, some to less. | will make no men
ton of fences, of which scarcely a single
one will be found in order nor vet OF
trees that have been uprooted and thrown
down, or smashed into pieces, although
they were trees of venerable standing aud
stout, strong growth. But | would espe-
CiaIly call attention to the devastation to
buildings, If you walk up one of our prin>
pal cross streets you will find upwards
Of twenty-odd houses totally demofish-
ed; you will find the numbers and
boards smashed and severed, scarcely
two pieces hanging together, aud it is a
wonder how the inmates could have es-
capped from being buried alive or receiving
damage. Other houses have been remoy-
cd from their foundations, or have got a
part of their roof or sides carried away. Go
into another street, you will find upwards
OF IS houses thrown down some the root
and sides taken off; Others with only a few
posts standing, threatening the heads OF the
passers by. In the 81 called "Free.Gut"
and "Water. Gut" tie destruction to build
ings is immense. On q loose figuring /
think that in this own upwards OF SIS
houses have been totally destroyed or 80
I'M ured that they are unlnhabitabEe we
may say between one-sixth or one-seventh
part of the total number Of buildings in the
town has been destroyed. Looking, next,
at othnr buildings that have not fallen.
you will find almost every house bearing
some mark or other of the ravages of tho
storm, some greater, some less.-ln the
Country Districts you fud, here a whole
village thrown down there the dwelling
house and works blown away or severely
injured everywhere you see destruction,
demolition in their most glaring features.
The felds-aye, there lies perhaps our
last hope buried. The canes are in some
places parched and dried up by the wind
and sea brine +; in other places they were
blown down to hug the earth and what
rain have we had with the storms In
some places 20, in others 80 lines but not
SO very few places have had but 10. tits
true the guages can not be relied on in
such a heavy wind, but large open reser-
voirs have been noticed not to have receiy-
ed any material addition to their contents.
With all this havoc to property, and
without any real material benefit TO the
standing crop-what is to become Of
st. Croix?
The houses destroyed are as your cor
respondent " K" Justly observes, mostly
if not exclusively the property Of tbs
poorer classes; not that class who with
their hoe or any other tool gain their sub
s~istence, but chiefly that large class OF the
inhabitants who exc out a miserable exis.
tence by their needle, by limited bread
baking or the like, and who managed to
be content, as long as they were sure OF a
roof over their heads, even if it afforded
but poor and weak protection from rain and
wind the destroyed properties cons;itut-
ed in many instances the main-stay Of a
whole family, the rents being the only re-
venue, sometimes together with 8 trihing
pension, to support a whole family.