Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-09-01

II was no use 10 Senu any more DOdlS
there ior fruit. Everything was de-
stroyed.
THE DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE,
Which Swept Over tho Island OF jana
lea on the 18th Of August Details of
the Tornado's Work BY an Eye Wit
ness.
PHLADELrHIA, August 3l.-The fol-
lowing is Captain Smiths story:
1--WE were lying at Port Antonio, TAX
iny in a cargo OF bananas. The weather
hal been threatening iOr two or three
days. and knew that something was
up; but | did not look for any such
storm as the one that struck us and de-
vastated the island in suCha short space
OF time. The barometer, which had
been ialling Tor two or three days, be-
gan TO 20 down very rapidly on
Wednesday, and at o'clock that alter
noon it began to blow. At first We
thought il only a squall, hut the force
OF the wind gradually increased to q hur-
ricane, and from ten o'clock that night
until two o'clock the next morning it
blew with power that
Swept Everything Before 1t.
"The harbor oi Port Antonio is the
best harbOr in the West Indies. We
were completely hemmed in by noun
tains, so that the wind could not hurt
rs much; but the destruction on shore
ana among the small cOasting vessels
engaged in bringing iruit to Port AntO-
Mo was simply incalculabIc. DrOghers,
small schoonerS from twelve to fifteen
tons burden, were driven high and dry
upon the beach and stove to atoms. In
deed, there was scarcely drOgher on
the coast that was not stove or sunk.
In the little village OF Port Antonio
eleven houses were completely dcmol-
ished. At Spring Grove ont 0t thirty
seven houses only eleven are left stand
my. At Nauchioneal
There Is Not House Lett Whole.
at is impossible to estimate the loss
from the destruction OF fruit. The
banana plantations were totally destroy,
ed, and the cOcOanut trees were twisted
off and the growing fruit utterly ruined.
Men who had hundreds OF acres OF ban
anas ready ior market have not a bunch
LETT. People who had small patches
that would yield them 800 Or 5000 III
money will not realize cent. We teit
there on Saturday the 2lst, and then
people who were well of three days
before were cutting up the bread fruit
and driving it to keep them from Starv-
Ing.
All the Telegraph Lines were Down,
and all the roads were blockaded with
fallen trees, SO that it was difficult to get
news from other parts oi the Island; but
al every point that we did hear from the
news was the same total destruction OF
iruit crops and great damage to buildings
and other property. have no doubt
that the hurricane swept the entire
Island.
"At Kingston, the Capital and prin-
cipal seaport from which we heard be.
fore We left,
The Destruction Of Property was very
Only one wharf is lett, and nearly all the
small shipping in the harbor Was de-
stroyed. Every drogher was destroyed;
many OF them lay high and dry on the
shore. The wharf OF the Royal Mail
Company, solid and substantial strnc,
ture was totally destroyed. The steam.
ship American, lying at the wharf oi
Mcdowell, Hankey d Co., was driven
ashore broadside on, crushing IN the
piles and heavy timbers like cardboard.
The bark Akbar, lying near by, was
driven ashore and badly damaged.
The schooner DauntlcsS and another
large vessel, whose name | did not
learn, were sunk in the harhOr. Every
street running north from the sea
Was Filled with tho Wreckage,
mingled with fallen walls and roofs. The
Custom House suffered severely, and
the slaughter house WAS completely
wrecked. Although the greatest dam
ace was done along the harbOr front, III"
upper part OF the town suffered very
much. Among the wrecked buildings
were the EbcneZer school house and the
Roman Catholic school in Sutton street.
Great damage was done to the parade
gardens; the iron railroads, the orna'
mental arbors and many rare and valua-
bic trees in the gardens were torn up.
Almost all the sign boards in the city
were torn off, and in some cases carried
long distances. In the poorer parts oil
the town
Many Dwelling Houses were Destroyed
"The news from Kingston was very
imneriert at the time we lett Fort An
tonic. and have no doubt the damage
WAS much greater. Dunng the storm
the tide was about five feet higher than
usual, but it rose gradually. There was
no tidal wave. The only Joss OF lie
heard Of was one woman who was
drowned from capsiled drosher, near
Port Antonio. and the mate Ol the Daunt-
less. WHO, it is said, was drowned at
Kingston"