, 1880-01-21
THE ST. KITS DISASTER.
Extract Of letter received from Req T. E.
ZIPPEL. Superintendent MorGvian
Missions, st. Kits.
From the st. Thomas Bulletiw.lS0

awe retired to rest [Sunday night 18th
lnst.) n soon after there commenced such
a rain as [ have never experienced in these
Islands. It poured down in one stream
all the night till about 4.30 a. M, not once
did it cease, it was as if the heavens were
emptying themselves. The mountains and
hills sent down floods and volumes of
water, Inc our town was inundated. The
destruction of property is something be-
yOnd description. AS soon as / Gould, /
hurried into the yard and soon saw around
us, as far as the eye could reach, one vast
sheet of rushing water ; our fields and
roads were all made into streams and ra-
vines. Our strong surroundings have
saved our premises. GU schOolroom,
church and yard are one mass of mud and
water, otherwise we have not suffered.
But the town from our premises and Co
vernment House is washed away. Large
and substantial wooden buildings have
been entirely removed and carried into the
sea, and others have been put quite lin
other parts of the town. I have lust como
home from walking over the former sites
OF members houses, and visiting others.
Our poor are in a dreadful condition.
Great numbers have lost their houses and
everything they possessed, and rave bare
ly escaped with their lives. Entire houses
with all their inmates have altogether
disappeared, and the search for the dead
and missing continues.
II nOon.-I nave again been round the
town, this time on horseback, and tried
to search up our people. The desolation
is far more extensive and widespread than
[ could embrace in my early visit this
morning. About two thirds of the town
are in ruins. The sea has receded bv
one eighth of q mile, where formerly was
water is now solid land, over which l have
been walking helping to seek the dead
bodies, and where people are gathering tho
debris of their houses and furniture.
A large substantial house, just completed,
near our church, and belonging to a helper,
is totally gone, and every living soul into
the sea, except Taylor, who has just been
discovered more dead than alive fastened
between two ruined houses. Two young
men, and two young women, all four of
whom sans for the last time last evening
in our church choir, are gone out to sea
with father, mother, wife, children, brothers
and sisters. l am Judging now from first
impressions, but / think l am right inssay-
ing that about one half our town congrega-
ton are more or less houseless, homeless,
clotheless, and in utter restitution. A
Relief Committee has been called to meet
this afternoon to make immediate provis-
sion for the dire distress prevailing, and
the various denominations think of putting
their school premises at the temporary dis
posal of the helpless, and providing food
for them. A sad prospect is that our
splendid water supply is destroyed, tho
main pipes from the fountains in the noun
tains are destroyed, and the streets in the
town so Quilted as to completely break up
all the pipe work.
The mountains present o very strange
appearance, great and immense caverns and
ravines have been torn open, and show to
us the force and fury as well as the i'm.
mense amount of water that has fallen.n
st. Kits, Monday, Jan. 18th 1880.