The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-09
A CUBAN HURRICANE.
It's Work. Was Terrible snd Desolation
Was Everywhere Supreme.

It's Work Was Terrible snd Desolatlon
Was Everywhere Supreme.
Suddenly all was furry and excite
ment to prepare for the cyclone that
even the very lizards knew was COM
ing. Sledge-hammers, axes and i'm
mensc timbers were hastily brought
inside the house. We rapidly prepared
to occupy and defend tie three front
rooms only. Ciriaco brought in some
cold meat and bread, brandy, aqua
dieste, and pail of water. which were
deposited in corner OF tho parlOr.
The rear OF the house (Which was
ope story in height, with walls three
feet thick, built of stone snd cement,
and with immense beams OF solid cedar
sustaining the stone roof was closely
barred and secured in the strongest
way possible. There was a sudden
and hurried rush into the various
buildings. Chinese and negroes fed
to their respective barracoons and
fastened themselves in. Lamo, with
two white men in our employ, and sew
eral trusty, stalwart negroes. waited to
see that all were protected thor
oughly safe as possible, barely allow
ing themselves time to rush into the
house and close the last window, when
the hurricane broke upon us. The
wind rose in great, bowling gusts, and
swooped down and around with
tumultuous roar like the BOOM
ing of cannon. A rattle and
q bang, as though we were
being assaulted with battering-rams
on one side of the house, and all rushed
to the threatened windows to secure
them with great solid timbers driven
by sledge-hammers into the polished
floor, and forced against the massive
panels of the shutters that closed from
within. A rushing and whizzing
sound, broken into a prolonged roar.
admonished US that the wind had
veered, and now the opposite windows
were thrcatened; before they could be
properly secured, q great rattling and
bowling at the door drove every one
with axes, slcdge-hammers and timbers
to the front of the house. So the wind
whirled round and round, stopping at
every door window to blow louder
and moro startling blast. Like great
giant battling for admission, or u be-
sieging army attacking first on one side.
then on another, then all around at
once, in the determination to carry the
defenses by storm, the merciless wind
fought. We knew only too well that
if it gained admission, tho house would
be wrecked; one of its mighty blasts
could lift the very stone roof.
Meanwhile, except for single can
die in q corner, so shielded for fear of
sudden gusts that it only served to
mako darkness visible, we were
without any light. A panel few
inches square, hung on hinges in a
front shutter, was our only means Of
obtaining a glimpse of the outside
world, and we dared not open this
while tho storm WIS doing its utmost.
For thirty hours we bravely and IN
ceasingly defended the beseiged castle
thirty hours of mortal terror and in
cessant vigilance - before the giant,
with one last, deafcning howl, dimin-
ished the force of the attack, and gavo
us one moments peace. Cautiously
takinghurried peeps through the little
panel, while the tornado was whirling
with fearful impotuosity through q
roseato atmosphere, the very wind
seemed a tangible pink clement, sweep
ing everything before it. Debris Of
every kind WAS being borne upon its
mighty wings. Great sheets of metal
roofing from the sugar-house went
careering along like scraps OF paper;
huge palm trees whirled aloft and
away like straws; while tiles, bricks,
and smaller objects sailed with light
ming rapidity across the horizon like
notes in q breeze, so utterly insight
ficant were they in the grasp OF the
mighty element. A few holes wreuched
through the strong stone roof of the
house, gave access to the rain, that
now poured down in binding floods,
and we were soon like Noah's dove,
flying in vain search Of II dry spot.
When at last. after thirty hours of
exhaustive battle and mortal alarm,
our doors were once more thrown
open, tho scene of de9olation was be-
yond all powers of description. The
boundless fields of waving canc, that
delighted our eyes only two days before.
had entirely disappeared; beaten fiat
down by the wind, the rapidly descend
ing waters rushed completely over
them. The sugar-house was wholly
unroofed. and for days broad strips OF
the metal, bent as though Vulcan's
hammer had beaten them into thou
sand fantastic shapes, were brought
from tho fields hundreds OF yards away.
Rock fences had been dashed to pieces
and the fragments strown over tho
fields. The proud army of majestic
palms that had for so many decades
stood guard OF our entrance, lost
twenty OF its bravest Veterans. Desc
lation was every where supremo!-
From Flag to Flag: a Woman's Adj