The Florida agriculturist., 1889-07-31

upwards through the CLOUDS, revealing
the remote sparkle of stars, for the sun
had gone down long since. One by one
those of the ships company and passen-
gers who remained came on deck and
stared about them. Were they on
desert island?
A number Of square objects, curiously
symmetrical in shape. and distributed
with an appearance of regularity, be-
came visible in the immediate neighbor-
hood of the steamer They were all of
nearly the same height, though in their
other dimensions they varied consider
ably; their sides were whitish, the tops
darker. In front of the vessel as she
lay, the land rose upwards in gentle
slope, and these rectangular objects
showed themselves thickly in that direo-
ton.
''They don't look unlike houses" re-
marked the quartermaster, peering earn
estly through the gloom Il don't know
any coast hereabouts that has rocks like
that"
'If they were houses" said the second
officer. who stood near. with his arm
broken, 1--WE should be in the midst of
town, and no small town either"
"Harkl what's that?'
All listened. There was the sound of
halloo, clearly repeated, and in mo-
ment it was answered from further
distance. Then in several directions.
near and far, were heard calls cries and
lamentations. The listeners uttered mur-
murs of surprise and perpIexity.
Just then a great mass of cloud in the
east broke away. and the full moon
shone forth with surprising brilliance,
shedding over the scene a. light which,
in comparison with the previous dark
ness, seemed as bright as day. 1t re-
vealed an extraordinary spectacle.
Beyond the stem of the steamer ex-
tended the tossing waters of large bay,
strewn with wreckage and an indescrib-
able medley of floating objects In front
and on either side were the streets and
houses of a half destroyed town. The
steamer had been carried over the sea
wall and lay beyond the wharves, be-
tween the ruins of hotel and large
warehouse. A little way off was what had
been IA public pleasure garden or casino;
it looked as if gigantic roller had been
passed over it. In terrace higher up a
heavy iron gun stuck out like a half
driven bolt; it had been whipped out of
a vessel in the bay and borne nearly half
a mile, passing completely through a
house on the way. Nearly every house
left standing was unroofed; many were
torn from their foundations and thrown
topsy turvy. The iron shaft of a street
lamp was bent over and twisted like
corkscrew. In the center of small fort
to the west of the town was brig, with
one mast still standing. A floating wharf
just outside the sea wall was sunk;
steamer was on top Of it, and on top of
the steamer, lying crosswise. were the
remains of three masted merchant ship
A large provision store had been blown
to pieces and the stores whirled about in
all directions over the town and ad-
jacent lands. In the bay, now rap
idly becoming calmer, appeared the
maSts OF a score of sunken vessels.
sticking up like reeds in swamp
Among them floated casks, blocks,
spars. boxes, quantities of oranges
and cocoanuts. fragments of trees, the
rafters and beams of houses; and bobbing
about everywhere were the drowned and
mutilated corpSeS of hundreds of men
and women. But these were not to re-
main long visible. Ever and anon there
would be swirl in the water, jerk and