The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-01
800 LOST ON THE ISLANDS.
Frightful Fatality Along The South
Carolina Coast.

Urgent Appeal for rProvisions-Crops
Entirely Destroyed.
Augusta, Aug. Receiver Averill, of
the Port Royal and Augusta road, wires
the Chronicle tonight that the loss of
life ON the sea islands of South Carolina
exceeds anything yet reported and may
reach GOO Great destitution exists
among the 1000 remaining inhabitants,
and an urgent appeal is made for aid in
the shape of provisions, crops and pro-
visions having been entirely destroyed.
800 DEAD BODIES FOUND.
A special to Chronicle from Beaufort,
S. c., says: Over 800 dead bodies have
been found on the islands about Beaufort
and Port Royal Over 100000 of prop
erty has been wrecked near the same
place. Both of these are the direct re
suit of the severe storm which
swept along the Atlantic
coast Sunday night Every one
of the fifteen or twenty islands lying
around Port Royal and Beaufort is
stepped in sorrow. On every door knob
there is a bunch Of Grape and upon every
hillside there are, ,fresh-madeigraves some
already filed, while Others are awaiting
the bodies that win be deposited in them
just as soon as some one can be found to
do the kind Christian act Of shoveling the
dirt upon the coffins.
POSSIBLY OVER ONE THOUSAND DEAD.
The beaches, the underground, trees
and shrubbery, the marshes aud
the inlets, are turning up new
dead bodies every time an inves-
tigation is made. OF the many disasters
and devastations which have visited this
section of the country none have been
half as horrible as those which came
Sunday Already more than 200 bodies
have been found, and those who
are at all posted about the country
and the habits of the people
in the storm which visited these
sections are confident in their prediction
that the death roll will run as high as
500. Some of the people, and they are
among the best of this section of the
state, even place the loss at more than
1000. There has not been an hour of any
day since the early hours of Monday
morning that dead body has not been
found at some point on one of the many
islands.
TIE DEAD F5uNp IN aRoOPs.
AS the waters recede and the people
move deeper into the wreckage gathered
by the storm the CHASTITY pictures are un-
covered So frequent are the discoveries
that the finding of a single body attracts
no attention at all 1t takes the discov-
cry of at least a group of half dozen or
more to induce the people to show any
feeling whatever. 1t is around Beaufort
and Port Royal that the death rate was
| the greatest, but in neither Of the towns
were many lives lost.
! AT Beaufort the only cof1ns were bought
to supply the local demand, while Port
Royal got off even lighter. Around the
two towns there is a complete chain of
islands, and it was upon these that the
black angel of death hovered for
hours Sunday night, leaving in his
path sorrow and desolation greater
than has ever visited the state before,
even in the bloody days of recon
struction. The storm was one of the
most severe the people Of the coast have
ever known. This section of the Atlantic
coast has been prolific in storms-storms
that scattered death and the destruction
of property in their wake-but the
weatherwise, the Oldest citizen, the pilot,
cannot recall anything equaling it.
PRoDIG1oUs wREoKAGE.
Wind, rain and hail and the elements
seemed combined in their greatest fury.
The seas ran high, and salt water waves
were driven by the heavy winds as much
as twenty miles inland. Houses were
blown away. Trees were torn from the
earth, leaving holes big enough to hide a
freight train in. Vessels We're dashed
against the breakers, and thrown upon
the earth as much as five miles from the
waters edge. 1t was grand tableau, and
those who passed through it will never
forget the experience of Sunday night.
The storm began really Sunday morning.
The day came on with heavy black clouds
hanging over the ports. An ugly wind
started up about 10 O'Clock Sunday morn
ing, blowing from the northeast. 1t in
creased as the hours grew, and about
noon a cold, chilly rain started. Long be-
fore dark the people living along the coast
knew that a storm was inevitable,
but none dreamed Of the great
extent it would assume, Late in the
evening the wind took on greater velocity,
and as night advanced the velocity of
wind increased until it attained speed
of 100 miles an hour at 3 O'clock. and this
is about the time the City of Savannah
went ashore. it is believed BY those
who have conyersed with parties who
were aboard the vessel.
THE NIGHT RIFE WITH HORRORS.
The wind alone was a storm which
would have terrorized any community,
but with the binding rain and vivid
flashes of lightning and deafening peals
of thunder, the hearts Of the stoutest
were made TO quail. No painting could
give the faintest idea of the night. Then
is it any wonder that of the 300 or more
who lost their lives that night one,
lady, should have died 0from sheer
fright All through the night, husbands
guarded their wives and children as if
protecting them from some deadly foe.
Up and down the coasts, in the farm
houses, in boats, the people walked to
and fro, each minute expecting death and
all tho time nrav wing for delivp1ancp In