Birmingham age-herald., 1894-09-29
TO HAVE BEEN SERIOUS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Sept. 2S.-Com- munica.ion with south Florida is being restored and special dispatches are pouring in to the Times Union relative to the damage done by the West Indian cyclone, wh .ch ragged in the state Tuesday and Wednesday. The dispatches all tell the same story of houses wrecked and crops destroyed, but no loss of life is reported.
 The Times Union received a dispatch from Tampa today, which is the frs in- formation from that place since Tuesday. At Tampa several large cigar factories are wrecked. The large three-story brick factory of Seidenb r, & Co. was destroyed. The factory of c. A. Joyce was dem olished, as were also the factories of Y. Bor & Maurara, Theodore Perez & Co. and O Halloran. The First Presbyterian church and the palatial Tampa Bay hotel were considerably damaged. Several small structures were also demolished. The total loss on buildings at Tampa Is esti- mated at $50, ,000.
 Communication with Fernandina was also restored today. A dispatch to the Times Union from that place says that the steamer Edward Stewart, which was load ed aud lying at anchor, was blown across tue river, pulling her anchors with her, and is now lying on mud flat in about feet of water. The small boats were all blown away and numerous boats are now lying high and dry upon the marshes, together with the floating dock, which was at the foot of Center street. During the storm at Fernandiua the British steamships Bos- ton City and Elmville collided and were badly damaged.
 A dispatch from Palatka announces great damage at that place to riveS craft. The steamer Princess was sunk between Palatka ard Picolata. Sho is valued at $12, ,000. The steamer Edith was driven ashore. The steamer De Barry was driven against the draw bridge and wrecked. The steam yacht Maude was sunk near Crescent City.
 Today the Times Union received advices from St. Augustine, which has been cut off since Tuesday. These advices were brought by Mrs. Anna M. Narcotic, the Times Union s St. Augustine correspondent, who made the trip ou hand car. Mrs. Mar cote gives graphic account of the condl- ton of things at St. Augustine. No lives were lost, but several houses were wrecked and the losses will run into the thousands. Nearly all the windows in the city were blown in and the houses flooded with water. The Ponce de Lson hotel was dam aged in this way. The loss on the hotel's furuirure is heavy. At St. Augustine the waves dashed over the sea wall and made rivers of the streets. Many wharves were blown away. Between Green Cove Springs and Palatka, on the St. John'a river, twelve wharves have com pleteiy disappeared. Between Jackson vile and St. Augustine not telegraph pole was left standing. The damage to the orange growers is incalculable. Dispatches to the Times- Union say that in the large groves the ground is completely covered with green oranges. The losses will be fully 20 per cent.
 The east coast is still cut off from com munication below St. Augustine and Pa latka, though communication may be re- stored tonight. Every effort is being made to hear from Titusville, Jupiter and Key West, which are supposed to have been in the storm's center.
 Dispatches to the Times-Union indicate that the storm was as severe in the in terior of the state as the coast. It struck Taml 8, then travelled northeast, for Jacksonville and St. Augustine. At Ocala and Orlando, interior points, several gulls and sea cells were. found alter the storm passed over.
 1t is safe to say that the storm bas cost Florida more than $1, 900. 900, but no lives havu been lost, unless at Key West, Titus vile, Jupiter or other east coast points.