Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-03
THIRTY PEOPLE KILLED.
Great Destruction Wrought by the Hurri-
cane In Two Florida Counties.

Great Destruction Wrought by the Hurri-
cane In Two Florida Counties.
Jacksonville, Fla, October 2-Reli-
able news Of the storm from the western
part Of Levy and Alachua counties has
+ust reached Jacksonville. Not less
than 200 families are left destitute.
Scores Of injuries have been reported
with over thirty fatalities In Levy
county.
The town OF Fanny has been destroy
ed with the exception OF one small
house. Tyson & Chairs storehouse
was blown in the Suwanee river, with
their stock of general merchandise.
Needmore was devastated. The post
office building at that pace was demol-
ished and the postmaster can find no
part Of the mail or pOstoftice fixtures.
Every house at Yular, Juds0n and
Chiehand was destroyed with one or
two exceptions, killing people al both
the former places. The people of Bron-
son have issued an appeal for aid for the
destitute. Reports from Baker,
Suwanee. Nassau and Columbia Coun-
ties confirm the story Of death and de-
structiOn. and the death list has been
Increased by nearly a dozen. Columbia
county Jared badly. All the country
south OF Lake City is destroyed. In
the Caleb Marcum neighborhood scarce
" a residence or house Is left standing.
In the vicinity of Payne and Mount
Tabor postofficeS the destruction was
great. Fred Hodge, farmer OF that
lcfality. had his thigh and arm crushed
and his wife was killed by the falling
OF a tree on their house. The George Z.
Drew planning mills, at Columbia City,
were wrecked. Hildreth's and TOlen's
turpentine camps and the distilleries
were wrecked and all the timber be-
tween that point and Fort White is
down. Fort White Jared badly, all the
churches. school houses. many sores
and residences being blown down and
many others damaged.
Mikesvil,e and other southern points
have not yet been heard from. Toward
Live Oak the storm did but little dam
age. Beyond Welborn toward Lake
City much timber and nearly all the
fences are prostrated.
At Hagen station, ten miles southeast
from Lake City, stores were demolished
and residences destroyed. Baird's tur-
penJine Cistillery, Lewis s2wmi'.
Ha,cher's Place and everything else In
that vicinity was destroyed.
A. Lake Butler, further down the line,
the destruction was almost as great, La
| Crosse was almost wiped out of exis-
tence. Numbers OF injuries and fatal
tiles are reported from the vic.nities Of
these localities. Along the Florida Cen
trail and Peninsular from Lake City to
| MacDenny. the damage was great. that
section taking the centre CT the storm.
The cotton crop, or that portion of it
still In the field is vastly damaged, and
in many places almost destroyed. Sugar
cane is everywhere Frustrated. and
damage Of every kind has resulted on
every hand. Much stock and cattle
were killed. II is said that there are
twenJy-nine turpentine stills between
Lake City and Cedar Keys, and not one
Of these will ever run another charge,
all the timber being destroyed. This
Throws out of employment many peO-
pie, leaves the mules idle, the camps
deserted, operators ruined and factors
hit hard
Exclusive of the hundreds Of spongers
supposed TO have been drowned off
Cedar Keys, the death list in the State
proper bids fair 10 reach 100 and the
property loss will run into the millions.