The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-10-07
One Hundred Lives Lost.

JACKSONVILLE, FLA, Oct. 2.-The West
Iudla hurricane struck Florida Tuesday,
and, though it lasted but three hours al
zach point visited, was the NEST disas.
trous storm ever experienced in Florida.
The damage to property IN this State
alone will foot up 81 ,00O,0 900. Fully a
hundred lives were lost and perhaps 10,
900 people were rendered homeless.
The course of the storm was from Ce-
dar Keys on the guif coast, north by
northeast through the thriving town of
Lake City. In path so miles wide, few
houses are left standing, the wind at
imes blowing at the rate of 100 miles an
nour, averaging so. In this City. distant
rrom the storm centre fully so miles, the
wind for minute blew 100 miles an hour
aud for five minutes 10 miles an hour. In
Jacksonville scores Of buildings were un-
rooted and trees blown down. The storm
had the characteristics OF a tornado.
It skipped some places in its path,
bounding over To others where ruin was
| wrlught.
Cedar Keys was exposed to the full
force of its fury. There g score of fisher
| men Oh the sponge banks were drowned
| and their schooner5 were wrecked. A
tidal wave visited the town and inundated
It. During the tidal wavea fire broke out
| and un unusual spectacle was witnessed
| of firemen fighting flames almost shoul-
der deep in water. Four miles softrest!ing
Of the FLORIDA Central and Peninsular
railroad, entering this town, was wreck
cd. Lake City bad almost every tree IN
| town clown down, and tor two days tue
streets were impossible. Two people
we're killed. prominent lady. Mrs. Fra
zi-r, aud negro boy. Here many nous-
-s were RACED while the roofs of others
went whirling through the air. Lake
| City is IN Colum bla County, which has
great lumber interests. Half of the yel-
low pine tim Der was blown down and
lum Der and turpentine men lost thous-
| ands Of dollars as the lumber is badly
~plintered and will soon be attacked by
worms.
Iu Baker County, which adjoins Co.
luIn bia, not score of houses out OF l ,00C
| were left standing. Grain stored in barns
was blown away or destroyed by rain,
| crops in the fields, including cotton, were
destroyed aud thousands of cattle were
| killed. The imnleuse lutnber mill OF Ep-
| pinger e Russell at Olustee was destroy
ed, including stores and residences and
many people were hurt, though none
killed, the reason being that they sought
refuge in deep ditch trarersing the
| town.
At McCleny, in tho same county, the
same tale might be told.
SunderSOD, q few miles distant, was al
most wiped our. All ofthe men employ
ed Oh the turpentine farms and lumt Ter
mills are not only homeless, but without
food aud famine there pending. The
prominent citizens of each of these towns
Il i
have issued appeals to the public for aid.
billiards, in Duval county, was also de-
vaslated and penpIe killed and wounded
by falling OF houses upon them. Each of
these has is issued an appeal for aid.
The storm did not touch the orange
belt Of Florida, but confined itself to the
middle section, where the chief industries
are lumber, turpentine, cotton raising
and general farming. Coming as the
storm did, just after harvesting time the
people rendered homeless will be charge
upon charity for full y six months.
Vessels in port at Jacksonville were
warned four days ahead of the probable
coming of the storm and did not leave
port. Ten of them were due to sail but
their captains needed the forecast and
waited until the storm has passed. Since
Tuesday up to tonight Jacksonville, so
far as telegraphic communication is con-
cerned, has been shut off from the world.
Trains have come through late and in
that way news of the outside world was
brought in. This STATE of affairs is un-
precedented. Hurricanes have passed
over the State before, but wires have not
been so badly Injured as to shut off 'om-
munication for more than day. Every
north going railroad has been compelled
to cut hundreds OF trees from its tracks.