Evening star., 1896-10-03
Devastation Caused in Florida by
the Hurricane.
HOMELESS AND STARVATION In SIGHT
Crops Destroyed and Farms Cow
cred With Trees.
MANY FAMILIES DESTITUTE

JACKSONVILLE. Fla. October 3.-Fur.
ther advices from the region devastated hy
the recent storm say no one can conceive
of the situation of the people of the west
ern part Of Alac chua and Levy, and the
eastern part of Lafayette counties. Left
homeless, with no food, the cotton crop de-
stroyed, and no resources at hand starva.
tion stares them IN the face. So serious
indeed, is their situation, that the people
who have visited them are earnestly advo-
eating special session of the legislature to
make some provision for them. In the
western part of Alachua county. where
thousands OF people lived, most Of whom
were well-to-do- farmers all Of their homes
have been destroyed, together with the pro-
visions they had stored for winter.
At Yule the storm made cleaner path
than at any other point Not tree re-
mains standing, every store is down, and
all parts of the buildings were carried for
three miles. Goods, such as clothing and
dress fabrics, were found five miles away.
tossed around trees or floating in the Su-
vance river. The people have gathered
what lumber they could find, and with that
have made camp, in which men, women
and children are being sheltered by the
hundreds. Their food is nearly gone. They
| cannot use wagons or horses to get a fresh
supply, but have sent men to Brandford,
and they Will make an effort TO bring gro
ceries down the Suwanee river IN a boat.
Nearly every house in Lafayette county
has been destroyed. Nothing is left al
Mayo, the county seat. East of the Su-
| vance river the probable loss TO the phos-
phate plants is estimated at 500 oon
In Lafayette county the valuable cedar
forests are lost. Stock has been killed by
the hundreds. All crops have been destroy-
ed and hundreds Of people are in distress
They have no homes and nothing TO eat
To aud to their distress their farms are
covered with trees, which will have to be
removed before the farms can be cultivated
The turpsi.tine men on either side of the
river are financially ruined. All had in
vested all the money they possessed in tur-
pentlne lands and stills, and everything is
destroyed. Nearly all of them have dis
charged every laborer they had. This
means that at least 800 men are out af
| employment
| Most of the laborers, many of whom have
| families, must live on charity until they
| can find something to do. In Suwanee
county many houses Were unroofed and
| fences blown down. To clear the roads of
| trees win cost Alachua county five thou
| sand dollars.
There are twenty-five turpentine stills.
| with their equipment camps. hands and
| leans, between Lake City and Cedar Keys,
| and not one of these will ever run an
other charge, all the timber being distroy-
| ed. Iule. a town of 300 people, with fifteen
or twenty business houses, is gone.
The citizens called mass meeting and
appointed a committee to solicit aid for the
| sufferers. Similar action has been taken
| at MacClenny, Baker county. Every phos-
| phate plant in the vicinity of Fort White
| Columbia county, is total wreck.
The turpentire people are completely
| ruined.
Hardly a tree is left standing the stills
| are all blown down and torn up. their
| houses all wrecked and many mules killed.
| Hundreds of people are out of employment.
4 The suffering will be great, and assistance
| has already been asked for, and the mayor
| will make an appeal to the governor for
| assistance. In Alachua and Levy counties
/ 200 families ara reported destitute, and in
| the town of Hilliard, Nassau county, be
| tween Jacksonville and Waycross, the in
| habtants are homeless and without food.
| The charitable contributions of other states
| will almost certainly be required to allevi-
| ate the suffering.