The record-union., 1896-10-02
Path of Greatest Severity Nearly Forty
Miles Wide.
Although the Wind Did Little Damage
at Tampa, Florida, the High Tides
Created Havoc, and Thousands or
Dollars Damage Was Done to Prop
erty Along the Bay-The Lower
Floors of Many Houses Under
Water at Tampa.

graphic communication between Savan-
nah and Florida has not been re-estap-
lished since the hurricane of Tuesday
snapped the wires. The blow came
ashore from the Gulf on the coast line,
extending from Tampa to Cedar Keys,
Tampa getting only the southern edge
of the blow. The registry of the We
locity of the wind at the Government
Weather Bureau at Jacksonville
showed the remarkable and unprece-
Gented record of nearly 100 miles an
hour The path of the greatest sever
ity seems to have been about forty
miles wide
After passing over a strip of territory
living within the northern part of the
State the storm, according to the
Weather Bureaus, passed on to the At
lantic coast, which it followed north.
The storm passed around Tampa, and
there was but very little damage re-
sulting from wind, but the high tides
played havoc and thousands of dollars
damage was done to property along the
hay Shipping along the river front
suffered considerably.
The tide overflowed Port Tampa City,
and the lower floors of many houses
We're under water
At Jacksonville the damage was con-
fined to the demolition of trees, electric
wires and signs.
At New berry the wholesale and retail
store of Williams Brothers, containing
stock of goods valued at S15,OOO, was
blown down and most of the goods
ruined. A phosphate plant was de-
molished and all the horses We're killed.
| At Gracey the sawmill plant of Gra-
| cey & Mcdonald, the largest in this
| part of the State, is a complete wreck,
| and thousands of acres Of timberland
were destroyed. The heaviest losers
| are the turpentine manufacturers.
! Those heard from report total loss
and some will be compelled to go out
Of the business. The loss to timber
in this vicinity will reach S5OO,OOO.
Callahan reports a number of dwell
| ings and two churches entirely torn to
pieces Two Savannah, Florida and
Western Railway buildings were un
rooted. The loss will amount to $780,,
| 900.
| At McClellany the Baptist Church
and three stores We're blown down fiat
upon the ground, and the principal
boarding house was unroofed. The
County Jail shared the same fate and
number of small dwelling houses
were raZed.
At Gainesville a building erected by
/ D. F. Cooper for a sawmill, but which
was full of furniture, was totally de-
stroyed and a warehouse demolished.
| In Branford the Presbyterian and
Methodist Churches We're blown to the
ground. The Drew Lumber Companys
mill is a wreck The roof was blown
! from Gilberts mill, and about one-third
| Of the tin roof was blown from the
| Plant System depot. The store of w.
/ w. Williams, general merchandise, was
badly wrecked.
At Lake Butler, seventeen miles west
| of Stark, Adams Bros and Thomas &
| Sons stores were wrecked. The Bap-
| tist Church and the old Courthouse were
blown down. McKinney's gin house
! was blown down and the cotton scat
tered. Fort White caught the full force
| of the blow. Nearly every store and
dwelling in town was more or less dam
eyed. The Methodist, Baptist and
| Presbyterian Churches were demol-
| ished. The public school buildings
shared their fate. The Plant system de-
pot was unroofed.
J1ISH ppIlISS IldIlllS lildl Tie IIOIlSlCi
scorched through that town at the rate
Of 100 miles an hour. Trees and houses
went down like cardboards, and only
half a dozen houses are left to point out
| to investigators.
How much damage was done to Cedar
keyes has not yet been learned here.
Other towns in Florida felt the force of
| the blow, but the damage done was triv
| ial. None Of the famous hotels suffered
| to any extent worth mentioning.
THE STORM AT WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The south
ern hurricane which swept over this
city with such resistless force on Tues
day night resulted in one fatality and
| probably several more. The mangled
remains Of James Fitzgerald was dug
out Of the ruins Of Charles L. Beatty's
| saloon, 1881 Pennsylvania avenue, n.
| W., at $50 o'clock this morning
Advices from points on the Potomac
/ River report an extensive if not alarm
| ing rise in the river at all points above
| Washington. At Harper's Ferry a rise
| of thirty-one feet above low water
mark was noted early in the afternoon.
| and continued rise seems to have fol-
| lowed. Flood river signals are dis
| played along the river front, and at a
comparatively early hour tonight a
.,se is reported. though not to an alarm
1 ing extent. The alarming rains above
/ Pittsburg contributes considerably to
the flood conditions, and unless there is
an early fall in the river considerable
damage to property in this city and all
upper points on the Potomac is prob
able.
CEDAR KEYS A SCENE OF RUIN
| JACKSONVILLE (Fla-), Oct. 1.-Ce-
| dar Keys Is a scene of ruin Forty
| eight hours ago it was a thriving towE
| OF 1900 inhabitants. To-day many Of
the people are corpses. scores of others
| injured and there are but few houses
| left standing. Twenty corpses have
been recovered. 1t is known that many