San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-03
F0RL0RN FLORIDA.
TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION AND CON-
ING DBsTITUTION.
Three Counties Laid Waste-Two General
Industries Wiped 0ut-ThOusapds
Homeless and Out Of Job.

Jacksonville, Fla, Oct, 3.--Further
advices from the region devastated by
the recent storm says, no one can con-
cieve OF the situation Of the people of
the western part of Alachua and Levy
and the eastern part of Tafatte cOun-
ties. Left homeless with no food,
the cotton crop destroyed, and no re-
sources at hand, starvation 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 legisla-
ture to make some provision for them.
In the western part of Alachua county
where thousands of people lived,most
of them were well TO do farmers. all
of their homes have been destroyed to-
gether with the provisions that they
had stored for winter.
At Yule, the storm made cleaner
path than at any other point. Not Il
tree remains standing, every store is
down and some 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 Sewanee
what lumber they could and together
with logs have made camp in which
women and children are being shell
tered by the hundreds. Their food is
nearly gone. They cannot use wagons
or horses to get a fresh supply, but
have sent men back and forth and
they will make an effort to bring gro
cerieS down the Sewanee river in a
boat. Nearly every house in Lafa-
yette county has been destroyed.
Nothing is left at Mayo, the county
seat. East of Sewanee river the prob
able loss to the phosphate plant is es-
timated at S500.000. In Lafayette
county the valuable cedar forests are
lost. Stock has been killed blythe
hundreds. All crops have been de-
stroyed and hundreds of people are in
distress. They have no homes and
nothing to eat. To add to their dis
tress their farms are covered with
trees. which will have to be removed
before the farms can be cultivated.
The turpentine men on either side of
the riverare finacially ruined. They had
invested all the money they possess
ed in the turpentine lands and stills
and everything is destroyed. Nearly
all of them have discharged every Ia
borer they had. This means that at
least $500 men are out of employment.
Most of the laborers, many of whom
have families. must live on charity
until they can find something to do.
In Sewanee county many houses were
unrofed and fences blown down. To
clear the roads of trees will cost Ala
chua county $4,000. There are twen-
ty-two turpentine stills with their
equipment camps, and not one of
these will ever run, all the timber be
ing destroyed. Yule, n town of 300
people, with fifteen or twenty business
houses. is destroyed. The citizens
called mass meeting and appointed
a committee to solicit aid for the Suf-
ferers. Similar action has been taken
at MacClenny, Baker county. Every
phosphate plant in the vicinity of Fort
white. Columbia county, is a total
wreck. The turpentine people are
completely ruined. Hardly a tree be-
ing left standing in the woods, the
stills are blown down and torn up
their houses all wrecked and many
mules killed. Hundreds OF people are
out Of employment. The suHerlng
will be great and assistance has been
asked for. The mayor will make an
appeal to the governor of Florida Tor
assistance. In Alachua and Levy
counties 200 families are reported des-
finite, and in the town of Hilhard'
Nassau county, between Jacksonvllle
and Haycross, the families are home
less and without food. The charlta,,
HE contributions of other states VIII
almost certainly be required TO alie-
yiate the sufferings.