Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-10-07

Florida Keys Are SWept-Scores OF
Lives Lost-Hamlets Washed
Away.

Jacksonville, Fla, Oct. 2.-Reports
from Cedar Keys tell a story of great
damage to property and loss of life there
from fire and food. Early rumors from
there spoke of Cedar Keys having been
wiped out, but fortunately later and
more authentic reports show this was
an exaggeration. AS it is, however, if
teen persons are reported drowned. In
Mrs. Weidley's house alone five persons
persisted by the flood, including three OF
Mrs. Weidley's children and her niece
and the fatter's child. Bodies are being
recovered from along the coast and many
fishermen who went out on Monday
night have not been heard from since
they left. 1t is feared that fatalities
will exceed the number already report
ed. The Florida Central 4 Peninsular
railway will be compelled to build
new track for a distance of four miles.
All the wharves at Cedar Keys were
washed away, several houses were blown
down and six were destroyed by fire.
Cedar Keys is situated at the mouth
of the Suawanee river on Il number of
small keys connected by series of
bridges. 1t had no protection and al
most went to pieces when the West In
dia hurricane with a velocity of eighty
miles an hour came roaring from the
gulf. The storm struck the place about
$3.50 o'clock Tuesday morning and con-
tinued for several hours. Though warn
ing had been given, nothing indicated a
blow of unusual severity. Up to IL
o'clock the night was calm and quiet.
At that hour a moderate breeze sprang
up from the eastward, increasing grad
ually until a thirty wind was blow
ing. About a. m. it blew a perfect
tornado and suddenly changed to the
southeast, bringing in a perfect deluge
of water. the tide rising two feet higheS
than in the memorable gale of 1894,
which was at the time said to be the
worst storm on record.
The loss of life at Cedar Keys proper is
as nothing in comparison with the num-
Der Of spongers and fishermen who were
drowned. The Mary Eliza came in this
morning dismasted. She reports that at
dark Monday night nearly 100 vessels
were anchored on the sponge bar below
Cedar Keys and that all of them but
about twenty were lost. These boats
carried from four to ten men each and
the loss of life was great. Several corpses
have already been washed ashore. The
schooner Rosalia was sunk and eight of
her crew drowned.
The difficulty in recovering the dead
arises from the fact that the bridges
connecting the keys We're swept away,
and the only communication is by means
Of boats, of which there are but n few
left. Then, too, most Of the victims
were buried deep in mud by the tidal
wave and some of the bodies will proba-
bly, never be recovered. Beyond the bar
there are score of masts visible just
above the water and each top indicates
the burial place Of a sponging schooner
and its crew.
1t is possible that many of the vessels
were blown out into the gulf and rode
out the hurricane, but the Mary Eliza's
captain thinks that by far the greater
number are beneath the water with
their crews. He says that there was
one chance in a thousand for such frail
craft to live in a hurricane.
While the gale was at its height fire
broke out in the Battilini house. In al
most a few seconds the entire buildins
was wrapped in flames, which quickly
communicated to the handsome Schlem-
mer hotel adjoining, and in very short
time nothing was left of either house ex-
cept bare walls. The inmates saved
nothing, SO fierce Fand sudden was the
fire, and with roaring flames above and
raging flood below, they were too badly
frightened to attempt more than the saw
ing of life. They made their escape by
wading through four feet Of water.