The record-union., 1896-10-03
State Of Affairs as They Exist After the
Storm on the Coast Of Florida.
An Immense Amount of Destruction
Along the Gulf Line.

Water Rushing Through Every
Open Space Carry rlen From Oft
Their Feet-rlany Lives Known to
Have Been Lost.
SAVANNAH (Ga.), Oct "a letter
from Cedar Keys, Florida, dated Octo-
Der 1st, says: The West India hurri-
cane, of which the Weather Bureau
gave warning, struck Cedar Keys at
about 3:3O o'clock Tuesday morning
and left a scene Of wreckage and de-
vastation in it's wake. It is by far the
most destructive storm that has ever
visited this portion of the Gulf Coast In
twenty years. and the property loss Is
immense.
Though warning had been given
nothing indicated blow Of unusual se-
verify. Up to II o'clock the night was
bringing in a perfect deluge of water,
ate breeze sprang up from the east
ward, increasing gradually until a thir-
ty-mile wind was blowing. About
a. m. it blew a perfect tornado, and
suddenly changed to the southeast,
bringing in a perfect deluge Of water
the tide being two feet higher than in
the memorable storm of 1894, which at
the time was said to be the severest
storm on record. AT o'clock an i'm
mense tidal wave came in from the
south, carrying destruction with it..
Boats, wharves and small houses were
hurled upon the shore, breaking into
fragments and covering the streets with
wreckage, rendering them almost i'm
passable, while the torrents Of water
rushing through every open space
would take the strongest man off his
feet
At 10 a. m. the worst was over, the
wind subsided, the water began to re-
cede, and by , p. m. people could begin
reckoning up the losses and clearing
away the wreckage.
The property loss is very heavy. Aside
from direct damage from the storm
while the storm was at its highest fire
broke out in the Bottin House, and it
was burned The wind totally demol-
ished the large handsome Methodist
Episcopal Church South, the Cedar
Keys High School building, the Chris
tiaI church and three colored churches
several private residences, and all the
fishhouses except one. 1t also badly
damaged a number of residences and
stores. The Suwanee Ice Factory
Wulff's cedar mill, the Eagle Pencil
Company's mill, also the large lumber
mill of V. J. Herlong and the planning
mill Of Meyer & Sons, just completed
and ready for work, suffered considera-
bly,.
The Florida Central and Peninsula
II is hoo
track trestling is washed away for a
distance of three and half miles. II
will probably be a month before trains
run through.
The adjoining island Of Atsiena also
suffered considerable damage. the Fa-
Der Company being the principal losers.
Their storage-room, with about BOO
cases of cedar ready for shipment, was
washed away, and the cedar has gone
TO sea- They also lost the office build
ings and contents, wharf and cedar
logs.
Bad as the loss Of property. II IS
feared that the next few days will re-
veal deplorable loss of life as well. So
Tar as heard up to Thursday eighteen
persons have been drowned. Of the
whites, six belonged to one family, a
mother, four children and a niece.
The Mary Eliza, a sponging schooner.
came in at 10 o'clock Tuesday morn.
ing. Jury rigging had to be cut away
10 prevent capsizing. She reported that
at dark Monday night nearly 100 YES
seis We're anchored on the sponge bars
ana at daylight next morning there was
nothing in sight Some may have
reached other harbors, but MANY went
down.
At p. m Wednesday part of the
crew, eight men, of the sponger Rosa.
ile' came IN in their small dingy, and re-
ported that their schooner had cap-
sized and sunk off shore and four men
had been drowned
Much anxiety is felt in regard to the
Hshermen, some being encamped on
sinaIl islands along the coast
NUKE TERRIBLE AS LATER RE-
PORTS COME IN.
1AChSONSVILLE Fla-), Oct. q
Inc west India hurricane which struck
fiorlda Tuesday, though 1T lasted but
three hours,was the most disastrous gale
ever experienced in Florida. The damn
age TO property In the State alone will
loot up million dollars. Fully q
nundred lives were lost, and perhaps
io'ooo people were rendered homeless
ne course OF the storm was from Cedar
heys' on the Gulf Coast. north by
northeast, to and through the thriving
town Of Lake City. Through the path
nIty miles wide few houses were left
standlng, the wind at times blowing at
the rate of 100 miles an hour averap;np
eighty miles.
IN Jacksonville scores of buildings
were unroofed and trees blown down
Ihe storm had the characteristics OF q
tornado. 1t skipped some places in
IT'S paeh' pounding over to others where
rum was wrought. Cedar Keys was ex
posed to the full force Of its fury There
score of fishermen on the snonpe
banks were drowned and their vessels
were wrecked. A tidal wave visited the
town and inundated it. During the ~.
dal wave fire broke out, and the nm.
usual spectacle was witnessed of ara-
men fghting flames almost shoulder
deep in water
Lake City had almost every tree in
the town blown down, and for two days
the streets were impossible. Two peo.
pie were killed-a prominent lady. Mrs.
Frasier. and negro boy. Here many
house were razed, while the roofs ot
others went whirling through the air.
Lake City is in Columbia County, which
has great lumber interests Half the
yellow pine timber was blown down.
and lumber and turpentine men lost
thousands OF dollars, as the lumber is