The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-07
HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST.
AND TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE HOME
LESS AND DESTITUTE.

Never Before Has Such y Storm Visited
Fair Florlda-List of Dead Will be Great.
ly Increased When Full Reports Are Re-
ceived.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, OFT. 2.-The
West India hurrican struck Florida
Tuesday, and, though it lasted but
three hours at each point visited, was
the most disastrous storm ever expert
enced in Florida. The damage to
property in this State alone will foot
up 81 4 100000. Fully hundred lives
were lost and perhaps 10000 people
were rendered homeless.
The course of the storm was from
Cedar Keys on the gulf coast, north
by northeast through the hriving
town of Lake City. In a path so
miles wide, few houses are left stand
ing, the wind at times blowing at the
rate OF 100 miles an hour, averaging
80. In this city, distant from the
storm centre fully so miles, the wind
for minute blew 100 miles an hour
and for five minutes 70 miles an hour.
In Jacksonville scores of buildings
were unroofed and trees blown down.
The storm had the characteristics of
tornado. It skipped some places in its
path, bounding over to others where
ruin was wrought.
Cedar keys was exposed to the full
force of its fury. There a score of
fishermen on the sponge banks were
drowned and their schooners were
wrecked. A tidal wave visited the
town and inundated it. During
the tidal wave a fire broke out and
an unusual spectacle was witnessed
of iremen fighting flames almost
shoulder deep in water. Four miles OF
trestling OF the Florida. Central and
Peninsular railroad, entering this
town, was wrecked. Lake City had
almost every tree in town blown
down and for two days the streets
were impossible. Two people were
killed. prominent lady, Mrs. Fra.
zier, and negro boy. Here many
houses were razed while the roofs OF
others went whirling through the air.
Lake City is in Columbia county,
which has great lumber interests.
Half of the yellow pine timber was
blown down and lumber and turpen.
tine men lost thousands of dollars as
the lumber is badly splintered and
| will soon be attacked by worms.
In Baker county, which adjoins Co.
lumbia, not a score of houses out OF
| 1000 were left standing. Grain stored
in barns was blown away or destroyed
by rain, crops in the fields, including
cotton, were destroyed and thousands
OF cattle were killed. The immense
lumber mill of Eppinger & Russell at
Olustee was destroyed, including stores
and residences and many people were
hurt, though none killed, the reason
being that they sought refuge in q
deep ditch traversing the town. At
McCleny, in the same county, tho
same tale might be told.
Sanderson, few miles distant was
almost wiped out. All of the men
employed in the turpentine FARMS and
lumber mills are not only homeless,
but without food and famine there
pending. The prominent citizens OF
each of these towns have organized
relief committees and have issued ap-
peals to the public for aid. billiards,
in Duvall county, was also devastated
and people killed and wounded by the
falling OF houses upon them. Each
of these has issued an appeal for aid.
The storm did not touch the orange
belt of Florida, but confined itself to
the middle section, where the chief in
dustries are lumber, turpentine, cotton
raising and general farming: Com
ing as the storm did, just after harvest.
ing time the people rendered homeless
and without food will be charge
upon charity for fully six months.
Vessels in port at Jacksonville were
warned four days ahead of the proba-
BILE coming of the storm and did not
leave port. Ten of them were due
to sail, but their captains needed
the forecast and waited until the
storm has passed. Since Tuesday up
to tonight Jacksonville, so far as tele-
graphic communication is concern
ed, has been shut off from the world.
Trains have come through late and in
that way news of the outside world
was brought in. This state OF affairs
is unprecedented. Hurricanes have
passed over the State before, but
wires have not been so badly injured
as to shut off communication for more
than day. Every north going rail-
road has been compelled to cut hum
dreds OF trees from its tricks.