Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-08
DESIGNATION OF CEDAR KEYS A Pen Picture of the Storm-
 Swept Little City. THE FIRST REPORTS VERIFIED Words Fail | < sscribe the Pitiable Condition
 g of the People. A sc#f OF THE PRINCIPAL LOSSES The > ,le Do Not Expect Train for 6 N@ ,h-Refugees Constantly Arriv- JS ng- The Fate of the Sponge f>s Fleet Is Yet Unknown.
THE FIRST REPORTS VERIFIED
SCHE e.E OF THE PRINCIPAL LOSSES

1 Cedar Key. Fla, Oct. "A sufficient | time has now elapsed since the storm to 1 gather some reliable data and make an | estimate of losses therefrom. The first l reports of loss of life and property sent
 from here, though hastily given, were
 not exaggerated and time serves only to l show that they were correct
 Words fail to describe the appearance | of the town, or to describe the condition of the people. Though the actual money | loss will not foot up to a sum that would l seriously cripple large and prosperous | city, yet considering that this is small, 1 isolated community with nothing but To- l cal resources to draw upon, with popu-
 lation mainly composed of fishermen and l others who at best make a bare living, | and whose only means of earning a liv- 1 ing are now swept away, the less is nl- | mense and the condition such as to cause | the deepest gloom and great anxiety for l the future. There is not a single house
 on the island, either business or resi- | dence, that is not more or less damaged. l list of the more serious losses follows: Florida Central and Peninsular rail- | road. track, roadbed, wharves, etc., $100,- 600; Schlemmer hotel and contents burn 1 ed, $l2,000; Bettiini house and contents | burned $S000; C. B. Rogers & Co.,, store | house and other buildings, $5000; damage to stock, $25Qa; Parsons & Hale. damage
 to- stock, $25OC dansge to building $500; | Cottrell X Finlayson, building $1000 to | stock and boats, $2500 Suwannee Ice Works, factory and machinery, $500; l Wolfe & Co.,, cedar mill and machinery, | $150O, loss on cedar $500; B. r. ONeil, on 1 merchandise stock $6O0 G. M Sistrunk. l loss on merchandise. $500; s. w. Carroll, | loss On merchandise and store $500; F. | Faber, cedar lost, damage to mill and | dwellings, $12,500 Suwannee River Trans | portation company two steamers dis l mantled, $8000 McCullum S O'Donald, store front down, stock damaged, $500; l V. J. Herlong. damage to mill and loss on | lumber, $2000 G. w. Meyers & Sons plan ing mill, $500: Methodist Episcopal 1 church, $S000; Christian church. $S50 l three colored churches $2000; high school 1 building, $1200; Cedar Keys Town com- 1 pany, buildings. $2500; estate of o. Betlini | (custom house bulldlng) s1S00: estate of l William Batty, residence blown down, | $500; Mrs. M. R. Thomas, four dwellings
 damaged $3O0; w. R. Hodges. damage to l residence, $150; w. T. McCreary, boats, | nets and fish house, $500; J. D. Dauzy fish | house demolished, $250; w. H. Anderson, | oyster house and boats, $400; Eagle Pen 1 ell company's mill damaged, S500 w. H. 1 Barnes house damaged, $59 colored Odd | Fellows hall damaged, $100; Atseena Otto l church and school house, damaged $l00; 1 R. McCreary, boats and fishing outfit, l $500
 There are scores of other instances | of damage to houses, some greater some | less considerable number of less val | uable houses were blown down, aggre- l gating an additional damage of $3OO0. | Not a fisherman but lost at least one l boat and net, each of which represents 1 value of from $40 to s60 and as a large | majority of these men get their outfit 1 on credit and pay in installments during
 the fishing season, they will all have to
 be furnished anew, by some method of l relief.
 It Is impossible to say anything about | the condition of the western part of the l country, as this place Is cut off from it,
 but from all reports 1t is deplorable. l From information the destruction Is | widespread, and the farming population | Is in great need
 | Along the coast from here to the Su-
 wannee river not a house is standing | and the survivors are without food, shel-
 ter or clothing. All must be provided | for them They are constantly coming in with sorrowfuI stories of want and l suffering One appeal for help has al-
 ready gone out, as the people here were
 reluctantly forced to the conclusion | that they could not bear the burden | alone. The town is doing all that Is pos l sible to give employment in the way of | clearing the streets, etc, which were left l almost impossible by wreckage, but this | goes only little way In providing relief. l The nOn!eIGES ones bTe btIiE leu duQ l housed by those who had shelter stand | ing. and all are disposed to bear their | share of the work.
 l The people here do not expect train 1 in for. month, though the ra lroad has | a large force of men at work. Every | thing is boated to and from No. 1 In small l skiffs-mails. passengers and express, 1 and are carried in this way. The accom- | modating agent R. NJ. Dozier, does not | spare himself in his efforts to reduce the I 10 tlaa al | possible point. He goes twice a day to | No. 4 and has carried his battery out | and established telegraphic communica- | tion with other points. This s great | convenience in the midst of the desola- | ton. L, | The death roll has not materially in- | creased since the last report. and several
 of those thought to have been !ost nave | turned up.
 The names of those known to have been | drowned follow:
 George Henry and Frank Ravens, Mrs. | Reacham. Mrs C. w. Dear and three children, Mrs Missouri Branch ana | daughter. S. C. Cause. Sam c. Ropinson' Frank Hall and Sim Framing, all Witt wnr.s'
 and Bradshaw Campbell and four spong,
 CTS, colored; also Dr. J. c. Spear, Samue,
 Peplster. Miles Bass Joe Brooker ana Bob Ezel1. t., .u.oa
 The last five were party who started | from here on Monday night Tor point up | tbo coast though warned of the ap- | nroa ching storm Only one body has been | found. that of Dr. Spear but there IS no | doubt that all shared the same fate. The | sponge fleet must have scattered Tn sev- | eral directions, and some no doubt es-
 caped tine fury of the storm as It IS | learned from both sides of this place tha5 | there was nothing serious in the way or | wind or tide at a distance of thirty miles | off. Others of them were undoubtedly | lost. as several additional wrecks nave | been reported Probably no one VIII eVer | know just how many went down.
 Salt rheum with it's intense itching. l dry hot skin is cured by Hoods Sarsa-