The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-03
SAVANNAH GA. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8 1896

wharf and cedar logs.
bad as the loss of property Is, it is
feared that the next few days win reveal
deporable loss of life as we'll; so far as
heard up to Tuesday, eighteen persons
have been drowned. OF the whites, six be-
longed to one family, mother, four chill
dren and a niece. The Mary Eliza, a
sponging schooner, came in at 10 ocock
Tuesday morning Jury rigged," having
had to cut away both masts to prevent
capsizing She reported that at dark
Monday night, neary 100 vessels were an
chored on the sponge bars and al day
light this morning not one was in sight.
Some may have made harbor at other
points, but some must have gone down.
At Z p. m. Wednesday, part of the crew
eight mem, of the sponge Rosalie, came
in in their small dingys, and reported
that their schooner had capsized and sunk
off shore, and four men had been drowned.
Much anxiety is felt in regard to fish
ermen, some encamped ON small islands
along the coast, and others who left for
camps yesterday.
The result of the storm will be partic-
ularly disastrous to those engaged in the
fish and oyster business which had opened
up with most flattering prospects for a
successful season, cut off though from
shipment by railroad, they will lose at
least a month of their best time, and can
not hope to do more than pay expenses.
'fSome of the handsomest and appar
emily most substantial buildings are dam
aged beyond repair. The large store of
c. b. Rogers & Co. has lost part of the
front and nearly the whole of one side
wall. The entire building will have to
come down. The firm has had to move
into other quarters. They have besides
lost heavily by damage to stock. The
firm of Parsons & Hale had a warehouse
unroofed and much stock damaged Cot
tr-csll q wa r.
house was blown down, stock damaged
and they have lost several boats E. II.
O'Neil and G. NJ. Sistrunk, general mer-
chants, and McCallum & O'Donad, drug
gists, had their houses unroofed and have
to move 8. w. Carroll suffers a total
loss of storehouse and stock These are
in addition to losses reported above.
''rhe schooner Gertrude Is dismasted
| and abandoned fifteen miles south of Ce-
dar Key. The Mallory is fast in the Su-
vance river swamps. The steamers Belle
of Suwanee and c. D. Owens were both
wrecked in the Suwanee river. The
Owens is fast in the river swamps, while
the Belle steamed slowly in this after
noon with both smokestacks and all up
per works gone. Numerous small craft
are lost. Crews of some saved and others
lost.
''Many of the rescued men report ter
rible experiences, some clinging for life
treetops, beaten and buffeted by wind and
waves until almost exhausted. They all
show the effects in their tattered clothing
and bruised flesh, but are thankful to es-
cape with their lives. Many others are
still uneccounted for, and families and
friends are flled with anxiety, hoping for
the best, but fearing the worst. There
has been no communication with the out
side world by mail or wire for two days"
letter from Gainesville, Fla, dated
Oct l says: "B. T. Hampton and l..
Maginnis, who. have Just returned from
the Suwanee river country, tell a dreary
story of the devastation there. Fully 80
per cent. of the timber Is down, and so per
cent. of the residences and farm build
ings have been destroyed The damage
does not stop there. In Lafayette coun-
ty the valuable cedar forests are lost.
Stock has been killed by the hundreds.
All crops have been destroyed, and hun
dreds of people are in distress. They
have no homes and nothing to eat. To
add to their distressful condition 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 Suwanee river are financially ruined
All had invested all the money they pos
sessed in turpentine lands and stills, and
everything is destroyed. Nearly all Of
them have discharged every laborer they
had. This means that at least $500 men
are out of employment who must find
work in other industries. Most of the
laborers, many of whom have families
must live on charity for a time until they
can find something to do.
"The little town of Wade, on the South
Florida rairoad. was completely swept
away Nearly every phosphate mine In
that country is totally destroyed. Mine
people were hurt near there but none
were killed.
AT Flora out Of forty dwelling houses
only five remain standing"