The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-03
Houses, Crops and Provisions
Are Swept Away.
People Living in Camps and Food Is
Nearly Exhausted.
Many Turpentine Producing Plants Wiped
Out and Can Never Resume.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Oct. 3.-Further
advices from the region devastated by the
recent storm say no one can conceive of
the situation. of the people of the western
part of Alachua'and Levy ana the eastern
part OF Lafayette county. Left homeless
with no food, the cotton crop destroyed,
and no resources at hand, starvation
stares them in the face. So serious. in
deed, is their situation that the people
who have visited them are earnestly ad-
vocating a special session of the Legisla-
ture to make some provision for them.
In the Western part of Alachua county,
where thousands :of people live, most OF
them were well-to-do farmers, all tseir
homes have been destroyed, together
with the provisions that they had stored
Tor winter.
AT Yulee the storm made cleaner
path than at any other point. Not tree
remains standing, every store is down
and some parts OF the buildings were
carried for three miles. Goods such as
clothing and dress fabrics were found
five miles away tossed around trees or
floating in the Suwanee river. The poo-
pie have gathered what lumber they
could lind and have made a camp, in
which men, women and children
are being sheltered by the hundreds.
Their food is nearly gone. They cannot
use wagons or horses to get fresh sup
ply, but have sent men to Brandford and
they will make an effort to bring grocer
les down the Suwanee River In a boat.
Nearly every hous se in Lafayette county
has been destroyed; nothing is left at
Mayo, the county seat. East of the
Suwanee River the probable loss to the
phosphate plants is estimated at $500. 600.
In Lafayette county the valuable cedar
forests are lost. Stock have been killed
by the hundreds.
All crops have been destroyed and
hundreds Of people are in distress. They
have no homes and nothing TO eat. TO
add to their distress, their farms are
covered with trees which viii have to be
removed before the farms can be culti-
waited. The turpentlne men on either
side of the river are financially ruined.
All had invested all the money they
possessed 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 arc out of employment.
Most OF the labo-ers, many OF whom
have families, must live on charity until
they can find something to do. In Suwanee
county many houses were unroofed and
fences blown down. To cIear the roads
OF trees will cost Alachua county 5000.
There ere % turpentiue stills with their
equipment, camps, hands and teams be-
tween Lake City and Cedar Keys and not
one OF these will ever run another charge
all the timber being destroyed.
Yulee, town Of 800 people with ID or
20 business houses Is gone. The citizens
called a mass meeting ana appointed
committee to solicit aid for the sufferers.
Similar action has been taken at Ma
Clenny, Baker county. Every phosphate
plant in the vicinity of Fort White, Co.
lumbia county, is perfect wreck.
The turpontine people are completely
ruined, hardly a tree being left tan ling
in the woods, the stills gre all blown
down and torn up, their houses wrecked
and many mules killed; hundreds OF peo-
pie are out Of employment. The suffering
will be great and assistance has already
been asked for and tine Mayor viii mate
an appeal TO the governor for assistance.
In Alachua and Levy countics me
houses OF 200 families are reported de-
stroyed and In the town OF Hiliisrl
county, between Jacksonville and Nas-
cross, the families are homeless on
without food. The charitable con;riba-
tions OF other states will almost certainiy
be REQUIRED 10 alleviate the suffering.
-, .aat o,Yx a n 600. Doo