Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-03
STORM AFTERMATH.
THE RUIN LEFT IN IT'S WAKE AT
CEDAR KEYS.
WIND, WATER, AND FLAMES
An Immense Tidal Wave-Boats,
Whnrves. and Small Houses Dash
ed upon the shore-property Loss
Enormous.
Enormous.

SAVANNAH. GA, october "A letter
from Cedar Keys, Fla. dater October
LIST, says:
.,rhe West India hurricane. OF winch
the Weather Bureau gave warning, struck
Cedar Keys about $3.50 o'clock Tuesday
morning. and left a scene OF wreck ana
devastation in its wake. 1t II by far
the most destructive storm that has visit
ed this portion Of the Gulf coast In TWEEN
ty years. and the property loss Is inn
mense.
Though warning had been given. no
thing indicated a blow OF unusual Sc
verify. Up to IL O'Clock the night was
calm and quiet. At that hour mode
rate breeze sprang up from the eastward
increasing gradually, until thirty
mile wind was blowing. About A. NJ
II blew a perfect tornado. and suddenly
the wind changed TO the southeast, bring
ing in perfect deluge OF water, the
tide rising two feet higher than In the
memorable gale OF 1894, which was at the
time said to be the seyerest storm on re-
cord.
at Z o'clock an immense tidal wave
came in from the South carrying de-
struction with il. Boats. wharNs. ana
small houses were hurled upou the shore.
and breaking into fragments, covered
the streets with wreckage. and renuereu
them almost impossible. while the tor
rents of water rushing through every
open space would take the strongest man
OF his feet.
At 10 A. NJ the worst was over the
wind had subsidized. the water had begun
10 recede, ana by r. NJ. people could
begin the task OF reckoning up the losses
and clearing away the wreckage. The
property loss is very heavy
FIRE BREAKS OUT.
"aside from direct damage from the
storm. while the gale was at its height,
fire broke out in the Bettelini House, ana
1t was burned.
"The force Of the wind totally demolish-
ed the large and handsome Methodist
Episcopal church, South; the Cedar Keys
High-School building. the CHRISTIAN
church. and three colored churches, seVe-
raj private residences. and all the nsh-
houses except one. II also badly dam
aged a number Of residences and stores
the Suwanee ice factory, Wolfs CEDAR
mill. and the Eagle Pencil Company
mill: also, the large lumber-mill or '. D.
Herlong and the planing-mill or Meyer o.
Sons. Just completed and ready for WORK.
The refractory Is so badly damaged lna'
II is doubtful II 1t starts up again. Inc
others will repair and resume business
"The Florida Central and Peninsular
railroad Is a heavy loser, as all the track.
,restling etc. is washed away from here
10 No. 4. a distance Of three and hal1
miles. II will probably be a month be-
fore trains run through, but the people
are told that they will run within four
miles by tomorrow. and mails Will be
dispatched and received. with a boat as
the connecting link.
THE adjoining island also suffered con-
siderablv. the Faber Company being the
principal losers. Their storage-room. with
about 1 30 cases OF cedar ready for ship
ment. was washed away, and the cedar
has gone to sea They also lost their
Office buildings and contents. wharf, ana
cedar logs.
LOSS OF LIFE.
.Bad as the loss Of property is, II Is
feared that the next few days Will reveal a
deplorable loss Of life as we'll; so far as
heard 10 10 Tuesday eighteen persons
have been drowned. OF the whites. six
belonged to one family-a mother. four
children. and niece.
The Mary Eliza. a sponging schooner
came in at 10 o'clock Tuesday mornNs
Jury rugged having had TO cut away
hoth uasts 10 prevent capsizing. She re-
ported that at dark Monday night nearly
one hundred vessels were anchored on tnt
snonee bars. and at daylight this morn
ing not one was ~ sight. Some may
have made haIbor at other points, bul
some must have gone down. At Z. NJ
Wednesday part OF the crew eight men
~ the gpongcr Rosalie came in In then
small dingeys and reported that theil
schooner had capsized and sunk or-shore
and that four men had been drowned
Much anxiety is felt in regard to fisher
men some encamped on small Islands
| along the coast and others who left fol
the camps yesterday. The result or th'
storm will be particularly disastrous e
those engaged I'm the fish and oyster
business. which had opened up with mos
aattering prospects for successiu
season. They are cut or now from ship
ment by railroad. They will lose at ieas
a month Of their best time. and cannon
hope to do more than pay expenses
..Some of the handsomest. and appa
rently most substantial buildings. are
damaged beyond repair. or the large
store OF Rogers Brothers. part OF tns
front and nearly all OF one side wan were
| DESTROYED. The entire building VIII have
to come down. Other large stores ane
warehouses. lighthouses, and residences
were unroofed and otherwise damaged.
MARITIME DISASTERS.
.srhe schooner Gertrude i dismas'ec
and abandoned fifteen railes south Of
Cedar Keys. and IL fast IN the swamps
The steamers Belle OF suwanee and e
d. owens we're both wrecked In the sa
vance river. The Owens Is fast in tn
river swamps. while the Belle steamed
slowly in this afternoon with both smoke
stacks and all her upper works gone
| Numerous small craft are lost. TIT
crews OF some wsre saved and those o
ofhers lost. Many OF the rescued mel
report terrible experiences. some cllnsin'