Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-03
LASTED ONLY THREE HOURS,
But Hundred Lives Were Lost, Ten Thousand People Made Homeless and Million
 Dollars of Property Destroyed.

Jacksonville, Oct. 2-The West India hurricane struck Florida Tuesday and though it lasted but three hours at each point, visited, was the most disastrous storm ever experienced in Florida. The damage to property in this state alone will foot up million dollars. Fully a hundred lives were lost and perhaps ten thousand people were rendered homeless. The course of the storm was from Cedar Keys, on the gulf coast, north by north east through the thriving town Of Lake City. In path fifty miles wide few houses are left standing, the wind at times blowing at the rate of fully 100 miles an hour, averaging eighty. In this city, distant from the storm center fully fifty miles, the wind for minute blew 100 miles an hour and for five minutes seventy miles an hour. In Jacksonville scores of buildings were unroofed and trees blown down. The storm had the characteristics of a tornado. It skipped some places in its path, bounding over to others where ruin was wrought. Cedar Keys was exposed to the full force or US fury. There a score of fishermen on the sponge banks were drowned and their schooners were wrecked tidal wave visited the town and inundated it. Dur ing the tidal wave fire broke out and an unusual spectacle was witnessed or hre- men 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 Tn town blown dowii, and for two days the streets were impossible. Two people were killed a prominent lady, Mrs Fra zier, and a negro boy. Here many houses were razed, while the roofs of oth- CTS went whirlng through the air. Lake City is in Columbia county, which has great lumber interests. Half of the yell low pine timber was blown down and lumber and turpentine men lost thous- ands of dollars, as the lumber Is badly splintered and will soon be attacked by worms.
 In Baker county, which adjoins Colum- bia, 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 de- stroyed and thousands of cattle were kill- ed. The immense lumber mill of Eppinger & Russell at Olustee was destroyed, in- cluding stores and residences, and many people were hurt, though none killed. the reason being that they sought refuge in a deep ditch traversing the town.
 At Macclenny, in the same county, the same tale might be told.
 Sanderson, a few miles distant, was al- most wiped out. All of the men employed In the turpentine farms and lumber mills are not only homeless but without food ana a 1aIn10e there IS iinptIluliS.
 The prominent citizens of each of these towns have organized relief committees and have issued appeals to the public for aid.
 Billiards, in Duval county. was also devastated and people killed and wound ed by 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 mid de section, where the chief industries are lumber turpentine, cotton raising and general farming. Coming as the storm did, just after harvesting 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 probable coming of the storm, and did not leave port. Ten of them were due to sail, but their captains had faith in the forecast and waited until the storm had passed.
 Since Tuesday, up to tonight, Jackson ville so far as telegraphic communica- ton Is concerned 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 af- fairs 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 railroad has been com pelled to cut hundreds of trees from its fra clxc