Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-03
TERRIFIC CYCLONE
Passes Over States Of Georgia
and South Carolina.
Telegraph Wires All Down--Extent
Of Damage Not Known.
One Fatality Reported at Savannah Mary
More Feared Coast Submerged

Savannah, Ga, Oct. 2.--For Is hours
from O'Clock this morning, until {
o'clock tonight. Savannah has been ir
the grasp of West India cyclone
During that time the wind blew stead
lily from so to 75 miles an hour. While
the city escaped With comparatively
little damage, the loss of property
among the sea islands of the Georgia
and South Carolina coast is believed
to be heavy.
For miles in every direction around
Savannah the low lands along the
rivers are submerged. Only one fatal
lty has so far been reported--the
drowning OF a negro while attempting
to reaei, the main land from small
island near Thunder Light, but heavy
loss of life is feared from the South
Carolina sea islands, where such awful
logs of life occurred during the great
tidal wave of 1893.
The conditions now are similar TO
those during that storm. Owing TO
Inc submerged country and the iso
lated location of the islands no news
can be had from them until dhe water
subsidies. For eight miles north OF
Savannah the entire country is a lake
WITH only the hummocks visible.
At noon the water was eight feet
above The highest tide. Driven Oh
shore by the northeast storm, it piled
up on the islands. swept off banks and
dams, carrying away the remnant of
the rice crop that was left by the Au-
gust storm and had not been gathered.
and wipfng out farm crops. The loss
CT rice growers alone will be from $780,
600 to 1000. OF the entire rice crop
along the Savannah river. valued at
$3.50 900. All but about Is per cent. was
lost in this and the preceding storm.
The damage to shipping is great.
The schooner Governor Arnes, which
was On her way to sea with cargo
Of 1,500 600 feet of lumber. went adrift
in the llarbor but was secured safely.
The wilarves at the quarantine station
at the entrance to the river here were
partially carried away. The quaran-
tine officer and his family and SER
wants were rescued early in the day by
a tug.
Four vessels which were at anchor
at the station were torn from their
rnoolings and driven into the marshes.
Three Of these Were the British
schooner Syanara. bound from st.
John. n. B.: the American schooner
Millville. for Miilville. n. j., and the
Fannie l.. Childs, for Boston. all lum-
her laden. and the Italian bark Frank
lin. How badly these vessels are dam
aged is unknown. No news has been
received from Tybee since early in the
morning. and nothing is known OF the
damage there.
At Thunder5olt and Isle Of Hope
suburbs of Savannah. all THE boat
houses on the banks and hundreds Of
small boats We're carried away.
The extent to which the railroads
suffered is not fully known. The nava.
stores and cotton and lumber yards
Of the Plant system are submerged and
the tracks of the Central of Georgia
and Georgia & Alabama roads around
the city are covered The north bound
express on the F. C. & =. r. r., due
here from Florida at noon. has not yet
arrived. Telegraph wires, except one
wire over the Western Union lines,
are down, and the condition of the rail-
read tracks is unknown.
The telephone, police. light and fire
alarm wires are down and the city is
in darkness.
On Hutchinson Island. opposite Sa-
vannah and separating the city from
the South Carolina shore, there Were
many negro families rescued by boats
from the revenue steamers Tybea and
Boutwell,.
An day, rescuing parties We're at
work. Tonight, the wind has subsidized,
but the water which receded with the
eob of the tide during the afternoon,
has again risen.
Considerable anxiety is felt for ship
ping at sea. The O. S. S. Cos. steamer
Nacooclhe. for New York, and Mer-
chants and Miners steamer D. H. Mil
Ter, for Baltimore, Went to sea, Satur-
day night The City of Macon of the
o. S. S. Line, was due, this morning.
from New York, but has not arrived
and the City of Augusta of the same
line, sailed from New York Frietay.
and was due here, tonight. The extent
of the storm is unknown and until tele-
graphic communication is restored or
news received from the country be-
tween Savannah and Jacksonville over
which the heaviest part of the storm
passed. the full extent of its damage
cannot be told.