The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-08
FARMS AND FORESTS SUFFER-.
Loss TO TURPENTINE INTERESTS
FOOT UP HEAVY.

The Damage TO Boxed Trees and
Round Timber On Many Farms 80
10 75 Per Cent - The Forests Inn
passable by Fallen Trees and
Operations suspended Over
Wide Territory Loss by the
Storm Estimated From 5000 to
10000 Casks of spirits-The De-
struction 10 Timber Beyond Esti-
mate.
Letters which have been received by ma
val stores factors from the section most
severely injured by the storm of last Sun
| day confirm the Geographic advices as 10
the great damage done the turpentine
farms and the forests generally. Not only
the boxed trees but the round timber has
been laid low over an extensive area and
the loss win mount up, from this source
alone, into the hundreds of thousands of
dollars
During the past two days several naval
stores operators have been in the city
visiting their factors and making arrange
ments to close up business at places which
| have suffered to such an extent from the
storm as to render it Improbable to run
| them any longer.
While 1t is not definitely known how
many farms We're so badly hurt as this,
there are reasons to believe that there are
more than a dozen operators who will be
unable to make any more stuff this season,
and who will be compelled to seek new To-
cations for the next season. The number
may be greater than this.
| The farms that were practically wiped
out of existence are but a small proper
ton of those that suffered from the cy-
| clone. II is estimated that at least one
hundred naval stores places were damag-
ed to a considerable extent by a gale that
blew In that section at from go to 80 miles
an hour The area involved is over one
| hundred miles square and beyond this sec
ton there was damage of a minor degree.
Even down into Florida some farms suffer
ed somewhat in the loss of timber.
Advices show that on the various farms
affected the loss of timber Is estimated at
from % to rs per cent. Where there has
been great destruction of timber the
woods are reported so impossible as to
| almost force a cessation of operations for
some days to come until the roads can be
cut open. Old boxed trees are reported as
having been weakened to such an extent
as to make them easy victims to the fury
of the wind. Much of the sorape crop on
these farms has been lost by the storm
and the general result will be- 1t is believ-
ed, a material decrease in the receipts
of both spirits and resins. The Bruins
wick territory was probably most affect
ed by the cyclone and the effect will
doubtless be greatly felt there for the re-
mainder of the season.
Several letters received by one factor
from customers who are badly hurt by
the storm say that they viii not make
another cask of spirits, whereas they had
expected to make between 100 and 200
| casks each during the remainder of the
season. While there may be some eXag-
| geration, there is hardly a question that
| there will be a decided curtailment of the
crop from this source. A conservative es-
innate puts the loss from the storm at
| between 5000 and 1000 casks of spirits,
with the probabilities of the latter figure
being nearly the correct one. If this is
so the financial loss from the cutting
down of reduction of spirits and rosn
alone would be in the neighborhood of
$500 600. The loss from the destruction of
the timber is one of those matters that
cannot be estimated, but il will run into
many thousands of dollars. Turpentine
timber well situated Is advancing In price
every year, and the operators may find it
difficult to secure good holdings wen 10
Gated.
The present crop of spirits was expect
ed to be the largest ever known, especially
in the Savannah district. Natural causes,
such as drought, long continued rains
and the two storms are believed to have
held it down by 10000 casks below what
ii would otherwise have been In view
of the fact that prices would, without
these unexpected conditions, have been in
all probability the lowest on record, it
may be that providence has worked some
what for the operators good after all.