Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-10-06
A WEST INDIAN CYCLONE.
The Southern Coast and Sea- Islands Again
Devastated with Much Loss OF
Life and Property.


hours, from three o'clock yesterday
morning until six o'clock last night,
Savannah was in the grasp of a West
Indian cyclone. During that time the
wind blew steadily from so to 20 miles
an hour. While the city escaped with
of property among the Sea Islands of
the Georgia and South Carolina coasts
is believed to be heavy. For miles in
every directloa around Savannah the
lowlands along the rivers are sub
merged. Only one fatality has so far
been reported-the drowning of a ne
gro while attempting to reach the
mainland from a small island neal
Thunderbolt-but heavy loss of life is
feared on the South Carolina Sea Isl.
ands, where such fearful loss of life
occurred during the great tidal storm
of 1898. The conditions now are sim
liar to those during that storm. Ow-
ing to the submerged country and the
isolated location of the islands, nc
news can be had from them until the
water subsidies.
The Entire Country Submerged.
For eight miles north of Savannah
the entire country is a lake, with only
the hemlocks visible. At noon the wa
ter was eight feet above the highest
tide. Driven on shore by the north
east storm it filled up on the islands,
swept over banks and dams, carrying
away the remnant of the rice crop
that was left by the August storm
and had not been gathered, and wip-
ing out farm crops. TIE loss to rice
growers alone will be from $4,000 to
$4,000. Of the entire rice crop along
the Savannah river, valued at $780,
600, all but about fifteen per cent. was
lost in this and the preceding storm.
The damage to shipping is considera-
BILE. The schooner Governor Ames,
which was on her way to sea with
cargo of 100000 feet of lumber, went
adrift in the harbor but was secured
safely. The wharves at the quaran-
tine station at the entrance to the
river here, were partially carried
away. The quarantine officer and his
family and servants were rescued by
a tug. Four vessels which were at an
Choir at the station, were torn from
their moorings and driven into the
marshes. Three of these were the
British schooner Syanara, bound for
st. John, N. B., the American schoon-
er Milleville, n. j., the Fannie Child,
L. IL,
Italian bark Franklin. How badly
these vessels are damaged is unknown.
No news has been received from Ty-
bee island since early in the morning
and nothing is Known of the damage
there.
Boat-Houaes and Hundreds OF Boats Car
ried Away.
AT Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope,
suburbs of Savannah, all the boat
houses on the banks and hundreds of
small boats were carried away. The
extent to which the railroads suffered
is not fully known. The naval stores
and cotton and lumber yards of the
Plant system are submerged, and the
tracks of the Central railroad of Geor-
gia and Georgia & Alabama railroad,
around the city, are covered. The
north-bound express on the F. C. & P.
railroad, due here from Florida at
noon, has not yet arrived. Telegraph
wires, except one wire over the West
ern Union lines, are down and the con-
dition of the railroad track sunken.
Extent of the Storm Unknown.
The extent of the storm is unknown
and until Geographic communication
is restored or news is received from
the country between Savannah and
Jacksonville, over which the heaviest
part of the storm passed, the full OK
tent of it's damage cannot be told.