The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-10-05
CYCLONE SWEEPS
SOUTH COAST.
A West Indian Hurricane
Again Brings Disaster.
TT RACED FOR 1s HOURS.
Feared That There Has Been
Great Loss of Life on the
Sea Islands.

Sea Islands.
Savannah. Ga, Oct For Is
hours, from 8 O'Clock this morning
.till 6so'clock to. night, Savannah has
been 10 the grasp Of West Indian
cyclone During that time. the wind
blew steadily ffomss0 tes7 oami!es an
hour While the city escaped with
comparatively little damage, the loss
Of property among the sea islands of
the Georgia and South caroline
coast is believed to be heavy.
For miles IN every directions around
Savannah the low lands along the
river are submerged. Only one fa-
fality has so far. been reported-tbe
drowning of a negro while attempt
ing to reach the mainland from a
small island near Thunderbolt, But
heavy loss of life is feared on the
South Carolina sea islands,. where
such fearful loss Of life occurred dur
ing the great tidal storm of 1923.
The conditions now are similar to
those during that storm. Owing to
The submerged country and the iso-
lated location of the islands, no news
csn be had from them until the wa
her subsidies. For eight miles north
of Savannah the entire country lie q
lake, with only the bammocks visi
bic. At noon the water was eight
feet above the highest tide Driven
on shore by the northeast storm, it
piled 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 wiping out farm
crops. The loss to rice growers alone
will be from $50, 900 TO $4,000. OF
the entire rice crop, along the Sa.
gannah river, valued at $3.50. 600, all
bn. Is per cent. was lost in this and
the preceding storm
The damage to shipping is consid
cradle. The schooner Ames. which
was on her way to sea with q cargo
OF 100000 feet of lumber, wen.
adrift in the river, but was finally
anchored safely. The wharves at
the quarantine station at the entrance
to the river here were partially car
ried awsy. The quarantine officer
and his family and servants we're
recued early in the day by tug.
Four vessels, which were at anchor
at the station, were torn from their
moorings and driven into the marsh
es. Three of these were the British
schooner Syanars, bound for st
Johns, n B the American schooner
Milleville, for MillevilIe. N j., the
Fannie L. Child. for Boston, sll ium.
Der laden, and the Italian bark Frank.
lin How badly these vessels are
damaged is unknown No news has
been received from rybee since ear
" In the merning, and nothing is
known of the damage there.
At Thunderbols end 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
ya,ds of the Plant system are sub
merged, and the tracks of the Cen.
trsl of Georgia and Alabama roads
around the city are covered. The
northbound express on the Florida,
Central and Peninsular railroad, due
here from Florida at noon, has not
yet arrived. Telegraph wires, ex
cept one wire over the Western On
ion lines, are down, and the condi
fion of the railroad tracks is u,,
known. A special train will be sent
out. at daylight over the Florida, Cen
tral and Peninsular route All other
roads are operating the Florida,
Central and PeniusuIar is running
north of Savannah. The telephone,
police. light and fire alarm wires are
down, and the city is in darkness
Off Hutchinson's plantation. oppo.
ute, Savannah. and separating the
city from she South Carolina shore,
there were many aegro families res
cued By boats from the revenue
steamers Tybee and Boutwell,
One man with child in his arms,
holding the little one above his shoul.
ders started to cross the dams with
the water up to bis body. His wife
with another child, stood in the win
dow of their house, the floor Of
which was already covered BY the
rising food, and watched her nus
band feeling his way step by step
along the top of the treacherous
a,~ opo Eoieo eten from which mr. q