New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-07
THE CYCLONES WORK.
"DETAILS OF DAMAGE CAUSED IN THE
WEST INDIES.
,oas OF LIFE SMALL. IN PROPORTION TO
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY-AL1. THE
rrcSr,r ANTILLES SI-EEER

DESTRUCTION OF PRoPERTY-A1I. THE
LESSER ANTILLES SUFFER
KINGSTON Jamaica. Aug 29-Mails from the
Yoevard Islands bring full details OF the recent
,rciore These indicate that both in fatality
ons destruction Of property It was one Of the
.,oret visitatlons % the sort recorded in West
Indian history
Resides Porto Rico practically all the Lesser
Antilles from Dominica TO ST. Crox. suffered
The island Of Montsorrat suffered even more
ian Porto Rico. ana absolutely wrecked
.~or, end to end. II has no recuperative power.
owing 10 the existence Of that peculiarly
,vss, Indian institution. the hurricane cellar"
,Aa loss OF life was incredibly small in proper
.o- a. the devastation. Up to latest advices.
dated August Il. under a hundred deaths were
-tqcaUy announced. although the total was
feared n he actually somewhat higher than
that The proportion small in view 81 the
e.e- that there were only thirty houses left
standing on the whole island outside the town
- Plymouth which Itself retained not above
Two IN ten OF its houses intact. A private let
t-~ from Plymouth SAYS:
THIS place is in awful state-a complete
srashup: every church IN the island has been
f,vn Fat All the country villages have been
nlovn clear away. from St Johns. In the
north 10 this town. there are not six houses
standing All the Montserrat company's places
ere blown down. including The Cot. every
i..iine house in the island is blown clean away
~ severely injured. and up to the present there
ere about nifty deaths reported, besides num-
Der of injured.
DEVASTATION AT MONTSERRAT
Here detailed list Of church properties de-
Yroroa g given. and the writer a churchman)
Intinues:
AN the smaller houses On Plymouth are
tmplotelv smashed up You can scarcely tell
here some of them stood. The people are com
lg into the town IN hundreds and there ~
~ place 70 shelter hem. The courthouse IS
already overcrowded and the poorhouse was
completely destroyed. while the hospital and
quarters were injured. ] am afraid this is the
last Of poor old Montserrat She is completely
wrecked this time. and not one-haf OF the
PAGES destroyed will ever be rebuilt, for the
roorle have not the means Not A place ~
.7rship in the island is now standing and It's
thousands Of population are shelteress I'm
mediate help IS absolutely needed
other rerorts including the official bulletin
.ssned bv the Governor Of the Leeward ISL
a~as confirm even more specifically. If in less
detail these descriptions From the bulletin it
&c gathered that out If population Of lltoZ
,.nroxlrnatoly one hundred were killed or are
missing. injured and many obviously fatally,
approximately 1000 and over 5000 are home
,ess and utterly destitute, being provided for
by the Government at present
AS regards damage the agricultural and all
,-3ustriai interests are for the time being. al
east practically destroyed. The lime and other
civilizations were not only blown fat hut were
n most cases washed clean out Of the ground
nv the overflow Of water from the mountains
~ buried under landslides The provision
grounds were similarly torn up. and most OF
The live stock in the pastures were drowned.
REPORTS FROM OTHER ISLANDS
Antigua also reports considerable damage to
small houses and on the sugar estates, but
more widespread than severe. Other Leewaro
Islands suffered more severely than Antigua
but comparatively less than Montserrat Be
SIDES Guadalupe and Porto Rico Dominica, ST
KRIS Nevis. St Eustatlus Anguills and the
British Virgin Islands, we'll the Danish
report much damage and some loss Of life. At
Dominica the damage was trifing st Kits
suffered heavily both IN town and country, and
there IS much distress but there were no fatal
ties there. Nevis comes next to Montserrat.
The little three-me island is described As "a
scene - wrockage. devastation and woe" TWO
thousand people are shelterless and crying for
food the local resources being inadequate Hor-
tola reports extensive damage and an unknown
number % fatalities Up 10 the date of mail
ady.ces communication with the other Virgin
Islands had not been restored. all the fishing
and other boats having been DESTROYED. one
roat was With difficulty prepared 10 take the
mall 20 81 Thomas Road Town. the capital
Ras mostly 2 wreck and about eleven persons
were believed 70 have been drowned there
j. is Of interest 10 note that West indian
history mentions Two hundred cyclones. ~ which
ffteen approximate. tut do not apparently
eanal that % this wear. except the one NJ ~"