Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-28
HAVOC IN PORTO RICO
Graphic Description Given of Conditions
After the Storm.
Famine n Certainty Unless Aid Is Re-
ceived From the United States
Heavy Losses.

now portmaSter at Guayma, Porto Rco,
has written an interesting letter to his
wife, who is now in this city. describing
his experiences In the cyclone that lately
devastated Porto Rico. Mr. Smith was on
the road leading to Guyana when he expe-
rienced the fury Of the cyclone and received
no injury. His wife had returned to her
home here a short time before the storm.
Mr.. Smiths letter, dated Guayma, Porto
Rico, August 8, 1899. is az follows:
Il left Ponce the mail coach -yester-
day morning at 5 o'clock and reached here
at . pm. today, after most terrible ex-
perience on the road during the earthquake
and cyclone. The wind commenced to blow
very heavily about am, and at I:3O as
we reached Sta. Isabel, it was blowing
hurricane. Roofs and parts of houses were
flying in every direction. Thinking it safer
to be in the road, l directed the driver to
proceed, and We just reached juice, the
first place to change horses, when over
went the coach. 1t made several cieverly
executed somersaults and landed right side
up eventually, but was total wreck. The
horses had become detached and were not
hurt, neither were the occupants of the
coach, as fortunately, We were just allght-
ing the coach took flight. We took ref
uge in one of the huts at the station and
remained there until the storm was over,
completely drenched.
about pm. when the fury of the cy-
clone had passed, l went out to look about,
and found that only one building in the
village of forty-one houses remained stand
ing. The hut in which We had taken
refuge had collapsed well as the rest;
but we didn't mind that, as ii was a light
affair and was not dangerous for the oc-
curants.
Il was forced to remain in juice until
II am. today, when the coachman and L
ventured to proceed on horseback. carry
ing the mail. The roads were in horrible
condition, and in many places impossible,
and we had to cut the fences and proceed
| through the cane fields. leading our horses.
DesolatiOn Everywhere.
Dissolution reigns everywhere. There is
hardly an uninjured house standing from
Sta. Isabel to Guayama, and few standing
at all. All the big sugar haciendas are de-
molshed. all the cane beaten to the ground,
all the banana and plantain fields totally
destroyed and not more than one-fourth of
the cocoanut palms standing. They say
that news from the mountains was brought
to Guayama today that the coffee crop is
entirely destroyed and the mountains strip
ped of both coffee and shade trees.
After swimming the Salinas river we
reached Salinas. and there encountered a
fearful sight. In addition to the demoiish-
ments by the cyclone. the river last night
inundated the town and wrought perfect
havoc. Two persons were killed
Just after leaving Salinas we met Mr..
Cutler. the administrator at Aguirre. He
told me that two persons, natives. We're
killed on the estate, and that their loss
there would amount to about $4,000. Fortu-
nately, their new buildings and machinery
had not been erected further than the
foundations. otherwise their loss would
have been much heavier.
'On reaching Guayama 1 was Mortified to
see the amount of damage done in those
few hours. They tell me there Is not
house in the town that is not damaged
The church is roofiess, Mrs Lousinaris
house is totally demolished, as are all of the
houses on this side of the plaza, except our
ONCE, which escaped with a few holes in
the roof. made by flying timbers. The des-
olation in Gale Nueve is awful. Pales'
house and all the houses really on that
street. except Birds and Hotel Esmaralda
are practically destroyed. DR.. Diaz is
homeless also BrunoS store. their drug
store roofless, the French Hotel a total
wreck. the soldiers quarters badly dam
aged. the whole east side having been
blown out, and old home is a total
wreck,
Eight people were killed outright in
Guayama, and news from Arrayo states
that three persons were killed there and
three more were drowned in the streets
by the great waves that swept through the
town. If the damage done in the rest of
the island is anything like as great as that
have witnessed between Sta Isabel and
Guayama, then Porto Rico has suffered
calamity it will take years to overcome
Starvation Imminent
''The poor people especially are in fear
full plight, with homes, no money to
purchase food, and with their little patches
of corn, bananas and plantains totally de-
Stroyed. There is nothing before them but
starvation unless the people of the United
States come forward with a generous sub
scription to relieve their necessities They
have little to look forward to in obtaining
work, for the great majority of the sugar
planters will not be able to rebuild their
mills or the coffee growers replant and re-
establish their haciendas already over
burdened with mortgages in most instances
Unless the government the people of
the United States come to the rescue, | fear
days of famine are near at hand for the
poor people of this island. We have no
means yet of knowing what has happened
in other parts of the island, as all tele-
graph lines are down and the roads i'm
paSSable.''
Under date of August 10, 1899, 5 am.
Mr.. Smith says: WORD has Just reached
town that Yabucoa is completely demol-
ished. About one hundred and fifty persons
persisted there