The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-08-18
1E AWFUL HURRICANE
Five Hundred Lives Probably Lost
at Ponce.
Known Yet-Nearly All Of the West
Great Blow.

PONCE, Aug: IL. THE worst storm
ever experienced here struck this
place Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock
and lasted two hours Ponce was
flooded and at least 300 persons
were drowned. Two hundred bodies,
mostly those of poor people and in
Guiding many children, have been re-
covered. All the buildings are dam
aged and hundreds have been de-
stroyed.
The soldiers and firemen worked all
night, heroically saving lives. There
is no drinking water, gas, ice or cleo
trio light.
The commissary AZORES at Playa
were destroyed, the City is short OF
food and the army officers are distrib-
uting rations. Fifteen vessels in the
harbor were driven ashore.
The weather bureau predicted the
storm, but it is claimed Ponce was not
warned.
A mol of 1000 persons threatened
the alcade, Porrata Doria, but they
were dispersed by the Fifth cavalry.
The alcade has been deposcd on &C.
count of negligence. Major Myers of
the Eleventh infantry is acting as
alcade in response to popular demand.
The sanitary condition is serious
and assistance is needed. All the
crops are virtually ruined. The wires
are all down and little news is OBJ
tainable.
Aboniti, including the barracks, has
been destroyed; but no life was lost
there. Juan Diaz has been devastated
and forty-six persons were killed.
Arroyo, Guayama, Salinas and San
Isabel are reported to have been to-
tally demolished.
The railroad between Ponce and
Yauco have been destroyed and the
military road is destroyed. The river
is flowing over the road for two miles.
Mayaguez escaped serious injury.
Bananas are the sole food here. The
poems have gone to San Juan and it's
vicinity, which are comparatively I'M
injured.
SAN JUAN, Porto Rico, Aug. 12.-It
is now said 500 persons lost their lives
at Ponce during the hurricane. Ter
rible distress prevails there.
Arroyo, on the south coast, has been
destroyed. Sixteen lives were lost
there and the town is still submerged
in water. At Guaymo the houses are
still standing. Seven persons were
killed there. A number Of houses
were pillaged. for the soldiers were
unable to maintain order, as starva-
ton Threatened the population. The
water supply of San Juan has been
stopped.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Aug. 12.-The
destruction of the hurricane is grow
ing. According to the latest reports
from Porto Rico, San Domingo, Guade-
loupe, Antigua, the Bahamas, St.
Thomas and St. Croix, all these
islands felt its disastrous effects, Por-
to Rico, St. Thomas and st. Croix
most severely. At least 800 lives have
been lost.
Everywhere shipping suffered, large
numbers of sailing vessels being sunk,
especially at G~uadeloupe. The veloc.
ity of the hurricane averaged more
than seventy miles an hour. In St.
Thomas 200 houses were destroyed.
In the harbor there was much damage.
In Porto Rico and st. Croix many
lives were lost 1t is feared that ship
ping at sea has suffered heavily.
In Antigua the principal damage
was done to estates. though tho
towns also were devastated. Grand
Turk, in the Bahamas, reported yes
terday afternoon that it escaped the
full force of the hurricane and was
little damaged, the storm going off to
the northwest.
ST. THOMAS, D. w. l., Aug. l2-The
hurricane was central to the east of
Dominica Monday, and it then travel
ed northwest. In Dominica some dam.
age was done, but more in Martini
quo. There was serious less of prop
erty in G~uadeloupe.
A hundred lives were lost in Mont
serrat, which was completely devas-
tated. The official death list is already
,eventy-four. The death list through
out the West Indies may reach 400.
Aantlgua and st. kits suffered se-
verely, and in St. Creix thirty labor
ers were killed. In st. Thomas the
principal destruction was caused by
the sea. Most of the wharves were
destroyed.
The barometer report at Montser-
rat was q. 60; st. kits. 90. o6; st.
Croix. 29. IL; st. Thomas, 29. 60.
The storm struck San Juan, Porto
Rico, at daylight Monday. Ponce was
reached by the hurricane later in the
morning. There all the vessels are
ashore and great damage was done.
All the goods in tho custom house
were damaged.
The hurricane W. last reported at
Turks island Wednesday. 1t was also
reported to have struck San Domingo.
HEADED FOR OUR COAST.