Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-08-19
PONCE VALLEY is A RUIN.
Trees, Houses, Bodies Of Cattle and Debris
Everywhere,


New York. Aug. ia dispatch to
the Herald from Ponce. Porto Rico.
says;
These official figures are given OF the
casualties Boo the Ponce district. due to
the hurricane.
Dead buried In city. iii. dead buried
Ia country. $50. swept out Co sea and
drowned. 100, serious hospital eases 90.
aultiug from The Storm 300.
The whole of the Ponce valley from
Juan Dhz down Do % complete ruin,
n, r. houses, piles OF river sand, bodies
Of cattle and general debris are scat
tered everywhere.
The highway cannot be- picked out In
the midst OF the wruckuEs and travelling
d. dangerous even Yet lu Ponce re-
pairs urc being pushed rapidly The
carts available are not sufficient Co care
~ OK the offensive matter left by the
Hood. The local stores are yusumlug
business. rclcgrauhlc communication
has not been rv-cstablished with san
Juan.
The French Halfway company has
failed, other failures u merchants
may follow. uH the losa Co stores was
N"AHN'A NAANAAN NNH ANN 70 NNN".AN|NNHH
Lieut.. Games. president OF the board
of health. had In the hospitals before
the storm one case % yellow fever and
eight cases ~ smallpox. The latter
were from the country districts and no
further cases have developed lie
thinks the city a. perfectly safe from
AN outbreak ~ the disease, but " 10
should come he b. fully equipped and
able To- check %.
The streets are rapidly rssumlng their
normal sanitary condition and lu lgsH
than two weeks. they viii be ln better
shape than ever before. Great improve
munts viii be- carried through and plans
completed Tor 70 sewer system, The only
remaining danger ~ Impure water.
The supply iH plentiful but muddy
The board OF health insists that the
people shall boil o.. The supplies uu-
dyrgo rWid Inspection,
There WINS danger 10 Infection during
the fret three days, but prompt work
prevented &c.
while food H. dear the lieutenant rs-
Inmates that there d. penty stored iu thH
island Co tide over the present dlslrvHH.
tie thinks % would Dc better Tor the
government 10 buy supplies here than
tu ship them from the United States.
tie IH positively uf the opinion that the
best plan uf relief would be- Co give the
uhlo bodied adults work. Giving sup
piles Unfortunately will make the
people, who uIu naturally ludolrut. beg
EJrs. Ho says thut during the first days.
when food WAS given TO everybody.
men refused Co do work OF auy kind
ne s. gold q day. Supplies We're stopped
ana now they will work nt ordinary
wages. he suggests loan from bank
20 help out thr planters 90 that they
can employ labor,
In the southern districts OF tho island
the misery Dr. very great and g. more
apparent than II was Immediately after
the storm. but the government has the
famine districts well lu hand and has
shown itself competent 90 deal with the
situation.
Relief is being rapidly and effectively
distributed, Each post commander has
received $1,000 and limited supplies OF
food Tor distribution, More supplies are
being forwarded uH fast uH possible.
Each commander has appointed district
officers who dispense che food and
money or give employment The may
ORR ~ the towns receive mo- money or
supplies, but with scarcely an exception
they have rendered valuable assistance.
Besides the loss ~ the crops. the loss
uf NE has been extremely heavy Com
ing from every by-roud pathCtlrully
humble funeral pruceEslous are met.
the bodies being wrapped in palm
leaves, The majority OF the dead We're
washed away,
The Albonito district suffered severe.
ly. The official figures given by the
Mcallc arcs Killed by storm. gO
wounded. 60, houses destroyed, iu the
town and tho country surrounding.
l,22S, The barracks In Alhunlto were
totally destroyed Many soldiers had
narrow escape. one was Killed and sgy-
crul were wounded. one rs SIN miss
ing.
Captain Wheeler has demonstrated
the advantage OF giving work 60 the
sufferers instead OF dolrs. ON his own
authority he has spent portion OF the
$1,000 granted him IN employing an the
available labor. A. "a result Aiboulto
u today well repaired, tho streets are
clean and the people are Cuntantyd.
In the country district NJ Juan piua.
says the mayor ~ that town. nos por-
sons were killed IN the storm and many
are no. The result is much misery
Provisions are scarce IN lll the Couu-
try districts the reports uf danger from
Infection have been exaggerated, the
only danger being from tcycrs arising
from hunger The army surgeons In
nll the towns are visiting the inyallds
daily.
In am tho districts In the Island ex.
treme poverty is likely to continue Tor
at least two years,