The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-08-18
SWEPT BY A HURRICANE.
Great Loss of Life In Porto Rico and

Great Loss of Life In Porto Rico an
Other West Indies Islands.
PONCE, Porto Rico, Aug. ia hur
ricane struck here at 8 o'clock Tues
day morning and lasted until
o'clock. The rivers overaowed, flood
ing the town. 1t is estimated tina
200 persons were drowned. Many
parts Of the town and port ar,
wrecked. 1t is believed that tn,
damage done will amount to more
than $500. 900. No news has been re-
ceived from the interior since the
storm broke.
Advices from LaPointe-a .Pitre, Isl.
and OF Guadalupe, say the tornado
did enormous damage to the interior
Of that island. running many coffee
and cocoa estates. LeMourle, a sub
urb, was half destroyed. There were
many deaths
ST. THOMAS. Danish West Indies,
Aug. 1.-The island of Montserrat,
British West Indies, was devastated
by a hurricane Monday. AL the
churches, estates and villages were
destroyed and nearly 100 persons are
SAID to have been killed. In addition
many were injured and rendered
homeless and terrible distress exists
among the sufferers.
SAN JUAN, Aug. IA fierce hurri-
cane swept over Porto Rico Tuesday.
At 9 o'clock the storm broke with
great force, and 1T S:45 o'clock the
wind was blowing at the rate of 100
miles an hour. Trees were turned
up by the roots, and a railway train
was blown off the track. The beauti-
full grounds and many residences in
the town Of Santurce, a residence
suburb, were wrecked. One hundred
and fifty frame houses along the
boulevard leading to the capital were
destroyed. Within the walls Of the
city no damage was done beyond the
destruction OF one brick building.
Telegraph lines are down and some
of the cable connections have been
destroyed, but it is known that Playa
de Ponce, the port of Ponce. is under
water. The custom house there was
wrecked and its contents ruined. All
the vessels in Ponce harbor are re-
ported to be ashore. Owing to the in
corruption in the telegrapkic service
there is no communication with the
city OF Ponce proper.
Only the outer edge Of the hurricane
touched San Juan. Its full force was
expended along the southern coast Of
the island. Seven natives were
drowned in the harbor here.
WASHINGTON, Aug. lL-This is the
hurricane season in the West Indies,
and the torn that is now ravaging
Porto Rico and the neis hboring is
lands had been anticipated. These
tropical storms are caused by the
shifting Of the trade winds. and are
uniformly destructive. AS a rule the
storm generates a little north by east
Of the South American coast and
works its way up through the Lee
ward islands, gaining impetus as it
reaches the Windward channel, be-
tween San Domingo and Porto Rico.
Usually the force Of the storm is spent
in the neighborhood of Cuba, but at
times the hurricane cloud reaches the
Florida coast and paralyzes maritime
trade on the Atlantic seaboard.
Tho storm of last September was
the most destructive of recent years.
On September II the island of St. Vim
cent, in the British West Indies, was
visited by a hurricane which de-
stroyed the homes Of so, 900 persons,
killed 500 persons and leveled the
crops. For days the island was cut
of from all communication with the
outside world. Kingston. the capital,
was nearly obliterAted. The storm
lasted ton hours, and when It had
passed over scarcely a house re-
manned. Barbados also felt the fury
Of this hurricane, and the loss of life
there was greater in proportion than
in the island Of st. Vincent. These
islands are in the leeward group, close
to the South American group. The
British government was called upon
to aid tho suffering people, and par
Lament finally passed q relief bill,
which, however. vas far from salts
factory to the islanders, who have not
yet recovered from the shock Of the
disaster.
The wind during the storm at
Kingston reached q velocity of 100
miles an hour, and carried everything
before it. Railroad tracks were torn
up and swept away, great trees were
uprooted and deposited in the sea
miles away. and the native houses,
although strongly built. were as
houses Of cards before the fury of the
wind. After the storm tho fields ap-
peared as II they had been freshly
plowed.a Not a vestige of vegetation
remained. Scores OF coasting vessels
were driven ashore or destroyed. No
vessel a live in q West Indian hur-
ricano such as visited st. Vincent last
year. and it is the rule for even the
stoutest steamers to remain in port
when the premonitery signs of a hur.
ricane are reported.
Bryan on Pending rroblemA"
WARSAW, Ind, Aug. 1l.-Yesterday
was Bryan day at the Winona assem-
bly, and over 8, 900 people were on the