The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-14

Celpt or the Following interesting let
ter from his son, Victor II. Pinkney,
who is with the Porto Rican army H.
the inspector generals office at San
Juan.
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we are now passing through are very
slckV ones LOT us Amerlcahs' sullo-
cathg neat ieighS lhroushoul the udy'
anu "hen hlSht comes us ustleSS 10 SSck
!or Coolness' n lalill zephyr Is SucCeeueu
pS caIih Oh several hours' me d'1os-
phere becomes Oppressive" anu the DouS
weakened by perspiratlon' becomes IAN
gulu; the appeul" Ialls' ana the mos
qultoes' DuzZHlg tpout your ears 10y ga!
anu hlght peIpieN ana annoy you oy
thelr stlnes' Whlle the lnhumeraole Ner-
MIN, Such as meas ana other insects,
Whlch as the natives say que pea
mucho almost worry the lie out OF you.
,The rains comes down like an immense
quantity or water poured through a sieve,
hundating the low lands, causing the
rivers to overflow their banks, and max
ing the smallest brooks become deep ana
fore, fevers are prevalent, ana they at
TACK one with "A sudden ana Irresistible
violence.
The excuse, therefore OF a slight sick
ness, is the apology / must offer for my
neglect to write you. With reference to
the cyclone l can say but little, as per
maps you nave been informed from the
nome papers or all the details, the most
graphic OF which. / feel sure, but half
portrayed the awful destructiveness, mis-
cry ana desolation, which have been left
In the track of the hurricane.
IApD ,ro prI1zu
~
ms morning as L sazeu over the wall
ol the garden Whlch almost surrounds
our once away across the waters or the
pay whose vast eXpahse without wave
or rune 10 mar lts surface appeared
IKE an immense mirror 10 tne iong rluge
OF uhuulatihs mountains Whlch command
lhe city, covered with their dark purple
iohaee' 10 whlch, the suns rays penetrat-
ing the inlsts arising there1lo ON. auded
Soluen Unit could scarcely peneVe that
pSond such scene or loVelhess there
could De the desolation described.
ne u"E Preceuihs the storm remen-
per was perfect one. the weather had
cleared up aiter rev days RAIN ana the
sun "nose neat hau oeeh hltherto mou-
GRATED pg partial clouds ana showers OF
ram seemed as IL were TO set In cloud
less SKY. me cattle IN the pastures
sought the friendly shade OF the trees,
the leaves OF the stately palms and tail
cocoanuts seemed as II AFRAID to sur ana
Of natnre And vel from me e s,snaI ~1Ti1 to,ycr
of the weather bureau hung languid two
red flags, conveying the ominous warning
that hurricane was approaching.
Some laughed at the warning others re-
lated strange things which they had OBJ
served. which proved beyond a doubt that
storm was at hand. One old native
stated that on the preceding night he had
observed that the stars seemed to be
twice their size. that around each one
Of them appeared a vapor. which OBJ
sCured yet seemed to magnify them The
sun himself, had appeared like n mani
moth ball OF blood, and that the waters
of the small stream which ran close to
his cabin had emitted sulphurous smell
That very night, the small stream which
ran babbling by his home became a fierce
and mighty torrent sweeping everything
before IT. Such night can never he for
gotten. The fierce roar of the waters
and of the trees being destroyed by the
winds, the shrieks and means of persons.
the believing OF cattle and neighing of
horses, the torrents of water inundating
the fields. the blackness of the night,
now and again erased with fire let loose
i'm flashes and streaks of lightning, must
have seemed to have announced to all
tnc last CONFUSION OF tne universe ana
the death agonies of nature Itself Yester-
day. a garden of paradise; today, a
dreary waste of n cruel winter.
SO,,r M, ,rr1I, roNnIrro>S
TO enter details Is unnecessary. Ike
ports declare the alarming t&ct that there
are prohably 2o1"o people on the island
who VIII ne smut on from thelr usual 1000
supply, ana IN fact smut on from any
food whatever.
Plantations have been laid waste their
crops all destroyed; and none can he re-
produced from the soil In less than seven
teen weeks, and during this period these
people must be fed and it has been esti-
mated that no less than total of H,69
900 will be necessary to prevent starva-
ton.
About l2'lO,OoO pounds Of rice, l2,IO,OO
POUNDS OF beans and 425O'OOO pounds of
goldfish are required to feed the people.
at a ratio or one pound per day per
capita. This Is not very large when II Is
taken into consideration that soldier s
raion Is tour pounds rer day.
some estimate the number OF killed 70
DC more than 1000 ard the wounded at
200; houses destroyed 1000; homeless per-
sons, 2o'Ovo; dependent families, co. and
missing lVoo' rake INTO consideration