The evening times., 1899-08-31
DAMAGE IN PORTO RICO
Report Of the Weather Bureau on
Losses Due to the Hurricane.
The Climate and Crop Bulletin for
sued Today, Shows the Havoc That
Was Wrought I'm America,s south
ernmost Possessions by the storm.

ernmOst Possessions by the storm.
The climate and crop bulletin for Porto
Rico for the week ended August 10, issued
| today by the Porto Rican section of the
Weather Bureau, says:
Hot and dry weather has succeeded the
tempest of last week.
1T is now known definitely that the CEN
tire of the hurricane passed directly over
the southern and western part of the
| island. reaching successively Arroyo,
| Ponce, Mayaguez and Aguadilla. The de-
layed reports from correspondents of last
week are presented with those of the pres
ent week. Lack of space forbids more than
extracts Beyond doubt the greater part
OF the fruit and vegetables are completely
! lost. The coffee has been most seriously
damaged. Whether the loss extends to
the trees as well as the berries of this
years crop. remains yet to be seen. At
any rate reports would indicate that this
years crop is lost The young canes were
not so badly damaged but that hopes are
| entertained Of saving the greater portion
| of the crop. provided the weather condi-
tions are favorable. The damage to mills,
| farm buildings, dwelling houses, etc, was
immense. The official reports will be need
| ed in order to arrive at the extent Of the
| loss"
| Reports from the different districts re-
| garding the losses from the hurricane fol-
low:
| District of Aguadilla: Aguadilla-Terri-
| Bile weather. which desolated the fields of
the district, destroying the plantations.
| fruit trees, cocoanut trees, minor fruits,
coffee and cane. Isabela-On account of
the hurricane of the Sth losses of consid-
| Grafton are noted in the whole district as
much in the crops recently planted, as in
the products already gathered, which have
been soaked under the houses and in fallen
| buildings. All the coffee has fallen.
District of Arecibo: Manati-Agriculture
! completely ruined. The river inundated
all the lowlands, the water rising to a
height never before known. 1t extended
| from mountain to mountain. The losses
inflicted in the whole jurisdiction of the
city is calculated at more than $500, 900.
Cane, coffee, and minor fruits completely
ruined. For the next year the crop is neg
ative.
District OF Cayey: Comero-The city is
mass of ruins. The large as well as the
smaller plantations have been destroyed
The river rose 81 feet above its ordinary
level. Caguas-The losses are calculated
| approximately, in cattle SIS, ,000 in coffee
of the next crop, $4,000; damages inHilt-
ed on the cane plantations, $4,000; in ag-
| ricultural lands in the city and country,
| $4,000; in the plantations OF coffee and
| minor fruits, S3S000. Wounded during
the hurricane, 53, sereveiy, and 1
death. Houses destroyed in the city, 1870;
| damaged, 40; in the country, 300. C.dra-
Since the ravages caused by the hurri-
| cane, the planters have begun cutting the
| banana trees because by this procedure
| they will double quick production follow
irg. For the other products nothing
avails, nor anything to be hoped from
| them.
District of Humacao: Maunabo-Planta-
tions with all their establishments, cane
plantations those of coffee, tobacco, and
fruit have all completely disappeared. The
city is a mass of ruins. which completely
fills the streets. Only six houses are left
| and these are almost uninhabitable. The
material losses will reach approximately
| more than a million pesos. Cieba-Both
| large and small plantations have suffered
| much, the fields being left completely desc
| lated. Patillas-In the city there remain but
| eight or ten houses, and these unroofed and
badly damaged. All the others have been
reduced to fragments, for which reason
| there are a number Of families without
| home or protection. The four cane plan
| tations in the district are totally destroyed
| Coffee, the crop of which was large, plan
tains corn, tobacco rice. were all torn up
by the roots by the violenct of the wind
Fajardo-After the hurricane there is a
severe drought which, if it continues will
add TO the damages already done on planta-
tions. The heat is suffocating.
District of Ponce: Juana Diaz-The
horror produced by the catastrophe still
remains. The only ones who have been
able to begin to repair somewhat the in
juries to their properties are the cane
planters, to whom the workmen are going
| for work in order to sustain themselves.
! The other country people have scarcely
| had time to erect their poor cottages
District of San German: Lajas-Many
fruit trees have been destroyed; alligator
pears, mangos, quenepas, coffee, and plan
| tans being almost totally lost Rice has
suffered much, in spite Of its being in its
| first growth, and the same may be said
of cane and other crops. Many cattle have
also been lost in this afflicted region. San
! German-The damages which have been
inflicted on all property and especially
agriculture have been incalculable. With
the exception of small cane, which has the
| quality of great hardness, we see today
| with grief all the other plantations de-
| vastated by the hurricane, which has also
completely destroyed coffee, plantains, ba-
| nanas, beans, corn, frijoles, and every
! class of crop. There was nothing which
| escaped the fury of the wind and the ter
rible innundation which followed.
District of San Juan-The agricultural
losses are estimated at 100000. Coffee has
been totally lost, not only that of this year,
but also that for two years to come. Two
thirds Of the cane have been lost. One
| third of the rice lost. Plantains are COM
| pletely lost The corn which was gathered
| at the end of the crop has been saved,
| there being on that account a great abun-
| dance. Canovanas-The coffee, rice, and
| fruit crops have been entirely lost, while
| thousands of cocoanut and fruit trees have
| been uprooted. and it will be many years
| before the district RECEIVERS from its loss.
| The poorer people. in addition to most of
them being homeless, have lost their plan
| tains and other minor fruit, on which they
| SO largely subsist; yet, as the cane fields
have not been entirely destroyed, there will
be less suffering In this district than in
| most other parts of the island.
District of VieQues: Vieques-Cane has
| suffered much. but the larger part of the
crop can be saved IL dry weather does
| not intervene. Minor fruits are completely
lost. Great damage to the sugar establish
| ments.''
PettIts Enquiry UnsatisfactOry.
| CINCINNATI. Aug 31.-Captain Jackson,