Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-09-29
STORM SWEEPS GULF.
New ORLEANS, Pensacola and
Louisville Suffer.
WORST GALE IN A HUNDRED YEARS
Property Damage Mt Pensacola 3d.
900, Every House DAM
aged-WIres Do,vn-Fear Coast
Cities Are Flooded.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 2s.-A special
dispatch from Louisville, Ky, says
that the tropical hurricane which has
been churning the waters Of the gulf
Of Mexico and doing much damage on
the coast and far inland is whipping
through north Alabama In a north
easterly direction al a velocity but
slightly less than the forty eight miles
an hour recorded In New Orleans.
The loss OF life Is small. but the
damage to property is enormous. All
wire communication is seriously dis
arranged and in some Instances has
resulted in cutting off cities complete
~, Mobile, Ala, bot having been heard
from for nearly twenty-four hours.
Numerous washouts have occurred, the
interruption from this cause in one
case extending thirty miles
Pensacola, where the maximum We
locty of wind was probably felt, re
ports a property loss of S3.000000.
IT was the worst sea storm and hur-
ricane that the gulf coast has expert
enced since the village of Pensacola,
on San Rosa island. was swept away
107 years ago. 1t Is reported that
many lives between the city and navy
yard have been lost
Many streets are under from five to
ten feet Of water.s and many women
have been taken from second story
windows and carried to safety in
boats.
Every house in Pensacola has suffer-
ed damage, and many roofs are blown
off Telephone and telegraph and cleo
trio light wires are among the mass
The water front Is strewn with wreck
age for miles on either side of the city.
md vessels are piled on the wharfs or
where the wharfs once were in utter
ruin.
Big iron steamers and many lighter
sailing ships are lying high and dry
UP in the city, where the tide has new
or before known to reach. Everywhere
wharfs for miles around have been
swept away or are damaged beyond
repair. The electric power was shut
off at / o'clock in the morning. There
is no street car traffic, and communica-
ton with the outside world Is prae-
tically cut off The streets of Pensa-
cola are strewn with timbers, tin roof
ing and broken glass.
New Orleans furnished numerous
wild rumors, but later reports from
there indicate that while there was
considerable damage to property there
has been no loss of life. Wires be-
tween New Orleans and the gulf are
down, and it may be several days be
fore anything can be heard from the
territory between the Crescent City
and the gulf or from the shipping
which is riding out the storm in the
open gulf. Biloxi, Miss; Mississippi
City and Moss Point, Miss, have not
been heard from for nearly twenty,
four hours, Moss Point reporting the
water five feet deep in the streets.
The damage to railroads is heavy.
Reports to the officials of the Louis
vile and Nashville road from the su-
perintendent of the Mobile and Mont
gomery divisions indicated that the
losses approximate St000,000 The
tracks between Flomaton. Ala, and
Pensacola, Fla, are INSTRUCTED and in
some places are badly torn up by fall
ing trees. The section between Geor-
gian and Graceville. Fla, has suffered
similarly.
At Pensacola the Louisville and
Nashville grain elevator has been de-
stroyed, and the trackage to Escambia
Bay is ruined. The railroad wharf at
Pensacola is reported a total loss, and
thirty-nine carloads of coal We're wash.
ed into the bay. Further reports in
dicate that the roadhed between Bay
Minette, Ala, and Mobile, a distance
of thirty miles, has been washed away
The Louisville and Nashville also
suffered several washouts near New
Orleans, and no trains are being run
over certain sections. The New Or
leans and Northeastern reports its
tracks under water at several places
in the vicinity of New Orleans. No
word has come from any other rail
roads having terminals Mt Mobile.
Great apprehension is felt for the
safety of towns ON the gulf coast
which are cut off from communication
with New Orleans.
Great havoc was wrought 10y the in
coming waters of Lake Ponchartram
on the outlying portions of New Or
leans, the lake having risen about FIVE
feet.
The storm is heading northeastward
through Tennessee and Kentucky into
the Ohio valley.
ship Lost. Crew Reasoned