Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-02

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Sept. 2s.-The worst hurricane to
visit this city in its history ragged here
furiously all Thursday night and yes
terday with the gale still blowing. The
city presents wrecked appearance
and the damage is estimated at
$5,O00,000. The loss of life will be
heavy among mariners, but thus far
only one body has been recovered.
Commencing at o'clock at night,
the wind blew at fifty miles for three
hours, then increased to sixty-fivs.
From that time until yesterday morn
inng 1t remained at about eighty and
ninety. lldes from the bay backed in
to the city for blocks, destroying
homes and making rivers of the
streets.
Fire Adds to the Horror.
When the gale was at its highest
yesterday morning and women ami
children were running frantically about
the streets in the darkness, an alarm
of fire was sounded and this added to
the confusion. The fire started in the
Pitt mill near the business district,
and the horses OIL the fire department
refused to go out in the weather With
tin roofs flying about them, trees and
wires falling over them, the firemen
took their hose wagons by hand and
rushed down the streets to the scene
and after hours of work controlled the
blaze.
In the afternoon the water rose until
the business districts presented an al
most indescribable scene. Of fifty or
sixty big steamers and sailing vessels
lying in the harDor only five or six are
there now They have been driven
ashore, and along the water front is a
mass of wreckage of steamers and
craft of all description. Thirty fish
ing vessels in the port have been de-
stroyed or damaged and the three big
fish houses with their wharves are
gone.
Great Ships Driven Inland.
Muscogee Wharf and the Command
ancia and Tarragona wharves of the
Louisville and Nashville railroad, are
badly damaged. Great iron ships of
two and three thousand tons have been
driven not only ashore, but have gone
through houses block from the water
front.
Every house alon. the water front
for distance of ten miles has been
destroyed and the wonier is the loss
of life Is not greater. tracks of the
terminal railroad to the navy yard and
Barrancas have all be / destroyed, as
also trestles and bridges.
Every business house from the
wharf on Palafax street to the Union
depot has been unroofed and many
plate glass windows broken. Stocks
are badly damaged and wires and
poles are mixed together. There is
no electric light, car or telegraph CT
telephone service. The tracks of the
Louisville and Nashville railroad or
the Pensacola and Atlantic division
have been washed out for thirty miles
and two engines and cars sent out tc
the quarantine stations have beer
destroyed. All saloons have been or
dered closed and fifty extra policemen
sworn in.
! People are Homeless.
!. Homeless families are housed ir
all. portions of the city, and many will
walk the streets without food or s
place to sleep until something can BIZ
brought out of the cnaos now existing
Added to the horror of the situation
are the thieves VINO are breaking oper
trunks all along the beach, entering
unocupied houses and stealing every
thing in sight.
| Several arrests have been made, pu
it is impossible to protec- property un
der such con, lions.
: live sailors from British steame
were clinging to roof that wa!
washed ashore yesterday and three
others from the same vessel had bee.
drowned.
Towns Wiped Out.
Meridian, Miss, Sept. 29.-Informa
ton from Mobile by train this morning
, confirms the reports that Codenala
, Port Alabama, and Bayou LaBatr'
{ have been wiped off the map, but on
house being left staining at Coden
: Among the dead are some of the mos
} prominent people of the coast. TIL
: entire west shore below Mobile is re
} porttd completely devastated. Twer
ty-five bodies have been recovered
: .nlrty more are reported as known t
have persisted. Many bodies of negroe