Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-10-20
TOday's Telegraphic News
THE RECENT STORMS.

counts OOtainhDle LOuhy tue nst Vi uchu
and fatally injured 10 the city of Havana
will be between thirty and forty, while
the total casualties on the island will ex-
coed one hundred dead and five hundred
injured. All estimates at property losses
are merely guesses so far. but the dam
age to shipping and business interests in
Havana alone is believed to be upwards
OF $3, 900, 900. Estimates of the damage
in the country districts are impossible,
but the less to the park and boulevard
systems of the city is slOne believed to
be upward of million dollars.
Luckily the American forces, both the
soldiers at Camp Columbia and the sail
ors aboard the ships in the harbor, es-
capped practically unhurt. Several sea-
men we're slightly injured while hasten
ing to make things snug when the blow
struck, and number of soldiers received
triAing hurts when the gale hit the camp,
but only one fatal injury to member
of the American forces has been re-
ported. Harry Fosdick, teamster with
the Twenty-eiphth infantry, was crushed
by a falling palm tree and will probably
die.
II is rumored that there are one or
two American civilians among the dead
and that several have been Injured, but
their names are not obtainable at this
time.
The American feet suffered less than
was at first supposed. fortunately the
Brooklyn struck no rocks, but simply
stuck her nose into the soft mud on the
east side of the harbor and was easily
drawn off. Aside from the loss OF sever
al small boats aud Of their superstruc-
lures the ships OF the American fleet
were but little damaged.
Wednesday night in Havana beggars
description A sprinkle of rain preced-
ed the wind, then came the whirliug OF
dull laden clouds which seemed to almost
settle to the house tops With a distant
rumble the storm charged on the city
and then struck with shrll! whistle
and swshed along, its natural roar being
accompanied by the crash OF glass as
tiles were lifted from roofs and hurled
through windows OF adjoining houses.
rhe air was filled with debris.
Houses in the course of construction
we're torn 10 pieces as though made OF
straw.
The shscks in the poorer quarters were
leyeled like houses of cards, aud it Was
here that the greater Of fatalities occur
red. In twinkling the beautiful Prado,
with its double row of magnificent shade
trees interspersed with stately palms,
was cleared, the trees, which were the
pride of the city, falling like rows OF
dominos. la the Palace and Plazas sim
liar scenes were enacted, and today Ha'
yana is city almost barren ofshrubbery.
Following the wind came deluge of
rain. 1t WAS a regular cloudburst. ln
five minutes the narrow streets were full
and the water was in the stores on bust
ness streets. Half an hour after the rain
bad started Havana resembled a Venice.
Thousands of windows ha been broken
by the flying debris aud houses which
escaped unroofing by the gale were filled
by the torrents which poured into the
broken windows. Thursday morning
the entire city was in state of chaos.
Jacksonville, Fla, Oct. 20.-Con-
seryatiye estimates now place the num-
Der of deed 10 Florida and of the coast
as result of Thursday mornings disas-
Ter at upwards of 500 souls. Property
losses will reach upwards of million
dollars.
Jacksonville, Fla, Oct 20.-The
most appalling disaster 80 far reported
is that at Elliott's Key, little coral
island IS miles south of Miami, where
the cyclone and resultant tidal wave
combine to wipe out about 800 lives.
A gigantic sea, sweeping clean across
the island, is said to have wiped out
every one of the $50 Inhabitants The
little steamer ST. Lucia, the loss Of
which was exclusively told in these dis
patches yesterday, was anchored on the
lee of Elliotts Key and was smashed.
Twenty-Five of her company of 100 are
known to have been drowned, score
are missing and many we're picked up -
the open sea while clinging to bits of
wreckage.
A house boat anchored off the island
and used as sleeping quarters for $50
laborers went down and to date only
about one.third of the men have been
accounted for. 1t is believed that all
the others persisted.
There is the best of reasons for believ-
ing that the fate of Eliotts Key has
been the fate of a score little islands of
the south coast peninsula If this is so
the present estimates of the number Of
dead will be found woefully low.
Key West, Fla, Oct. 2O.-Forty nine
workmen from barge No. 4 engage on
the east coast extension work we're
landed here by the Austrian steamer
Jennie, bound from Gulf Port for Genoa,
which picked the men up near the
Bahama coast.
Shouts of distress from the water at
tracted the Jennie Thursday night She
put out her boats and picked up forty
nine men who had been floating on bits
of wreckage.
Three other steamers came up. but 1t
is not known whether they rescued any
one.
w. P. Duzenbury, one of the engi-
neers in the party, says niue other
bargts we're in the feet with No. 4. No
word has been received of any of them
and it is feared they we're lost. IfsO,
then 100 more names must be added to
the death list 10 the great hurricane.
Key West, Fla Oct. 20.-Six hun