Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-10-26
THE RAINS AND FLOOD
DAMAGE TO CROPS AT HOME

GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY
AND LOSS OF LIFE ELSEWHERE.
The sun was out Tuesday afternoon
for the first time in eight days. During
scarce an interim of more than a few
m nutes. The clear up Tuesday gave
promise of better weather ard tn Q
rect force, encouraged by the pros
Dect, turned out and cleaned the streets.
B 1t the sun was coy Of its charms and
and soon hid behind the western
mountains. That night the clouds and
the rain returned and were with US till
Thursday moaning.
Monday, court day. the farmers had
nothing to do but paddle around in
the water at their homes, so they nav
igated to town in unusual numbers.
On the streets the Estate of the wealth
err was a favorite subject. Many had
gotten to the point where they could
joke about it, though in reality it seems
quite serious matter. If reports are
TO be relied on scarcely One-fOurth of
our farmers are done seeding and very
many have put in no grain at all
Should the weather be clear. and mild
clear weather prevail next month much
wheat will yet be sown, but it will be
the lates planting in the history OF
this genera tion, andit may be to no pur
pose Nothing like the recent rain fall
has been witnessed in this State in
many years, and taken IN connectlon
with the excessive rain fall during the
summer and fall months up to this
time. is without precedent in the his.
tory of the weather bureau. High
water is prevalent in every part of the
State and great damage has been done
to the corn crop, not only along the
fl )oded streams and low grounds. but
even on high land. The corn crop this
year was unusually large, but is now
rotting Ill the fields. while much of it
has been totally swept away by the
! fl 1ods.
A farmer of the Swoope's Depot
nelghbOrhood things that one third of
his corn is rotted in the shocks. The
fodder too, that is so much relied on
for feeding stock, is also going to
waste. This will naturally lessen the
sales of baled hay, as the farmers Will
need their grass crop to winter their
stock.
| However, this section is not suffer
ing near so badly as other parts of the
country. The storm area for several
months has lain over the entire South
eastern section of the United States,
and has flooded all States east of the
Mississippi and south of the Ohio riv-
ers. While the northwest has had its
snow storms and billiards. and zero
weather, and while the Gulf States
have had hurricanes and the South
Atlantic their furious gales and fearful
loss of life, we of the Shenandoah Val.
ley have escaped with comparative
light losses.
Some idea of the violence of repeat
ed storms along the south Atlantic
coast Is realized when we hear thai
more than d hundI ed large vessels are
anchored in Hampton Roads waiting
for the stOIms to end SO that the.
may venture outside the capes. AL
salong the coast and particularly from
: South Florida has Come the news o
awful havoc in the wake OF last week I
storm. From Cuba where millions il
property and scores OF lives were sacri
, feed TO the gale, the storm swept Il
tue Florida Coast where it did its mos
deadly work, especially along tn
Florida Keys. Every newspaper ha
brought the story of adventure ant
death narrated by survivors picked Vi
| at sea. Elllott's Key an island 2
r miles south of Miami Was swept by |
huge tidal wave that brushed every in
habitant off the Island An excursion
steamer saw the approaching storm
| and took refuge behind the island, bu
| a huge tidal wave swept entirely owe
l the island aud crushed the steame
ike AL egg-shelI, killing, manning an6
, drowning nearly every passenge
aboard. la that vicinlty thousands o
, men were at work building AN exteI
i sion of the Florida East Coast Ry. t
4 Key West, that wonderful engineer
ing feat of Henry M. Flager. Thes
men were living in barges or hous
boats strung out all along the Keys
Il Nine of this barges containing Ii
g men each we're torn from their anchor
8 ages and swept to sea in the earl
@ morning before the workmen. ha
awoke from the nights sleep. But fe'
survived to tell the tale. Those VIII
J. we're picked up in mid ocean clingin
l. to bits of wreckage, tell that nearl
all tha men narishad in the aaa