Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-10-27

I telephone.
/ The Rev. Lsveat Gungoiti. noted
I weather observer Of Belano College OBJ
4 servatory, telephoned to the American
camp at half past o'clock Wednesday
night that a cyclones was coming and
would sweep tle city within an Tour.
The officers promptly gave orders TO
secure all property, and the soldiers
/ Jumped to the work. Exactly at half
past the blast hit the camp, and rows
of tents went down like paper walls,
the poles flying through the air The
men, however, had sought refuge in
the barracks. ana these resisted the
fury Of the wind.
When the telephone message was re-
ceiyed word was lent 10 the captains Of
the various warships, and they pro
ceeded at once to make all snug and
take every precau;ion to save ships
and men. As a result the Minneapolis,
Texas. Denver aud Prairie rode out
the gale in safety, but the cruiser
Brooklyn dragged her moorings and at
the height of the hurricane touched
bottom. She was got off, however, with
no damage
The cyclone began in heavy rain,
which started about G o'clock The
wind rose rapidly and increased with
great fury until at midnight It was
blowing at the rate Of eighty miles an
hour. The streets Of the city were del
uged, and many of them took on the
appearance Of rivers, while stores and
cellars were flooded and street cars
were swamped Great buildings shook
Windows and doors gave way. and
siens and all supegstructtres not tight
" fastened were blown into the streets
and parks.
The noise made by the bowling tenn
pest was intensified by the crashing of
glass the ripping sound of tin and tiles
torn from roofs and the thud of houses
blown down in the poorer quarters.
1t was due to the falling Of houses
that so many fatalities occurred. The
occupants who had sought shelter from
the rain AMI wind were caught in the
deJris, and many of them died before
they could be rescued. 1t was almost
hAAP'0'ibiN LOl any pody ~ NthlutS bdt
to the relief, and little wa&kone in the
rescue line until morning.
Then it was that the full extent of
the devastation wrought by the furious
cyclone was realized The beautiful
prado, that has been the pride Of the
city, presented o saI sight. Only six
trees remained standing out of the
! AnI 1
between the Malacon and Park Central.
The beautiful vista Of the day before
was now wild path, strewn with
thick underbrush, and the park itself
was stripped of its magnificent trees.
The Iaurels were all uprooted, and only
a few stately palms wlthstood the fury
of the blast
The greatest money loss, which is es-
timated at 100000, occurred in the
harbor, where thirty five lighters. many
of them loaded with valuable merchan-
disc, were sunk. Nineteen belong to
the Ward line and others to Joseph Il.
Gonzales. Two coasting schooners were
blown ashore. one at the Malacon and
the other at Nidado. This latter suburb
suffered severely
Reports of heavy damage from towns
in the interior of the island are coming
In gradually. 1t is said that the town
of MatanZas Guanajay has been practi-
cally destroyed, and it is reported that
there has been much loss of life in
other places where the hurricane was
! most severe.
The cyclone struck the island at Or
temesia and swept through Pinar del
Rio, its center passing very near and a
little east of the city of Havana. The
city WI, in darkness all night but not
crime was reported, as the storm
| filled everybody with fear and they
only thought of self preservation. Most
of the damage done by the storm can
be repaired In short time, but it will
cake years to restore to their former
beauty the parks and streets where
/ trees were blown down