The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-09-29
VELOCITY OF NINETY NILES AN HOUR
FIVE TO FIFTY is ESTIMATE OF
LOSS OF LIFE ON COAST.
Every Church, Hotel, Business House
Damaged, Mills Swept Away
BY the Flood.
RACED FOR EIGHTEEN HOURS

Mobile. Ala, Via. Meridian. Miss,
September 29.-The loss of life is
variously estimated at from five to
so at various points.
Five thousand homes were dam
aged, business sections were destroy
ed, and the property loss is placed
at over $3,000.000.
The storm which struck the city
Wednesday, midnight, ragged for
four hours and the wind reached a
velocity of 80 miles an hour. The
water from Mobile bay was blown
into the city by the gale and for a
time was seven feet deep in the
wholesale business district.
The loss of life is believed to be
mainly among negroes, although
conditions are so chaotic that def
mite information is impossible.
Shipping suffered severely. The
United States revenue cutter. Alert,
seven steamers and many smaller
crafts, names unknown. it is feared
were lost but nothing of a confirm
ing nature can be given at this time
The city has been placed under
control of the militia and nobody is
permitted on the streets except
newspapermen and persons wearing
badges.
The chances are that the loss of
life on Dauphin Island is heavy as
many fishermen lived on the island
and other outlying marshy districts
from which no tidings have been re
ceives
Suffering in Mobile is severe. The
humiliation of transportation facil-
tiles has shut of all supplies and
unless help reaches Mobile from the
outside world soon great distress
will result.
Every church in Mobile is damag-
ed though the Christ church cathe-
dral and the st. Francis street Bap-
list church suffered more than the
others. The damage to the Christ
church will reach $4,000 and the
st. Francis Street Baptist church
$4,000.
Docks and those of private corpo-
rations are fearfully wrecked.
The revenue cutter Alert was
rammed while in Mobile river by All
unknown vessel and sank lmmeji-
atey. Her crew is believed to have
escaped.
All Business Is Suspended.
Telegraphic communication is pal
alyzed, with poor prospects for sew
eral days for repairing the lines.
The electric company's street rail-
ways and in fact all business has
been suspended. Numerous sawmills
located in northern and marsy dis
tricts have been washed away by ter
rife waves, or torn to splinters by
the wind. Their lumber and timbers
are to be seen scattered end over end
throughout the city.
The harbor steamer James A. Car
ney, plying between Mobile and the
eastern shore, lies beached just
across the river and its sides are
jammed In and the upper structure
blown away.
Much fear Is entertained for Fort
Morgan, where the government
quarantine station is located and
many soldiers live.
Ragged for Eighteen Hours.
Words cannot describe the terrors
of the storm. During the. hours be-
tween p. M, Thursday and noon,
Friday, trees fell and roofs were
crushed by the hundreds. Through
the streets. carried by the terrific
wind. were hurled thousands OF
pieces of slate and tin roofing cor
nices, shingles and all kinds of de-
bris. Blinds were torn from fasten-
ings and windows smashed as though
of tissue paper.
Many people were seriously injur-
"a and ont nv 0Viup slate and fin