Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-10-19
TOday's Telegraphic News
DISASTROUS HURRICANE.


practically certain that the main portion
Of the feet of American warships return
ing from Cuba was caught in the tropi.
cal storm which swept Cuba and south
ern Florida Wednesday night No word
has been received from any of the ships
aud the gravest alarm is felt. The fact
that the warships are fitted with wireless
apparatus but that the wireless station
at Key West has been unable TO get in
touch with any of them is taken as
ominous.
Havana is still cut off by all wire COM
munication. The only dispatches that
have come through have been by way of
Santiago aud Jamaica. These have been
very mesger and have now stopped alto
gether owing to the downing of wires
in the vicinity of Havana. Every word
that has come through, however, leads
to the belief that the disaster at Havana
has been great and uncon6rmed reports
say that there has been heavy loss of
life. Wires are nov down between here
and Miami and the only connection be-
tween this point, Miami and Key West
is by rail and boat. All reports so far
received have been wild and unconfirm-
ed, but there is No reason to believe that
the damage to shipping and to southern
Florida coast towns has been great. The
wrecks of number of small vessels have
been sighted, several of them bOttomside
up with every indication that loss of life
had occurred.
There is considerable speculation as to
the whereabouts of the American war
vessels. 1t is supposed that when the
storm struck they we're just outside of
Havana hsrbor. The blow came from
the southwest and would naturally tend
to carry the feet out to sea. Owing to
the close proximity of the land it is
hardly likely that the commanders would
dare put about and face the gale for fear
of going ashore. After skirting the east
coast OF Florida for a few hundred miles
the gale went out to sea and all trace OF
it has now been lost by the weather OBJ.
servers Asa result there is no way OF
telling how far the warships may have
been carried before the storm blew itself
out. There is possibility that the YES
sells had not yet left Havana harbor
The vessels which we're in Havana bar
Dor Include the cruisers Minneapolis,
Prairie, Brooklyn and Denver, the bat
tleship Texas, thesupp'y ship Celtic and
the collier Leonidas. The cruiser Cleve-
land, when last heard from, WAS at
Cenfuegos and the Des MOines and Ia
coma, together with the collier LeOni-
das, were at Msnzsnills. The cruiser
Newark is believed to have been on her
way to Havana from Guantanamo.
Train reports from Miami today indi.
cate that that city suffered greatly and
that in addition to the property loss
there was considerable loss of life. The
big Royal Palms Hotel, Flagler's palatial
winter resort, which was being fitted up
for the coming season. is said to have
been badly damaged and the Peninsula
and Occidental dock has been carried
away. Owing to the fact that Miami is
unusually low and that at last reports
the tide was rising at a tremendous rate,
grave fear is entertained that the city
may have been flooded.
The fact that Key West, the first city
in the United States to report the storm,
is now silent, is causing much apprebeD-
sion. No word has been received in the
last "a hours from Key West, either
from the wireless STATEN or from the
main cable.
Not a wire is working south of Jack
sonviIle today, though both the Postal
and Western Union companies promise
to have lines working by night.
The weather reports show that in places
the wind reached a velocity of so miles
an hour, and it is said that it was NOV
ing at this rate when it veered to the
eastward in the direction of Bermuda
islands which are supposed to have suf-
fered also.
Havana, Oct. 10 As result of the
worse cyclone in the history of this city
upwards of 100 persons are known to be
dead, hundreds of others injured and
thousands of dollars OF damage has been
done. The U. s. Cruiser Brooklyn was
torn from her moorings in Havana har-
Dor and is thought TO be hard aground.
Other ships of the American feet now
in the harbor are said to have been
seriously damaged, and ii is believed
that some loss of life has occurred among
members of the fleet.
The American camp, Camp Columbia,
was practically wipeI out, the gale
levelling every tent and tearing rnost of
them 10 atoms. One soldier was fatally
hurt aud number are reported serious
ly injured. When the blow reached here
the harbor of Havana was packed with
scores of vessels which have rushed here
following the settlement of the recent
trouble. Many of these vessels we're
torn loose from their snchorages, no
ships being docked in Havana harbor,
and dashed on the rocky shores of the
harbor. Only the fact that the storm
gave half an hours warning and per-
mitted the sailors to make some prepare
tions prevented much greater damage.
Most of the fatalities reported so far
were among native Cdbsns though it is
believed that the number Of foreigners
killed will be upwards of a score. Some
of these are Americans.
Many buildings 10 the city of Havana
we're blown down being leVelled as by |
an earthquake. Scores of persons were |
injured in the collapse of these buildings
and BY flying debris hurled through the
streets.
Some of the poorer sections of the
city in the outlying districts we're practi-
cally levelled by the 80-mile-au-hour
gale which struck the city.