The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-24
THE BEG WIND AT TURKS ISL
ANDS.

1hb Blu VIM Al UHh ISI.
ANDS.
Serious Damage to the Salt Ponds and
Shipping.
TuRKs ISLANDS. Weet Indies, Sept. is -
! o'clock p. N. Thursday. September 10. a
cable message from Washington saiS.
Disturbance north OF Porto Rico, moylns
northward.' Another cable at $50 p ~
read: Tropical disturbance apparsnt,S
moving eastward toward eastern Bahamas.
Little attention was paid to the first MESSAGE
a. o northward curse from Porto Rico
would be 800 miles Ct least east OF tbis ool.
ony. On receipt OF the second mesaaps m.
bay ives cleared OF lighters and small hosts
which were sent to Hawks Nest and The
South Greek. usually Ravens of safety.
At shutdown tho eastern sky was Lighted
up In q most remarkable manner Dnn
crimson covered the whole eastern heay-
ems to the zenith. The wind started II,
and by 8 o'clock there wa q stiff bree,a
which byi0 O'Clock had become O gale, ana
at midnight the hurricane was on ia In
force, which increased until 8 o'clock A,
when It began to ease down. At one tina
the United States Weather. Bureau eauos
marked los miles an hour, and was blown
out OF commission.
Fortunately for your correspondent, In
was In the stanchest house on the island
with doors and windows secured with soui
wooden shutters. yet the force OF the wilma
as It came through crevices at times wouN
blow out the lamps. The moaning OF I'm
wind. coupled with the thrashing of m
trees n tearing Of roofs and woodwork
was most terrifying. The long duration a
the violence Of the storm was remarkable. 4
lasting fourteen or fifteen hours. The fuil
moon. not breaking through the clouds.
gave q weird look to everything.
The people driven from their homes bv
the destruction OF their frail houses tooi
shelter In the school house and ohurchss.
or were taken into safer houses. Ratiops
were issued to those who had lost all. Al
near as I can ascertain ut this writing.
twenty-five houses were totally destroyei
and between thirty and forty 90 damage
they could not DO occupied.
Great damage was done to h salt pond,
by being flooded; wind mills for pumping
brine damaged: salt In heaps on the bead
blown of or dissolved by the driving rain,
ono large salt house unroofed, and mud
minor damage. Three lighters supposed d
be in safety were beaten to pieces: q small
schooner dragged her three anchors and
totally disappeared. A HaStian slooo
which came in Just as the storm broks.
oIuBHSd Ou III ~ DSli0Ncu 70 Dc lO4.
There were eight or ten persons on board,
including two women. When morning
came q most desolate sight was revealed.
Trees were uprooted. branches and pieces
Of wrecked houses. roo6 partly gone, and
scarcely q leaf loft on q tree.
This colony consists OF Grand Turk.
Salt Cay, and the Calcos group OF islands.
Salt Cay, eight miles south Of Grand Turk.
suffered more than Grand Turk, which Il
the seat Of Government. The sea brofs
into the ponds from the east and formed
an inland lake. The winds drove the water
into pillows which washed away many Of
the division walls between the ponds,
Between fifty and hfty-hve houses were
totally destroyed and nearly forty 60 badly
damaged they cannot be occupied.
A part OF the roof OF the Wesleyan Church
was blown on and n pile Of 10. 900 bushels
Of salt was completely washed away. The
White House. " q stone building, 20 by 90 feet.
with stone roof. had q part Of the roof blown
away. A large salt house appeared 10
have been caught In the vortex and com.
pletely crushed to splinters.
Nothing has been heard from the Caicos
Islands at this writing.
The result Of the hurricane win be vir-
tually the closing OF the salt season with
less than half the quantity of salt last
year raked. The ponds being flooded with
fresh water. IL will scarcely be got rid Of
before November. when the season closes.
Hurricanes visited these islands, within
the memory of tho oldest inhabitans 10
1881. which did. sre1t damage; in 1895. SEP.
q vast quantity Of salt; September Z. ises.
this hurricane caused the death OF twenty.
one persons. loss Of 10000 bushels OF sas
and q large four mast schooner the sgd
ney G.. Hopper. was wrecked on the south
end OF the island.
Those who remember say the violence
OF the wind In the recent hurricane was
greater than that OF 90 or as. although, for
~tunately not 30 many lfyea were lost.
j. A. HowBLLs.
Later-A small boat arrived In the nishl
OF September ib from the Caieos Islsndh
There was great destruction of property
and a man and his two sons were drowned.
Owing to the fact that not Q word has
been received from East Harbor. the main
village on the Caicos Islands. since the
hurricans; great anxiety was caused e az
steamer Cherokee game TO. Grand Turf
THURSDAY morning. Commissi o9er Wathnss
the Governor Of the. colony. and W. STANLEY
before Captain Archibald. and asked him 3
dition OF that place, which he consented -
enough TO be one OF the party,
On our arrival e the island e was plais
TO be seen what had caused the delay .
sending reports to Grand Turk. Every
boat had been more or less injured and ses.
eral destroyed. The effects Of the wind vtff
to be seen on all sides. Totally DESTROYED
or partly unroofed houses were 70 b.
seen on every hand. The effect Of the sef
was much more apparent than at Grand
TURK. Great pieces Of rock had fallen from
q cliff, and apother mass had broken from
q solid rock that lined the beach.
No accurate estimate could be made q
the loss. In general terms. we can report
2 loss OF about 10000 bushels OF salt, O.
the yield has not been 50 great as last year.
Twenty houses were demolished and se
least twenty-five 90 badly injured that they
cannot be occupied, Three men ands
salt ponds were flooded and mar pump.
ing machines injured or destroyed. .AlIncse
all OF the wharf was destroyed. Oh Dur.
ham. American Consular Agent, lie the heaviese
l03er