The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-14
STORY OF STORM.
Collector of Key West Gives the De
 faffa

collector or Key West Gives the De-
 tails.
 Atlanta, Oct. 1s.-In a graphic de- scription of the hurricane which swept Key West, Fla. Monday, wired to the Associated Press today by Hon. Jefferson B. Browne. collector of the port at Key West, that official says:
 "Old citizens of Key West date everything from the hurricane of '46. that being the date of the severest one that ever visited Key West. Oc- tober II, 1909. however, broke that record and the one of that date was thn severest one that ever struck Key West.
 During Sunday night the wind was moderate at about sixteen miles, but at 6 a. m. Monday 1t suddenly In- creased to gale and by a. m. had reached hurricane force. The wind blew steadily at about seventy-five miles an hour. but in the AIsts which are characteristic of West Indian cy- clones. it reached over ninety miles The gusts increased In frequency and force until about noon when the wind went to northwest and began to mod crate. and by ? p m. the storm was over. The wind blew first from south east. then went to northeast, at which point we were nearest the center of lHc WDlCHs iAOWoNSEp nOl pass over Key West.
 When the storm first broke over Key West, 1t was travelling north. but before the center reached here it veer- ed to the northeast, which accounts for the three directions from which the wind blew. The rainfall was un- precedented, eight and twelve hun dredths inches in five hours.
 There were only two lives lost, Frank Gay. a young photographer, who was drowned trying to save his boat and Andrew Cooper. second mate on schooner Medford. who was struck in the head by the falling of the coal hoist at the naval station.
 Nearly all buildings with metal roofs were unroofed. among which tained a loss of about $5.000 includ- ing the damage to furniture, etc.
 Gangs of carpenters. brick masons. linemen and laborers are at work re- pairing town and our people are cheer full and not discouraged and in a short time will have fully recovered from their losses.
 "The Elks' home was blown from it's foundations and was damaged sever al thousand dollars and will ask for help from the other Elk lodges, else they will be unable to raise the build ing and repair 1t for occupancy
 The United States army post sus- tained considerable damage but can readily be repaired. The principal in- jury was the loss Of the distilling plapt but all the large cisterns are in tact and full Of water and they will not suffer from this loss. Nearly every dock In the city is damaged. several being almost totally destroy ed.
 Crafts Of every kind are damned together or sunk along the water front. Many boats broke from their moorlngs and went crashing through other boats and docks.
 The city is quiet today and the people orderly. No infractions Of the law have taken place and all seem equally interested fin the restoration of our city and preserving its good name The civil authorities are in control and Mayor Fogarty has called out the local militia company only as a precautionary measure. The report that the city Is under martial law Is an error as the civil authorities are in complete control"