New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-10-12
BIG FLORIDA STORM
WRECKS KEY WEST
CITY DECLARED UNDER
MARTIAL IAW.
Homes and Tobacco Plants Demol-
Ished-FeGr for Railroad Laborers
Many Vessels Missing.


Florida to-day Tonight il is raging over
Eastern Florida where great damage IS re-
ported.
As result Of the hurricane KEY West is a
mass Of wreckage tonight and the damage 10
property is estimated at 100000 Marital
law was proclaimed by the Mayor at s O'Clock.
and the Key West guards are patroIIing the eirv-
Ihe United States government has. been asked
10 dispatch troops to Key West without delav
to assist in patrolling the storm-swept area
Chaos reigns on every hand and few persons
remain IN their homes, hundreds OF which elthar
nave been totally wrecked or damaged II a
impossible at this hour TO say whether there
has been loss of life
While the hurricane is the worst that Kew
West has ever experienced the local weather
observer announced tonight that the Indications
are that the entire east coast OF Florida win
suffer terribly.
NINETY FIVE VESSELS MISSING.
OF one hundred local vessels in the harbor
this morning only five remain at anchor tba
others having either gone to sea or been washed
upon the beaches The streets along the water
front are a mass Of wreckage
Brick as we'll as frame buildings throuzhour
the city suffered alike from the fury OF the
heavy wind. and many miraculous escapes from
death or serious injury have been reported
Besides the several score OF residences either
totally wrecked or blown from their pillars. nine
factories were partially destroyed including the
Havana American. Martinez Nichols. Ruv
Lopez. Manuel Lopez. FIeitas Torris Cortez ana
Wolf cigar manufactures. Two engine houses
of the city fire department were DESTROYED. the
hremen narrowly escaping. but several OF the
horses being killed. The top OF the First Ma
t1onal Bank was blown off, the postoffice was
damaged and two running gears OF the govern
me- ~Oal linz
telephone and electric light pole IN Duvau
street. the principal thoroughfare OF the city.
was blown down.
It is known that many have received serious
injury, and unconhrmed reports are current that
several lives have been lost The storm reached
its height at I O'Clock this Afternoon. when the
wind had an estimated velocity OF one hundred
miles an hour. There was hard steady blow
from a. m 70 p. m~ when the wind began 70
die down. and by O'Clock the centre OF the hur-
rcane had passed this point
As soon as the wind had subsidized pIundarinr-
began. The city police force was unable to COPE
with the situation and the Mayor decided 10
take stringent measures TO suppress the Iooting.
a proclamation of martial law resulting Al
most every nationality is represented among the
cttys population Of more than twenty thousand.
about one-half of whom are employed in the
cigar manufactures sponge fisheries and salvage
companies.
All efforts of the officials of the Florida East
Coast Railroad at Miami. Fla. TO get into com
munication with the men at work the roads
extension on the keys Of the extreme southern
peninsula have been in vain Between $500
and 5000 wOrkmen are employed on the con-
struction work on the lower keys. where there
is slight opportunity for protection from the
fury OF the storm
FEAR FOR 25nO IARORFRS
Gravest fears are entertained for the safety OF
these men. The apprehension Is intensified by
recOIlections of the hurricane OF 1906. when 14O
men lost their lives and incaIculable damage 60
property was done in that section
II is said that the construction camps are
better fortified now. and it is known that the
engineers on the work have been preparing for
a big blow for a number Of days. In spite OF
this however. the exposed location OF tfe rail-
road stretches OF the massive concrete columns
being out of sight Of land, leads to grave con-
Germ for the safety OF the workmen.
Early advices from Marathon. a station on the
Florida East Coast Railroad. stated that a sixty
mile gale was blowing there. Warning had been
given the people along the shore below Mara
thon.
Much apprehension is felt for the safety OF the
Mallory steamer Lampasas and the Peninsular
and Oriental steamer OIvette The OIivette
was spoken this morning at 9 O'Clock at Tampa
by wireless. but nothing had been heard from
her since then She was not at Punta Gorda
The wireless operator had been trying 70 get
both all day. but without success. The Lampa-
sas was due TO reach Tampa at noon to-day.
The wireless station at Key West has been
blown down.
NO DANGER ON GULF COAST.
The forecaster at Mobile received the follow
ing message from Washington at g. 80 tonight:
Down hurricane warning 10 o. n Mobile
Pensacola. Panama City, AppalachicOla, Ear
rabeIla, Cedar Keys. Rockwell. Tampa p1lnfa
GOrda. PUnta Rassa. Key West. storm cen
tired southeast Florida, moving northeast An
parently no further danger on the Gulf coast
In response to urgent appeals from Jackson
vile. fast launch left St Augustine at 3
O'Clock this afternoon TO warn residents along
the coast lowlands fer distance OF twenty
miles south OF the approach OF the storm ana
Of danger TO life and property
At I15 D. m heavy clouds were coming IN
from the south at Jacksonville. on board the
clyde steamer Mohawk the barometer read
29.6S. while at . o'clock this afternoon the
barometer in the office OF the Clyde Line al
Jacksonville registered 29.51
The storm was central at Key West AT noon
to-day. the wind reaching velocity of seventy
miles an hour and doing considerable damage
TO small shipping in the harbOr At . o'cIoclx
this afternoon the centre had shifted 70 midway
between Key West and Jupiter. and was NOV
ing northeast with increasing violence The
weather observer at Jacksonville calculates thar
there was danger OF the brunt OF the storm srrfx
ing Jacksonville some time between nianiSht
and dawn.
A bulletin received from Miami az o'clock