The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-13
Five Hundred Homes De-
 stroyed. NHlIARY SHOOTS AT
 YANDALS IN NRREIS e1np1R liIs in Rains on
 Beaches. D<aap phurehss ana Nine Clgnr Fas- tuF1ss An Rased-xnaAabitAa<a suaer From Hunger ana
 EktReme Exposure.

Key West, Fla, Oct. 12--Half the fcsty is peecstcahy in ruins, over i've h~nd1ed henss have been destroyed Hssd mose than hundred ships wreck bd Ss g rssnh Of the hurricane which bssveot this city yesterday afternoon. Ssven obarches and nine of the 1arx- sst etsar factories in the South also were destroyed. Hundreds of men gre now at work cleaning up the streets under the direction of Mayor Fogarty.
 As sooa as darkness fell last night thieves began their raids on the homes and off1ce baildings destroyed by the storm. The police were unable to cope with the situation and Mayor Fo- Narty immediately oallsd for the Key West guard, the local military orsanf- sation and the oity was placed under nexsial law. Scores of arrests were EsAds the police and soldiers tn many tnstances firing on the vandais.
 In the residence districts the streets tn n1any instances were rendered ign- pasaebie by the ruins of the houseA sRhale buildings were picked up by the gale and hBBaed across the street and oaly the advsace warnings of the weather bureau prevented heavy doss of life.
 Along the water froat the beaches .wSre strewn with wreo2xage of small boats of all kinds. Hardly a building was left- standins. while piers and wharvss wese all swept away. At the slime the storm broke yssterdeN. theee were nearly 100 vessels in the karbor. kne majority of these were swept 70 sea or broken up on the beaches.
 City Ruled By Troops.
 With the city in the hands Of the military authorities who were called Dn by the mayor for assistance, efforts hse being concentrated today on as- pertaining the damage wrought by the hurricane which swept in from the gulf yesterday. It is estimated the Range to property in the city and Aarbor viii reach sG0oo,o0o, No loss of fife has been reported in the ycity. Shut t Is believed the death toll will De heavy along the eastern coast Of btAe peninsula.
 Maay of the vessels which had been swept from their moorings during the blow yesterday afternoon managed to atds out si1s storm during the night and ltnped back to their piers this morning. but between sixty and sev- ssnty-nve boats of all descriptions were wrecked It is feared & num- Der of lives were lost.
 xa the city whole blocks of frame structures were razed to the ground &sriok houses also fell before the gale, while tine great tobacco factories and warehouses suffered considerably.
 The city jail this morning was filled to overflowing with vandals who were captured by the militia and police drring the night Thieves began op- hrations as soon as the fury of tho storm had abated, the wrsckaEe of She electric ught plant having plung- ed the city In darkness. The mayor immediately took stringent measures so cope with the situation and pre- eiaimed martial law.
 Today hundreds of homeless roam nd the strsets. hungry and with little prospect Of sheitar fer tonight. For annatsfv the weather is bright and warm and there is little physical suf- aariAg.
 T4se war department has instructed Nae oominaHdant of the coast artillery conrpaniss stationed here to aid the teity au4horfttes in every way possible bxnd tents and bedding will be distri- lhated by ths soldiers
 At this tims no estimate can be kxtyen of the financial losses incurred by the storm, but 1t is believed 1t will be between s1,0eo.eoo and ss.o0o,ooO Ist viii be weeks before the big tobac- CD factories will be able to resume op hrattons and business generally will be at a standstiN for at least several 
 Nays.
 station Swept AwaT.
 The United States Weather Bureau Innd ship reporting station at sand Key twas swept to sea at 10 o'clock yester- day morning. Observators Dasue' Tssiter and Willard, on duty there, are safe.
 The launch LnRette, with the crew sp< the dFedge Nimke, arrived here at E o'clock this afternoon. bringing ad- ditional details of the effects of the hurricane along the coast. The dredge Ninke of the East Coast extension fleet, lies disabled in No. 5 trestle fill between Matacumbie and Long Key. which is badly washed in places. The grade of the extension at Jew-Fish Bush Is washed away, the dock at Pigeon Key Is wrecked, the fill at Knights Key Is washed away, leav- ing the trestle firm, the approach to fhe viaduct at Long Key Is gone. and wreckage is piled on the shore every where.
 All of the massive concrete viaducts of the extension are reported safe, as is the bridge from Knights Keys to the piers.
 The master of the Lunette reported that in coming down he saw several dredges and concrete mixers sub- merged along the coast, in some cases miles from the work.
 Many small DoaIS dhO otner WrSGA- ere were seen on the shore, but he could not say whether there was any loss of life.
 Peer Lives Lost.
 Second Mate Andrew Cooper of the schooner Medford lost his life at the government wharf and his body was washed overheard. Three members of the crew of another schooner are mis- sing and it is thought that they were drowned.
 Matachumbie reports no loss of life there.
 The rsposted loss of sVo lives along the east coast is believed to be un- founded.
 J. F. Gay, the photogra pher. lost his life in attempting to save his boat.
 A NJ. Ferguson was strdck by flying wood and is in a criticaI condition.
 There were many narrow escapes from collapsing houses and that the fatalities were not greater is regarded as miraculous.
 The damage to the barracks alone will total $250,0 900.
 Thirteen churches were blown down. AhA OnlY ones In the oitY remaining