Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-10-15
WRECKED BY STORM
ASKS OUTSIDE AID
Five Hundred Houses are Destroy
ed, Seven Churches and Nine
Cigar Factories Blown Down
and Hundred Vessels Lost.

KEY WEST, Fla, Oct. 13.-Hundreds
of laborers. aided by refugees, from the
small isles surrounding Key West today
are busy clearing the streets and the
water front Of the debris and wreckage
resulting from the hurricane which prac-
tically destroyed half this city Monday
II will be many days before normal busi-
ness conditions can be resumed here
Great rejoicing is felt over the reports
coming in from points near Key west
Showing that the loss of life from the
big blow" will be the smallest ever re-
corded along the Florida coast. The
property damage, however, is the heaviest
in the history Of the peninsula.
APPEAL FOR AID.
Acting on a resolution adopted by the
city council last night, Mayor Fogarty
issued an appeal for help from the people
of the United States for the storm suf-
ferers. In his statement he said
Scarcely a house in this city of 10000
people but has been either entirely de-.
molished or partially damaged. Many
are homeless and those who have homes
are scarcely able to house and care for
their own families and are hardly IN
a position to help the other sufferers.
starvation and distress face our peo-
ple, who have always heretofore borne
their need of natural affiiction without
complaint ana WlLAlOuA appear W DNAiNAH
for aid and who have always themselves
responded generously TO the call Of other
cities afflicted as they are now. Cash con-
tributions for the poor will be gladly re-
ceived by the mayor and applied by him
to the aid of those who most sorely need
it."
DAMAGE ALONG WHARVES.
AS the work of cleaning up the city
progresses the estimate of the storm dam
age increases. This is especially notice
able along the wharves, where the losses
will reach into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
At the Peninsular and occidental docks
the port stewards buildings and stores
are destroyed, but the dock is practically
without damage.
At the Mallory dock the warehouse was
badly damaged and a great quantity o.
merchandise ruined. The steamer Lam
pasas. which arrived from New York
on Sunday, left late yesterday for Tam
pa.
SCHOONER AGROUND.
The schooner Frontenac, loaded with
gravel, is aground and may be tota
loss. The coal conveyors at the nava
station broke loose from their moorfngs
and plunged through the dock.
The schooner Medford also broke from
her mornings at the government whar
and was blown about five miles toward
Sand Key. where she sank.
HALF OF CITY RUINED.
The first message sent from this city tC
the outside world since the hurricane o
Monday afternoon carries with 1t the in
formation that half of the city was prac.
ticany ruined by the storm.
The resume of the ruins show that 80
houses were destroyed. Seven churches
end nine cigar factories were ruined anc
over 100 vessels were lost.
Hundreds of men, working under the
direction of Mayor Fogarty have be-
gun cleaning up the debris in the
streets of electric and telephone poles.
The people are cheerful. one death, that
of Frank Gray, a photographer, Is re-
ported. .t
Hundreds Of people have lost every
possession that they had and are in alb
solute need. The people are. cheerful
however. and are doing everything pos
sible for the victims of the gale.
The city was placed under martial law
Monday night.
HAVE LOST ALL"
The first message that was sent out of
the storm-stricken city was forwarded to
the Associated Press by its correspon-
dent, B. D. jerks. who after he had hero
ically stuck to HIS post and acquainted the
outside world with the story OF the disas-
ter, wired:
IT have lost home and everything. I am
ILL.,"
Although suffering from the effects of
the hurricane, with practically every
earthly possession gone, Mr.. jerks stood
| by his post and wired the first news of
Key Vests disaster
AS the details of the storm are reported
it is feared that there will come harrow
ing accounts of loss of life. 1t is not
known whether the seamen of the Inflated
vessels escaped or not before they were
blown out to sea.
The announcement that the steamer
OIivette was safe at Havana has relieved
many anxious minds
AS soon as darkness fell Monday night,
thieves began their raid on the homes
and Office buildings destroyed by the
storm. The police were unable to cope
with the situation. and Mayor Fogarty
! Immediately called for the Key West
Guards, the local military organization,
ard the city was placed under martial
| law. Scores of arrests were made, the po-
lice and soldiers in many instances firing
on the vandals.
In the residence districts the streets in
many instances were rendered impossible
| by the ruins OF the houses. Whole build
( ings were picked up by the gale and hurl-
ed across the street. and only the advance
warnings of the weather bureau prevented
a heavy loss OF life.
Along the waterfront the beaches were
strewn with the wreckage of small boats
/ of all kinds. Hardly building was left
standing while piers and wharves were
| all swept away. At the time the storm
broke yesterday afternoon there were
nearly 100 vessels in the harbor; the ma
jority OF these were swept to sea or
broken up on the beaches.