The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-19
Florida Suffers Heavily In Property Loss and Dam-
 age to the Crops
MANY CITIES ISOLATED
 BY BREAKING OF WIRES
Nothing Has Been Heard From Tampa for Nearly Twenty-four Hours and Many Other Places Are
 Cut Of By storm

Jacksonville, Fla. October 1s.-What un- doubtedly will prove to be the most de- structive storm in the history of the southeastern extremity of the United States last night and today swept the entire Florida peninsula, doing damage estimated at several million dollars. Forty thousand square miles of territory south or Jacksonville has been without any means of communication with the out side world for more than "A hours. The last reports from this section, embracing all that territory souch of line from Tampa to St. Augustine, told of hurricane winds, hourly increasing in intensity, and rapidly falling barometers. The ornage crop in that territory and the vast truck ing industry probably were ruined.
 Jacksonville sustained heavy property damage, but 1t is believed there was no loss Of life in the vicinity. Along tho eastern coast many lives are believed to have been lost and the property damage must have been great.
 The maximum wind velocity, 70 miles an hour, was recorded here at ' o'clock tonight, when the center of the disturb ance appeared to have passed up the At lantic coast toward Savannah The wind velocity along the coast was greater than In the city Mayport, at the mouth of the St Johns river, experiencing a wind of 80 to 90 miles an hour and one-half Of the houses there were wrecked.
 There has been no communication with any point south of Jacksonville, with the exception of St. Augustine, since late this afternoon, and wires north were severed with one exception shortly before dark.
 It probably will be several days before the telegraph companies can restore their service to vast storm-swept territory of southern Florida
 heavy downpour of rain accomna nied the high winds everywhere. At St. Augustine houses in the business sec ton were flooded tonight at low tide with promise of immense damage to bus mess property when the high tide came in. The city Is in darkness, a gale was still blowing at s o'clock tonight, the swelling seas were breaking over the sea wall and at that hour thousands of dollars damage has been done prop erty along the water front
 Not word has come from Tampa since 4:20 o'clock this morning, when the As- sociated Press wire to that city failed in the midst of a story which told of in- creasing winds, falling barometer, dam age to roofs, etc. The telegraph com panies do not expect to restore commun- ication with Tampa before tomorrow, all though several hundred men were rushed out of here on the construction gangs
 The only loss of life reported was that of the drowning of three negroes at Key West. contained in an Associated Press dispatch via Havana. The territory from which no reports have come for "A hours, however. is expected to show a heavy death toll.
 Extraordinary precautions were taken by the officials of the East Coast rail- way, which stretches out into the ocean for miles in the vicinity of the lower keys, and the officials here believe that not single force of construction hands was caught on the line by the gale.
 By reason of the warnings issued by the weather bureau. shipping Is believed 10 have suffered very little. All of the steamers in Florida waters have kept within harbors since yesterday morning with the exception of few of the big liners. A number of barges and launches were sunk at points along the east coast. but no lives are reported lost While the damage will be heavy along the coast. the greatest property loss was in the interior, where the storm came upon the people with little warning, and in some instances without any notice at all.