The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-18

- now tearing tHIOuSH ldlhpd < streets at the rate of 60 miles an < < hour. The wind seems to be < < swirling from the northwest, indi- % < eating that the storm proper is < < passing to the southward. < r~S~>>-<>-e>->-@~%><~~-%<+~~%>>
 Havana, October 17.-The island of Cuba has probably sustained the greatest material disaster in all her history in the practically continuous hurricane which began with light rains on Thursday morn ing, developing into torrential floods and devastating hurricanes and continuing un- |, til this evening" The western half of the island suffered more severely than ] the east
 The first hurricane, of which there was { some warning, had hardl ' abated on Sun day night when sudd ,nly the wind. which, up to then had been southeast, changed to southwest and with renewed fury, the hurricane blasts swept over Matanzas. Pinar del Rio and Havana provinces. completing the destruction wrought by the first storm
 It Is impossible to estimate even rough ly the amount of damage. which will doubtless aggregate many million of dol- idIs. III duuiliOu tO tH6 great QeSLTuCI1On to sugar and tobacco plantations, many thousand of people in the three provinces have been rendered homeless and desti- ute by the loss of their homes and the food crops, especially plantains and corn. It now seems probable that the rt public may be compelled to request in- ternational aid for them.
 While all communication with the i'm terior has been cut off there is reason to hope that Oriente, Camaguey and Santa Clara have escaped the greatest fury of the storm.
 Tn the city of Havana the loss probably will exceed s1,000,00o. mainly due to the destruction of the customs house sheds, which were filled with perishable goods, the sinking of scores of lighters, many of them containing valuable cargoes which had been unloaded from steamers and the submerging Of about one square mile of the residential section of the city. facing the sea.
 The flooding of this section was caused by the tremendous waves which, when the wind suddenly veered this afternoon. were driven with great violence over the Malecon sea wall, inundating well a great portion of suburg, Vedado.
 New fatalities up to the present have been reported. Three men were drowned in the harbor but no deaths from the storm occurred in the city.
 The American consul general, J. Linn Rodgers, Succeeueu yesterday III reAcn- ing Artemisa, 35 miles southwest of Ha- vana. He returned here this morning and reports the country has been de- vastated. The flood conditions from Artemisa to Cape San Antonio, 1t is said, are even worse than in the territory ex- plored by Consul Rodgers.
 All the tobacco seed beds and barns have been destroyed The prospective crop, it is asserted, will not exceed 10 per cent of normal. The sugar planta- tions suffered less severely, but great damage has been done to standing cane by the change of wind in the second storm.
 Great Damage at Tampa
 Tampa, Fla. October 17.-With com munication with all points south of here cut off, wireless stations out of com mission and the increasing danger of |, the interruption of communication with the entire world. Tampa and all that ter ritory between here and the Florida Key is being storm-swept tonight. It is impossible at this hour to estimate the damage, no reports having been received from nearby towns. In Tampa, up to l1:3O o'clock tonight, the damage Is con- fined to the stripping of signs from their moorings, ripping off of tin roofs, blow Ing down of telephone poles and electric wires and minor damages to shipping
 
 an hour seaward and increasing in in tensity, the tide in the bay Is lower than the old bridge tender can remember ever having seen 1t before. Many small craft anchored in the vicinity of the | Tampa Bay hotel are stranded and a lew pleasure craft are lying on their sides with more or less damage. The storm has blown the water out of the bay causing a tide at least seven feet below low water.
 Chief alarm is felt in the damage to fruit and truck in the section between II here and Punta Gorda and further in- \ land. Indications at late hour are that I the center of the storm will pass lit- | tie to the southward of Tampa. This | means that 1t will spend itself. perhaps M somewhere in the everglades.
 Grave fears are entertained here for the 1 safety of AS members of the Plant City Artillery company which Is encamped at Egmont Key. The company landed \ there this afternoon and when the tents | were pitched the wind blew them down. '\ No word since 5 o'clock from them. Considerable fear Is also entertained for residents at Pass-a-Grille, year-round resort on the bay. There are at least 50 persons at that place. where it is believed the full force of the disturb v ance will be felt.
 Fortunately, the four days warning given py tHe WedlHeT uepdTtHleHt nus \ served to put all shipping on guard. Not l boat has gone out of here in that M time and none has come in..
 II The schooner Brazos which sailed from here several days ago is believed to have been lost as no tidings of her have been H received since she left. She was bound for Cuban ports loaded with lumber Untold damage has been done to the oranges, which gave promise of a bumper crop. The trees were loaded with fruit It had reached that stage \ of maturity where the trees are unusual Nv heavy, an easy prey to high winds A Passengers arriving in the city this aft Nernoon from Sarasota and other points Nhelow here report considerable damage Ysyen as early as noon today. Along the railroads telegraph poles are blown down I and the tracks filtered with debris of Il oIi kinds. N.
 Il 7xhe rirslszs station hsse h still work