The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-09
THE CALAMITY HoWLERs.

ages. ne phrase WHICH Was lllduC 1ndC1
ordinary conditions, without special provo
cation, is good one, but too cold, toe
technical. 1t lacks energy. It is too stats
teal How much more explosive the Ian
guage would have been-yes, and persona
had newspaper man IN Pensacola dur
ing the storm, made it
Within the space of less than year, the
writer has passed through two severe hur
ricanes and had an opportunity of studying
the curious psychology of people who il
time of trouble seem to get a sort of happi
ness out of their misery.
The idea is to make everything appear a;
bad as possible. If the facts don't justify
the story, why, supply the facts.
Following are some of the rumors tina
were brought to The Journal office:
Another storm headed this way.
A great liner pounding herself to
pieces off Perdido wharf.-the vessel a
total wreck-loss, gigantic!
The navy yard submerged the day
after the storm, fifteen new aeroplanes,
worth $4,000 each, destroyed, the
wall demolished.
Damage in the city aggregating a
figure slightly less than the total
wealth of the community.
Schooner captain tried to bulldoze
his crew into putting to sea during the
storm.
The bridge near McDavid wiped
out by cyclone,
These are but few of the wild thing
that were told us. Print them? Certainl,
not To discount such stuff as this,
merely routine work.
It is indeed curious trait that as peopl
exagerate their prosperity by buyin
luxuries they can't afford, so they exag
gerate misfortune by saying. what isn't SC
The rumor about the McDavid cyclone
for instance, was started by passenger O.
the train which had been stopped by a yer
ordinary washout, caused, let us say, sub
ordinating redundancy to emphasis, b
floods.
The man who invented the frantic stor
of the schooner captain who tried to houn
shuddering crew into hosting sail durin
the height of, a 104-mile hurricane, forge
that however british a sailor might be
his men, he at least must think too much c
his ship to jeopardize it needlessly.
The storm-rumor was simply malicious
At no time was there any basis whatever t
justify the report. Yet the ignoramus VIII
circulated it was believed, while tn
weather expert who contradicted it an
said the barometer was rising, was not bt
l;eved
The myth about the great ship poundin
to pieces Sounds fine, doesn't it p in OF
| city limits was started two days after til
storm, when everybody knew, if they reall
stopped to think, that it couldn't be so.
The naval station wall emanated from a
inmate of the yard, and was quite III
founded
Every report tends to minimize the dan
age done. In the city proper, it was pract
cally NIL, outside of the electric light an
telephone wires. A few chimneys, som
crazy fences, and some trees. The waite
front suffered but not as severely as migl
have been expected. Ships and boats
anchor rode safely; ships at the wharf,
lnsecurely fastened, pounded to pieces ar
damaged other ships. Piers built too 10
were partially carried away.
These are the facts everybody has know
for the past three days, and vet the trutl
counterteiters had no trouble unloadir
their worthless specie on people who by
curious twist of psychology are willing
believe persons in time of calamity who
they know to be unreliable and to who
ordinarily they would never pay the Sigh
est attention, and would hardly hear VIII
they were saying, even!
-O
CAN VOTT PEAT TTo