The Mena weekly star., 1917-10-11
MIR. AND MRS. E. T. ROACH
 SUFFER MUCH IN STORM
Recent Hurricane That Struck Our
 Coast Devastated the Isle < of Pines.

Mena friends of MT. and Mrs. E. T. Roach are much distressed by the contents of a letter from Mrs. Roach telling of their sufferings and loss in the hurricane that swept the Isle of Pines and struck the Gulf coast during the latter part of September.
 Ont Monday September 2i, Mrs. Roach says she went down town, at Santa Fe, and was told a hurricane was coming that way from Jamaica. About : o'clock that evening it com. menced to blow, but not very hard, and she and MT. Roach slept pretty we'll until about a. m. Tuesday, when they got up and enjoyed a good breakfast, and concluded the storm probably would not be much worse.
 As to what came, Mrs. Roach says
 About i0 o'clock it got so bad nailed all the windows down. It kept getting worse, until between i and Z o'clock our house went f feet off it's foundation. l was iii the liv- ing room, Ed in the dining room. Both were violently thrown to the floor. I got up, and went to the din- ing room and pulled Mr. R. out from under the dining table. Things were falling, dishes being broken and with the terrific gale and wind we were beside ourselves. We went to the kitchen, expecting to go to the garage, but the door was sprung so we could not open it, and the win dows were all nailed.
 By the time l got a hammer to break a window, it was blowing too hard to leave, so Ed and I stood by the window for one hour, awaiting death, expecting with every fresh gust the roof would come down. As soon as we dared We pried open the window and climbed over a well from which the top had blown, and started for the garage. I unfastened the door and looked around in time to see Ed taken off his feet and whirled around the corner of the woodpile. With my help he crawled on hands and knees into the room, where the rain was pouring in at every part.
 Tn an old trunk l found clothes, shoes and wooden cap for Mir. R After getting him fixed up climbed a ladder, where we had sacks of cowpeas and put them and a large tent over a table so I could have dry place for Mir. R.
 About i o'clock I waded water 8 foot deep to eur nearest neighbor to see if we could get Ed over there. l found every room in their house flooded but Mir. Bacon went down town and got a man with an auto and brought Us to the Santa Rita ho- lel where we found many homeless people.
 Ed had been almost helpless but stood everything much better than expected but since has been in bed ant in as had condition as I have ever seen him"
 Mrs Roach says in addition to their pretty home they lost a two store house and their fruit is gone, Some of the groves were taken out by the roots.
 She then gives details of the aw- full devastation in other towns A steamer. tied up at wharf, was blown far in on the land
 Mir. and Mrs Roach say they will fix up to camp until they can leave.
 Nellamena left on Sunday before the storm for school at Jacksonville Fla, and Frank is at Camp Jackson, s. C., where he is in Co. C., Engineers, and expecting to de- part for France next spring.
 The letter was written to Mrs. R. R. St. John and Mrs. Nj. \. Stratton,
 
 !. W. Ellison of Huddleston was among the farmers on the market with cotton Tuesday