The sun., 1919-09-19
'SEASPOUT GRAZES
GALE-RAKED SHIP
Ward Liner Buffetted for
Hours, Narrowly Escapes
Disaster Off South Coast.
FLOOD sMAsHEs PORTS
Mexico Almost in Path Of
Tower of Water 800 Feet
High, Swirling Along.

The Ward liner Mexico. which arrived
At this port yesterday from Havana ex-
perienced, on her southwark trip, the
full force of the tropical hurricane which
swept into the Gulf OF Mexico from the
Atlantic and resulted In great damage
and loss OF life In the vicinity OF Corpus
Christi. Texas
According to Capt. +. l. Miller OF
the Ward Line steamship. the storm
ragged with terrific violence for more than
thirty hours. and besides damage from
the wind and waves the Mexico Just
escaped a waterspout which swept aeross
her bow less than half cables length
away with a velocity Of eighty miles an
hour. In all his experience of troptcal
blows Capt Miller said that he had never
before met one that lasted more than
fourteen hours
First Encounter win Storm.
The arst ship encountered the gale
on Cape Hatteras and II grew steadily
worse as she made her way south. on
Miami, Fla, the steamships Monterey
and Creole were sighted. hove to and
riding out the gale with difficuity- The
Monterey arrived at Havana the day
after the Mexico and was found to have
sustained considerable damage to her
upper works from the force OF the waves
Heavy seas swept clear over the boat
deck OF the Mexico Amidship, broke a
number Of ports on the cabin deck and
flooded some Of the statsrooms Matches
were battened down and life lines
stretched for such officers and members
Of the crew as were compelled to remain
on the bridge. The passengers were
confined below.
The waterspout appeared suddenly on
Thursday morning II crossed the steam
ships bow very nearly at right angles
to her course and close enough for all on
board 10 distinctly feel the shock Of its
rapid passage. The liner staggered as
II she had struck a reef or submerged
wreck, tons Of water from the towering
waves around the base OF the spout
broke over her and several fish drawn
up by the whiriing column Of water fell
on her deck The spout was ace feet
high. SO feet In diameter at the base and
mushroomsd out to a diameter Of zoo
feet at the top, according to officers and
members Of the crew who witnessed the
unusual phenomenon
Spanish Liner Missing.
Considerable anxiety Is felt in Ha-
vana, Capt Miller reported, over the
fate Of the Spanish liner Valbernna.
now more than a week overdue at that
port, with a large number Of passengers
on board At the request OF the Ameri-
can naval authorities the wireless oper-
ators on the Mexico made every EFFORT 10
pick UP a message from the Spanish
steamship. but without success
Much damage was done in Havana BY
the storm. though the Cuban capital was
not directly in the path Of the hurricane.
Eleven persons were killed, and the
waves swept over the sea wall and
flooded the Prado several feet
Frank Steinhardt. president OF the
Havana Electric Railways Company,
who, with his wife and three children,
was a passenger on the Mexico. said
pieces OF the sea wall Weighing several
tons were thrown on the car tracks
along the levee by the waves Several
hundred families were made homeless
and many Of the houses in the lower
part of the city were damaged. though
they are all brick structures.
Another Of the go passengers on the
liner was Ifdel Munes. Chilean Minister
10 Cuba. who brought his wife and
eleven children here for a vacation