New Britain herald., 1928-09-14
PORTO RICOLASHED
BY FURIOUS STORM
Wind Reaches iA Miles an
Hour; Gauge Brtks
NUMBER OF DEAD UNKNOWN

Dasnaee VIA Run Into MAlinss-
10 Per Cent OF San Juan Build
inns Collapse-Othee Islaads Fed
Storms Fury.
New York, Sept. II Ok-The tropi-
cal Islands Of the West Indies were
raked today by = devastating hurri-
cane that caused steadily increasing
destruction to property ashore. dam
arc to ships at sea. and death Of an
undetermined number Of people.
Reports from the zone of destruc-
ton were incomplete. but they were
enough to chow that the storm vas
Of unusual fury. . whirlins blast
that would leave . wide wake Of
pesoiation.
Gets Full Fury
PORTO Rico, largest of the bodies
Of lind In the storms path. was ap-
parsntly the victim Of the full fury
OF the tempest. The winds, veering
madly In tho usual style of these
storms a. the air currents rush
toward the moving vortex. reached
l3t miles an hour. Then the wind
gauge at San Juan broke but the
wind increased and some estimates
placed its greatest rate as around
1Se miles an hour.
Few buildings can withstand
pressure OF that degree and eighty
per cent Of the houses around San
Juan gave way. Hospitals and 9TH
,r more substantial buildings were
unroofed, trees we're uprooted ana
coffee, banana and cocoanut plan
tations destroyed.
Appeal For Aid
An appeal for help was sent to
the Associated Press by Thomas E.
Benner. chancellor OF the univer-
sity of Porto Rico. He managed to
survey the territory within seven
miles Of the city and reported that
millions OF dollars worth Of proper
ty had been destroyed in that small
area
Before the blow reached Porto
Rico It struck the Virgin Islands
another outlying possession OF the
United States. 1t also caused much
damage In Martinique and In the
Twin Island republics Of Haiti and
Santo Domingo. Dispatches to the
French Cable company office here
from Cape Haitien. the northern
most tin Of the island, said that the
huryicane was rapidly approaching
that point and that it had passed
over La Romano, \ Dominican town
on the south coast Of the island. All
telephone communication across
the island was interrupted. . con-
dition which prevailed in other
places which experienced the fury
of the elements.
Tho hurricane reached its great
est intensity at $50 o'clock yester-
day afternoon. For six hours the
wind was calculated by the weather
bureau to have blown at an average
Of 100 miles an hour with occa-
xional squalls at $50 miles an hour
Losses Heavy
chipping losses were believed to
b heavy. The freighter Helen
dragged its anchor and drifted on
tho rocks at the entrance OF the
harbor. Two sailing vessels appeared
from the shore to be sinking.
The city was plunged in darkness
and transportation halted. Com
munication with other parts Of the
island was cut of and 1t Wal
thought that days would be required
before 1t was restored. Weather bu.
reau oflcials believed, however
that San Juan had probably borne
the brunt Of the storm and that the
south side of tho island had not
suffered so greatly.
Tho hurricane ripped the roof of
the Palace hotel In the center oi
the city. Part Of the roof OF the
Union club was carried away.
The governors palace was flooded
Windows and doors were blown In
(Continued on Pare s3)