St. Croix avis. [volume], October 07, 1876, Image 3

About St. Croix avis. [volume] (Christiansted, St. Croix [V.I.]) 1844-current

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NEVIS.
(F'rom the Nevis T'imes.)
After an interval of just four years,
we haye to-day to chronicle the re-occur
rence of one of those atmospherical phe
nomena which invariably ravages the
islands of these latitudes, after the lapse of
a yet undiscovered, cycle of years, and
which often is preceded by devastating
hurricanes for several successive years.
On Tuesday morning the 12th instant, a
steady breeze was blowing from the N. E.,
and in the same direction in the sky heavy
rain clouds were piled. There were but
few glimpses of the sun before mid-day,
and every indication of the weather clear
ly bespoke a heavy down pour of rain, ex
cept the sea, whose agitated state, gave evi
dent symptoms of the pressure of an ap
= prßaching storm. At 11.30, a. m., a teriific
squall burst suddenly from the North, and
for a time seemed to have relieved the acrial
regions of some great incubus; the sun
shono forth brightly, and the wind became
steady at North. The breakers, however,
became successively heavier and heavier,
antil 4 p m., when the waves commenced
to dash against the shore in such furious
grandeur, that the least imaginative mind,
would have pictured the ocean as being
inspired by the great sea god Neptune, to
give a display of its majestic power, in
honor of Nereid, or some of the other
fabled godlesses of the waters.
At 4.30, the report got current that the
mercury, in the various Barometers about
town, had fallen to 29.70,—0n1y 4 tecths
above what it ranged daring the hurricane
of 1872,—and this rumour served so to
intensify the minds of the Charlestownians
with the apprehension of approaching bad
weather, that shortly after, in every quar
ter of the town, were to be heard the
sharp crack ‘of the carpenter’s hammer in
- collision with the nails that were to se
cure the frail wooden barricades of safety,
that were put across the doors and win
p dows of iunumerable habitations. At
this time the wind was strong, but steady,
at North, and continued so until 8.30 when
it veered to every point of the compass
between that and S. W., and when the
latter point was reached, then came the
roar oFthe tempest, accompanied by vio
lent fitful gasts, which increased 1o
strength until 11 pm. when it blew a
semart hurricane, but fortunately not long,
for at 1 a. m., on the 13. h it had abated,
and wassucceeded by several hard showers
of rain botween that hour anl sun-rise ;at
6 a. m. the weather had cleared, a fresh
“ South Easter,’’ was blowing, and tha
elements had assumed a placidity, which
belied its mid-night veliemence.
It i 3 evideat that ouly the oufer edge
of a revere hurricane came in contact with
us, the centre of which must have passed
Northward, and but for that circumstance
we would most assuredly have had 1o
report far greater damage than our duty
* compels us to do iif this issue.
Iu town the amount of damage sustain
ed, is centred in tha blowing down of a
number of fences, and the destruction of
n few fruit trees. From the Country wa
hear that the Points, Stocks, Shaft, and part
of the Round House of the Wind Mill of
Madden’s Estate were blown down by the
Scuth Western blasts. We are sorry to
state that our sailing packet, the Kate, of
Antigua got on shore at ** Clarke’s Bay "
during the Egyptian darkness which pre
vailed during the gale. The Florence
Nightingale of Antigua, shared the same
fate, south of the Jetty ; the Tagus one
of our largs cargo boats, was driven
against the piles of the wharf, and smashed
to pieces by the breakers.
The * Florence Nightingale was got
off on the 15th instant and the ¢ Kate’’ on
Wednesday afternoon last, the former left
for windward on Sunday, and the latter
yesterday.
Since oyt last edition, we learn that the
gale which passad over the North of this
Island on the evening of the 13th instant,
has been productive of considerable dam
age to property in som3 of the neighbour
ing Islands to Leeward. At St. Eustatius
.3 . £ R.D 1L X A Y 1B .
the sloop Lilian belonging to F. Fraxce
Esq. of this Island, was driven ashore and
is now a total wreck; and two or three
houses were also blowa down. At St.
Barths some vessels in port were damaged
—2B houses were blown down, and a
greater number sustained damage. The
schooner Queen, and the sloop Gustavia ar
on shore, but will be got off. The facade
of the Roman Catholic Church uat a place
called Lowrien was blown down. A gen
tleman (Mr. T. W. Vaiucrossey) formerly
a Merchant of this Island buried in the
débris of his house, and rescued just in
time to save his lifa. Counsiderable dis
tress, it is reported prevails ; and this has
been the severest storm the island has ex
perienced since the hurricane of 1837.
At So. Martin, in the French quarter
215 houses wers destroyed—the inhabi
tants are in great misery—at Great Bay
the schooner Mot Bedile which left this
port a few days previous, and the brigt.
Sophia, along with several other vessels
have besn wrecked.
At Anguilla similar disasters occurred,
and the poor inhabitants are suffering
greatly. A brig [aden with a cargo of
Salt is now on shore, a complete wreck.
e e G e
-
(From the Antigua Times.)
As related in our issue of last week
this island was visited on the night of
the L2:h inst. by a severe gale of wind,
accompanied with rain. Several small
vessels wers driven on shore, one the
Alice 13 a total wreck, two others the
Mary Wilson of Barbuda "and Ocean
Spirie of St. Johny very much injured.
The only large vessel in harbour at the
time was the William Graham, nearly
loaded with produce; this vessel rode
out the gale without any damage, and
sailed on the 18th. On shore, feuces
and old buildings were blown down,
and several “ vanes” were lost from the
Wind Mills on sugar estates. The Canes
were in many places severely battered
by the wind and levelled with the ground,
but it is not expected that the * damage”
to the ensuing crop will prove important.
The barometer fell seven-tenths that day.
Raintall 2.50 inches.
The island of Barbuda to the north
of this, we are informed suffered
severely, scircely a huse that was not
either thrown down or very much injured,
and the growing crop of provisions was
nearly destroyed. In St. Kitts and
Nevis the gale did considerable damag:
to houses and the cines; it is said thit
the latter were much injured. Tho
extracts given below will give further
particulars of th: progress and effee(s
of the storm westward.
The weather during the last ten days
has been dry, (only 0.47) and planters
desire more rain. Tae canes ars hhwever,
through the influence of sunshine,
beginning to recover from the effects of
the late storm. Tue fall of rain trom
the first of th: month to date was 3.86;
previously for the year 37.84; making
a total of 41.70 inches.
eR -
DORINICA.
( F'rom the Dominican.)
A full of the barometer on Tuesday
night 12th Sapt., dark clouds, and a rather
fresh wind threatened us with a storm,
but the danger passed off before morning.
O.her islands, as we learn by telegraph,
have not bven equaliy spared. Gales
were experienced at St. Kitts and Aatigua,
and St. Thowas, St. Croix and Porto Rizo
have suffared severely from a hurricane.
e T
TELEGRAMS BY ENG
LISH MAIL.
DENMARK.
CopPeNHAGEN, Sept, 15.
By Royal Letlers Patent, dated to-day, the
Rigdag has been convoked for Ootoher 2.
CoPENHAGEN, Sept. 14.
The Berlingsche Tidende of to-day publishes
a telegram stating that a hurricane burst over
St. Thomas and St. Croix on the night of the
12th inst. The damage to property at St.
Thomas was not very extensive, but the crews
of two American vessels which foundered dur
ing the hurricane were drowned. Beyond this,
there was no further loss of lifa,
T'he rain fell in torrents the whoela time,
THE WAR.
SEMLIN, Sept. 17.
The Turkish Governmant has ordered all its
commanders to discoutinua hostilities till fur
ther notice. The Princa of Servia has sent
similar orders to Tchernayeff and the other
Servian commanders. There is no limit to
the duration of the armisties, but eithar party
is at liberty to terminate it by notice. The
Porte has submitted seven conditions, whioh it
wishes accepted to form the basis for future
negotiations., ‘L'ness are already in the hands
of the mediating Powers. The armistice has
bean agread toin order to facilitate negotiations.
The influx of Rassiansg still continues. It is
sail that last night the number of officers and
privates was greater than on any former ococa
gion If this was the case they must at once
have been ramoved to a part of the city where
their presence would b= likely to be unnoticed.
Mr. Forbes, the well-known Correspondent of
the Daiy News, has published a letter to the
Servians in the Istok, in which he reproduces
the telegram contained in the Daily News ot
Tuesday last. ILinforms the people that his
earlier announcemsnts that the war had ool
lapsed were not only premature, but exaotly
tho oonversa of what he would have said had
ha properly appreciated the nature of the
gtruggle. Aoocording to his views at present,
tha causa of the Sarvians has baen suoaessfal,
and the only battla of importanca has been
gainad for th:m It is understool that tha
Ministers condemnad Mr. Forbes very strongly
for his well-meant, but injudicious, attempt to
induca thy peopls to taks a pleasant viaw of
tha prospects of the war.
The English hospital i 3 now in workiog
order. To-night a very positive rumour of a
ten days’ armistion is ciroulating in Bilgrade
and Samlin.
Sept. 17.
As was expeoted, the answer ol the Porte
was given on Saturday. The text ftself has
not arrived here. As yet only the telegraph
has brought an analysis of the Memoire which
corrasponds in the main with what 1 sent in my
last. Inthe beginning the reasons are explain
ed which make it impossible for T'urkay to accept
the armistice, and which make it preferable
for her to endeavour to make a definite peace.
Then the conditions of peaes foliow, waich are
the sams you know :—l. Homage of the Prince
of Sarvia in Constantinopla. 2. fcall of the
Firmu of the year 1283, Turkish reckoning,
which gave the four fortresses formerly ocou
pied by Turkish garrisons over to the Prince
of Sarvia. 3. Abolition of the Militia, and only
a regular army of 10,000 men and two batteries.
4. lixcept the four fortresses which existed
bafore all the others are to ba dem)lished, and
the pasple who have ciym2 over from the
neighbouring Provinces are to be ssnt baok.
5. An inorease of tho tributa corresponding to
the interest of the sum to be paid as war oon
tribution. 6. Tharight for the Turkish Gov
ernmont to build thy Bdgeada Nisoh Railway,
and to work it.
Bat thesa conditions are nol put as a sime
qud mon ; on the contrary the Porte leaves it to
tha diseretion of tha Powers to oconsider the
grounds which have indused the Ports to place
before tha Powers these six points as calonla
ted to show its readiness to grant the armistice
as soon as the Powers have taken them into
consideration. An exchange of ideas has
begun between the Powers about thesa condi
tions. The unanimous view is that they ara
inadmissible, but here as yet the unanimity
ends. While soms of the Powers seem still
inclined to adhere to the point of view takem
up before—namely, that they ought to insist
on the armistice, others are disposed to maka
counter propositions. 'T'hey think this 80 much
the more likely, as the Tuarks have sent orders
to the commanders to suspend hostilities for a
week. Daring that timeit is thought that
some understanding might be come to between
the Powers, and the negotiations thus once in
courss the armistice can be easily prolonged.
BeruiN, Sept. 17.
The Turkish terms of peace are disapproved,
but as the Powers have failed to concert a
common programme the immedlate result of
the Turkish demand will be nothing worse
than & continuation of the Servian war and an
inorease of the Russian auxiliaries in the Servi
an camp. Itis not apprehended that Russia will
carry out her threat of direot interference as
long as the Servians, commanded by Russian
officers and sergeants, manage to hold Deli
grad and Alexinatz, and, as the autumnal
rains are at the door, the Servians are pretty
safe if they can hold out but a sow woeks
longer. What Russia might be tempted to do