WEATHER BUREAU. 9 



The following communications were received by Mr. W. H. Alexander, 

 observer, Weather Bureau, St. Kitts, West Indies: 



St. Christopher, Nevis, Administrator's Office, 



St. Kitts, West Indies, August 12, 1S99. 



I beg to tender on behalf of the Government, and the public generally, sincere thanks for the 

 information and timely warning afforded by yon as to the approach of the late destructive 

 hurricane, whereby this island was, no doubt, saved from more serious damage. 

 I have the honor to be, sir. your obedient servant, 

 (Signed) F. S. Wigley, 



Acting Administrator. 



Consular Service, United States of America, 



.St. Kitts, West Indies, August I'J, 1S90. 



I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to you for the service rendered by you 

 on the 7th instant, and I have no hesitation in stating that the prompt and efficient manner in 

 which you gave notice of the approaching cyclone was of the greatest benefit to this island, and 

 was much appreciated by its inhabitants. 

 I am, dear sir, yours truly, 

 (Signed) Emile S. Delisle, 



United States Vice Com. Agent. 



Colonial Bank, 



St. Kitts, West Indies, August 15, 1S90. 



The warnings and information given by you prior to and during the hurricane of the 7th 

 Instant have proved very valuable and of the greatest use to the inhabitants of this island, and 

 must have been of similar value to some of the islands northwest of us, and the usefulness of 

 the Weather Bureau must be considered as fully established 



Yours, truly, U. U. Geddes, 



Mariager. 



West Lodge, 

 St. Kitts, West Indies, August 10. 1899. 



Allow me to thank you for your courtesy on Monday the 7th instant, when I called at your 

 office, and to express"my appreciation of the timely warning you gave of the cyclone then 

 approaching us. which was of great value to the people of this island, as they were able to make 

 every possible jjreparation before the storm reached us 



I am, yours, respectfully, P. W. Deaton. 



The benefits derived in Porto Rico, the next island in the path of the hurricane 

 which possessed facilities for receiving and distributing storm warnings, are indi- 

 cated in the following extracts from a report made by R. M. Geddings, observer, 

 Weather Bureau, San Juan. Porto Rico: 



Immediately upon the receipt nf the hurricane warning on the 7th, hurricane warnings were 

 ordered at Arecibo, Aguadilla. Mayaguez. Ponce, Arroya. Humacao. and Fajardo. The flags 

 were displayed from the Weather Bureau office flagpole, and also from the signal staff on Fort 

 Cristobal, the same pole from which all marine signals are displayed at this port. As soon as 

 they were hoisted vessels began to move to a safe anchorage, and the warning was the means of 

 saving many of them. 



Reports from Ponce to date (August 16) show that nearly oOi) bodies have been recovered, and 

 it is thought that there are many yet to be found. In Humacao 00 persons were killed, and from 

 every side come reports of tremendous loss of life and property. 



The Bureau has been much complimented on its service here. The warnings were the means 

 of saving much life and property. At Mayaguez the authorities and all masters of vessels in 

 port were notified, and a number of vessels which were about to sail remained in port. The 

 Weather Bureau displayman at Aguadilla reports that the timely advice was very valuable. At 

 Ponce the hurricane warning order sent at II a. m. of the 7th came to hand on Playa of Ponce 

 at 5 p. m. It was immediately posted in the most public place, and numerous persons were 

 advised thereof. The owners of boats, lighters, etc., availed themselves of the warning and 

 placed their craft out of danger, and many persons placed their families out of harm's way. 

 The warning flags were kept flying until flood and heavy breakers washed the pole down. 

 Immediately iipon the display of the warnings at Arroya all vessels were placed in supposed 

 safety. Owing to the timely warnings no lives were lost among the shipping at Arroya. At 

 Arecibo the authorities were notified and the warnings were spread as much as possitaleamong 

 the people. The flood of the three rivers which, by a common mouth, empty into the sea near 

 Arecibo. was such an enormous one that old people have no recollection of anything equal to it, 

 and the loss of lite and property from the flood was enormous. At Fajardo "the warnings pre- 

 vented damage of importance, as word was immediately sent to plantations and shipping to pre- 

 pare for an emergency. At Humacao the warning was well justified. A tidal wave destroyed 

 almost all the houses in the port, and the loss of life was heavy. The display was of little ben- 

 efit at Humacao, for the reason that during the last twenty-three years the inhabitants have 

 been warned of many storms that never arrived, and believed that this would be the case in the 

 present year. 



A report made by Thomas J. McLain. United States consul at Nassau, Bahamas, 

 states: 



The storm began at Nassau about 4 p. m. August 11 and ended late in the afternoon of the 

 12th. Warning of its approach had been given by cable by the Weather Bureau at Washington, 

 so that the storm was expected and preparations were made for its arrival, which lessened the 

 amount of damage done very materially. On the i-slands the loss of life and property was con- 

 siderable, and many small vessels were torn from their moorings and wrecked. Mr. P. H. 

 Burns, superintendent of Bahamas cable. Nassau, calculated that .50 small craft were lost, and 

 placed the total loss of life at 150, probably 100 of which were lost at Red Bays. 



