BURIN PENINSULA

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19785, 25 November 1929, Page 11

BURIN PENINSULA

; CONFIGURATION OF I AND j CHANGED. j HOUSES DESTROYED BY TIDAL j WAVE. rr.i-s 8 C TILEGRiPH —roPTHOBTI ST. JOHN'S. (Newfoundland . _ November "A deli nit e change in the configuration of the land on Burin Peninsula is one result of the earthquake,'' said the Hon. George Hartlett mi his arrival frmn Burin, where hi* witnessed tht tidal wave disaster from the deck o. the steamer Daisy, which was lifted on the crest and dropped back as tlu tK >- receded. . , Where vessels of lift ecu tolls collUl ride safely ut anchor the disturbance left the coastal waters too shallow roi navigation. , I'ropertv damage is est una ted < more thaii 1,000,000 dollars, and tlie deaths are variously estimated at rrom twenty-six- to thirtv-six. Burin, the largest town affected, has a population of IUuO. The wave rose forty feet, sweeping nil the waterfront property. The French islands of St. Pierre and .Mbjuelon, off the Burin coast, are reported to have suffered damage. The wave struck burin at night, two hours after the earthquake. In the dark ness there were appalling incidents. From all sides came cries for help. So bare of everything in certain localities are the Hurin waterfronts, Mr liartlett Baitl, that 110 evidence remains of their ever being inhabited. Houses riding on Burin inlet seas were searched bv rescuers from the Daisy immediately after the wave struck, but no living thing could be found. In one upper room a light bunud wauly in the d;uknoss. From one house, Mrs Vincent Kelly, of Kelly's Grove, rescued two of her children". She went back in a desperate effort to save n third, when the habitation was tarried away to sea and neither mother nor child was seen again, again. Another family was seated at tea when the house suddenly shifted- It came back to its original position, and as it moved again the father seized a child under each anil and, with his wife 011 his back, struggled through the water to safety. A motorist approaching Hurin won a thrilling race when tlje bridge which he wus crossing went down as the rear wheels reached the further side. The steamer Daisy rose high above the Government wharf, and as the water subsided she rested on the bottom, where the normal depth was ISft. The most serious condition is the privation resulting from the destruction of homes, the winter supply of provisions and fuel, and practically all fishing gear. Four members of the crew of the steamer Georgian were taken to hospital on the arrival of the ship to-day, as a result of injuries suffered when a terrific sea swept the ship and shifted her cargo 011 Monday, twelve days out from Copenhagen. THREE OF CREW SWEPT OVERBOARD. (Received November 24th, o p.m.) HAIJFAX (Nova Scotia), Nov, 23, The Dutch steamer Stadviadinger, which lias been docked at Sydney (Nova Scotia) reported that three of the crew were swept overboard and drowned by the tidal wave last Sunday. ■