Ferocious 140 mph winds scythed through Antigua yesterday -- leaving Bermudians frantic with worry about loved ones on the Caribbean isle.

One Antiguan, whose brother lives in Bermuda, told of the sheer devastation left by Hurricane Luis.

Jewellery store owner Mr. Michael Scotland said the storm had ripped roofs off houses, turned windows into glass shrapnel, knocked out telephone lines, and felled trees.

Waterfront hotels and nightclubs were also thought to have been wrecked, swamped by sea water.

"It was really frightening, a much more dangerous hurricane than I had thought,'' 42-year-old Mr. Scotland told The Royal Gazette late yesterday afternoon. "I would say we got the full force of the hurricane. While it lasted, it felt as though we had a very rough sea all around us. It must have done a lot of damage.'' He added Luis' winds -- likened to the howling of a "million ghosts'' -- battered the Island from 10 p.m. on Monday until 8 a.m. yesterday.

"The hammering outside my house was just non-stop. I've never known anything like it.'' From shanty towns to gleaming tourist hotels, boards and metal sheets had been hammered over windows -- but not all could withstand Luis. And even as he spoke, the howling of Luis' winds could be heard down the telephone line.

Amazingly, however, Mr. Scotland's home on the outskirts of Antigua's capital, St. John's, escaped virtually unscathed. His neighbours were not so fortunate.

"As I look out my window now, it is raining again and my fence has been broken down, but the worst of it seems to be over. There is a heavy wind, however, and I can see coconut trees bend over in the gusts.

"You would have to be very careful going outside. You still don't see anybody in the street, although now and then a vehicle might pass by.'' News that Mr. Scotland, his wife, Dulcina, 37, and their six-year-old son, Thravas, had survived Luis was greeted with relief by anxious relatives in Bermuda. "We've been very much concerned. Apparently, it was the worst hurricane seen in Antigua's history,'' said Mr. Scotland's brother, Rupert, a former Antiguan cricketer, now living in Melville Crescent, Devonshire.

"It is really surprising my brother's telephone line is still working.'' The 58-year-old former prison officer has been less fortunate, however, with other relatives, including brother-in-law Mr. Gerald Price, and his wife, Gwendolyn, who is head of Antigua's Red Cross. Their lines are down.

It is a similar predicament facing 22-year-old Jay Donawa, who has been nervously awaiting news of his grandmother, and an aunt and uncle. "We are just hoping everything is okay, and are praying for them and keeping our fingers crossed,'' he said from his home in West End Lane, Somerset. "I spoke to my auntie before the hurricane hit, and asked what we could do. She replied: `Unless you want to fly down and help board us up, there is nothing you can do'.'' With phone communications down, and radio stations off the air, it was unclear yesterday whether 700-mile wide Luis, which has already killed a French tourist, claimed any lives in Antigua. The extent of damage was also unknown.

In the past, the Bermuda Regiment has sent volunteers to the Caribbean to help out in the aftermath of a hurricane. But by yesterday afternoon, the Regiment had received no "formal request for help,'' said a spokesman. Deputy Governor Mr. Peter Willis said an assessment of Luis' legacy had still to be made.

Bermuda had no idea what the needs of Antiguans were.

At 6 p.m. last night, Luis was 855 nautical miles south of Bermuda, howling towards the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Weather experts said Luis' closest point of approach to Bermuda would be at 3 p.m. on Friday, when it would come within 642 nautical miles south southwest of the Island.

It is not considered a threat to the Island -- yet, said a Bermuda Weather Service spokesman.

Meanwhile, US Virgin Islands Governor Roy L. Schneider declared a state of emergency yesterday and imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to prevent looting.

Tourists and natives alike jammed airports to flee. But time was running short. The airports in the US Virgin Islands closed at midday and the last flight out of Puerto Rico was scheduled for 6.45 p.m., hours before Luis' expected arrival.

Speaking from his Antiguan home, Mr. Scotland told The Royal Gazette the Island had received plenty of advance warning of Luis' approach. People had flocked to boarded-up stores over the weekend to stock up on water, candles, flashlights and other essentials.

"Hardware stores were busy as people got plywood. Supermarkets were extremely busy, too, selling canned food. Basically everybody spent the whole of Sunday getting prepared for the hurricane.'' Mr. Scotland said the Island's electricity was switched off at 9 p.m. on Sunday -- an hour before Luis struck with full force.

"A lot of the telephone lines went down, and are still down. Most of the damage was done during the early morning -- I would say 2 a.m. was the worst time, and a lot of roofs were torn off.'' Most of the roofs blown away were tin, said Mr. Scotland.

"I have a felt roof and it's okay. My neighbours, though, have suffered a lot worse than me.

Mr. Scotland said he and his family spent a sleepless Monday night in the living room, glued to the radio until it went off the air at about 1 a.m. "We also had to continually mop up water, as a lot of it came through the windows, even though they were boarded up.'' Luis' ferocity, however, appeared to strike little fear in Mr. Scotland's young son. "Actually, he was very excited and had been looking out for the hurricane since last week. As a kid he has been really looking forward to it.'' For Mr. Scotland, of course, Luis was far from entertaining.

Like most Antiguans, he recalls Hurricane Hugo which left a trail of devastation in the Caribbean in 1989. "I would say Luis is worse than Hugo,'' he stressed.

Mr. Donawa said his grandmother, Ida, who is in her 80s and lives alone, had moved in with his aunt, Silvia. "When I last rang, they were preparing for the hurricane, boarding up windows, securing property and getting food. They seemed worried, of course, and the wind even then was beginning to pick up.'' Mr. Donawa, who is studying health education at Auburn University in Alabama, said he had tried to get through to his aunt yesterday morning -- but without success.

"I assume all the lines are down.''