Firemen there have been steadily retreating in the face of the wind-driven flames since early evening. For a time, it appears the entire city will be bonfire fuel. But then, around 9 p.m., what the wind whippeth, the wind taketh away. It shifts to the north, starts coming from the rear of the firemen's line and directs the flames back into the already burned-out sections. Two hours later, the fire is under control.
Most hurricanes die a quick death when they move inland because of the lack of moisture.
But rain-swept New England is like a big sopping sink sponge this day, and the terrain sustains, rather than sucks life from, the storm. In Massachusetts, the hurricane lashes Boston with a 186-mph blast of wind, which causes widespread damage but no deaths. New Hampshire endures a 183 mph gust that demolishes a train trestle on Mount Washington. In the center of Peterboro, the storm sparks a fire that burns all night, while in Hanover, Dartmouth College's tree-graced campus is summarily deforested. Blowing up through Vermont, the hurricane takes down thousands of the state's prized maple trees before moving into Canada, where it raises minor hell before scattering into showers.