New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-28
THE EOUINOCTIAL STORM.
, HOUSE CRUSHED-A WHOLE FAMILY
KILLED.

Tho weather Yesterday was furious Inc
q, tr,cht,ul gusts and the rain pelted unhappy
,edestr,ans with pitiess mpertinence' fair"ea'he,
b,,stians stayed comfortably at home, ana shrusseu
,ber shoulders TO their more jealous church-gos
bren scudding before the storm or contendlng lapo
ons,v against IT, Umbrellas dismantled with appa'
,, cuickness hats and caps whred away Withou.
Moments warning, and skirts became ve&auon y,
s,irjt 10 their wearers. Awnings were rapiup iAo
into long and worthless stripe Portable properly VI ."
Kinds displayed alarming propensity 10 laho
and fly away, and the storm, in word du i's oe9'
snce all things 10 q state Of most admhed uisoIu0i'
uwas postyely unsafe to pass along souh-st !es'ei
dav afternoon as States chimney pots sheets OF n ioo
ing &C. were being displaced by the gao anu a. -
fhe sidewalk and the street The tue coh'inUru "
long after thejme noted in the almauacs. 49,.
rlaoes along both rivers were quickly s"amPou' -.
we're flooded usual AT feck'siP VEG 60, "a ,r.
was very deep The sidewalks were noOueu anu T -'I'
...,,o % neSes,raps except at the risK OF pluhG-
= ,,o holes and gullies The cigar store
~ the southwest corner OF Peekshp ana oou'ns"
appeared TO SWIM. The 1901 Vi 80.
-, a. had The water lodged deeply there so that
nIa had 70 wade through IL or make circuit OF some
blocks. l.,
boards were the commonest sources Of danger IN
49, st-ees They were torn down IN multitudes, and
every pocesaton had pile OF them, picked up Oy the
officers Altogether, y signs had accumulated IN the
Beekman-st staon.house up 10 10 p M Abookstahua'
the corner OF John ana Nassauss hau I's WIN
down. aud the police had muc1 dihcuIly III preserving
1IOm greater injury.
Late in the evening the direction OF the wind was from
4e east Where there distractions, as at street
corners It swept all directions IN sudden gushes The
clouds seemed be running at speed of upward OF iOo
miles an hour.
The storm had full sweep in the bay and the East
River while the North River being sheltered, was COM
rarauyely undsturbed. The tide. Influenced by the
sterv wind rose 10 unusual hight so that the water
yeacbed the string pieces Of many OF the dOwn-toWn
Nhaves driving the rats into the adjacent houses ana
cellars Thousands OF these pests could be seen
oui,ting the docks FOR safer quarters The vessels
which lay in the most exposed positions were IN
many instances badly chaied by being tossed
sr,pst The wharyes. aud were busy all day pro-
.cc,luc them with Tenders. 1.-THE bark T. K. Weldon,
living at Pier No y East River and loading for New
orleans was keecd by the gale so that her chan
1es nearly touched the dock and although her officers
and crew did their utmost TO keep Tenders in place. she
would tear them up Ike match stuff The vessel Is
somewhat ohafed.
The frigates Colorado. Lealtad and sloop-ofwar
Alaska lying Of the Battery sent down their topgalant
aid royal yards and kept up steam ready TO slip their
and clear themselves of vessels which might
break adrIia
There was rumor that the Spanish irou-cad Victoria
had parted her chains and had gone down the bay TO
eeck q more anchorage. This, however, was
untrue left her anchorage Saturday and steamed
o. Flushing bay where she to take board her COAL
The quantity being great that it is doubtful if the
Victoria could the bar at sandy Hook She will 80
e. sea by way Of the sound.
There interruption TO travel the ferry boats,
but trips made slowly and pilots acted with more
than usual caution. The boats pitched" very much,
6ud caused considerable alarm among the passengers.
A. the Barelayst ferry 10 HOboken the landing was
overlooked and pedestrians wereObged TO wade through
water foot deep in order TO reach the boat or 10 get
ashore Plauks were used FOR time but as these were
1o securely dashed they washed away when most
needed The Williamsburgh boat that makes landing
Pe slip obliged TO put in yesterday afternoon at
The Eoosevest dock because Of the force OF the wind
and current
Last evening the canal boat J. J. Schuyler owned by
J H. Young. in the East River at the foot Of
Twenty gbth-st. Loss $1,000 40 insurance.
TERRIBLE CALAMITY-A WHOLE FAMILY KILLED
About q p. IN. yesterday, while the storm was
al hight the large unfinished fvestOry brick build
sug. No 627 West Forty sixthst, fell with terrible
crash. The side and rear walls were complete. The
srou wall only carried up TO the second story The
SIDE wall on the west side topped a one-story
Gtck building. occupied by Benjamin Donnelly his wife,
aud four children and all were burned in the ruins
At the time the calamity occurred, Robert Henderson,
stsdiug 1T No Gi2, short distance below, and his
daughter seated in the front room, the latter
The window. He beard deep rumblng sound followed
10y the exclamation from his daughter, Ion, God look
finished building giving away and fall with crash, out
ward. al the parts apparently giving away at the same
time
HurryDg from the house he, with others, gave an
alarm IL scarcely necessary however for the noise
Of failing building had aroused the entire neighbOr
hood and comparatively short time over 1000 people
lsd oongregated the Deighborhood. Information OF
.he affair wac Capt Bogart OF the Twentysecond
Precinct Police. and himself and platoon OF men were
the spot the police. assisted by citizens. at
once set to work clearing away the Of bricks and
timber that covered the DOnney family, but nearly al
hour had elapsed before any member was reached.
All with the exception of the boy Charles, found
Al u heap near the front door, Apparently they had
b5on seated around the stove il the front room, and
bearing the crash had started TO escape, but had only
reached trout door when they struck by the
falling m1ss Tho dead are Benjamin Donnely, the
father Rosa, his wife, age 49, Catharne Ann, age
40 wm. @, age T. and Hugh, age Is monthsE
O Charles. aged seven, sitting sstrde hobby-horse
when the crash came when found by the searchers
was lying beside Both legs broken, and he
Otherwise shOckugy bruised and cut. His life only
saved by beams falling portion Of the walls
0! DOnnellys residence and forming sort Of shield
The bodies and the Injured lad were removed 10 the
residence OF Mr. Carson Miller, brotherinaw Of Don.
nelly No Coz West Forty third.st Both parents had
their egs fractured Donney's face much confused
and his skull fractured. HIS wlfes face terribly
iace.s.ed. aud skuI also fractured Her body
MAS % cOatusons Hugh had cut on the back OF the
bead and William cut on the cheek. Both had
O. we'd the body. 1t is almost
tain tha. all OF these instantly killed.
sue Of those assisting in the search. say they heard
CREE for help proceeding from beneath the RUNS but
these uttered It have been by the boy Charles
Donuelly a charcoal yender aud had accumulated
Considerable means. He owned two or three wagons,
Three spans OF horses and the house in which he and his
Family lived He and has wife this country from
the county Derry Ireland in the ship early 1889
tley became acquainted on shpDOard, renewed the
quantance after landing in this city, aud were subse