National Republican., 1874-07-06
THE STORM ON SATURDAY.
DAMAGE DONE IN THE SEVERAL
SECTIONS OF TIE CITY.

| oGS4LONo IHE II,
HOUSES UNRooFED, TREES UPRooTED.
AND GENERAL TROUBLE-AT LEAST ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH
OF PROPERTY DEsTROYED-soME OF THE
PRINCIPAL LosERs-How THE BOATS ON
THE PoTOMACsACTED. ..
On Saturday evening, about 74O O'Clock,
this city was visited BY the most terrific wind
storm that has ever been Known in this section
of the country. 1t swept across the District
like hurricane, leaving very disastrous trail
behind. Houses were leVeled with the earth,
others were unroofed, trees uplifted from their
beds, windows smashed and sign-boards hurled
unfortunately about the streets. After the
wind had spent its fury the rain came on, and
for fifteen minutes the fall of water was very
heavy, Showers were repeated during the
night, and the storm did not finally pass off
until 3 o'clock yesterday morning. A few
minutes after z O'Clock on Saturday night
several gentlemen were seated in front of Do
lice headquarters, and their attention was
called to the active motion of the clouds. Two
storms appeared to be approaching each other.
Deep, black clouds skirted the horizon on the
north and east, while others, of q lighter hue,
were rising between the north and west, and as
they increased in size from those to the north
sprang white clouds, resembling immense balls
of snow, that rolled and tumbled in furious
manner, moving first in one direction and then
another. 1t was predicted that if they met the
result would be disastrous to the city. The
two storms drew nearer each other. There
was apparently two strong currents at work,
for one storm appeared to be crossing directly
over the other. All of sudden these globular
white clouds changed and began spreading. As
they did so they grew thinner, and finally dis
appeared.
While this was transpiring the two clouds
that had appeared to be moving in opposite
directions seemed to have became united and
formed one dense, impenetrable mass of
darkness, which was rapidly rising over the
city. A gentle zephyer-like breeze was at that
time felt coming from the direction of the
clouds. Soon there was seen to rise above the
house-tops a yellowish and suspicious cloud
that kept rapidly in front of the dark and
sterner one. 1t required no guessing to dis
cover that this was dust and that the storm
was so quickly approaching would soon be
over the city, and from the threatening aspect
presented would either be powerful with wind
or deluging with water. The streets and
porches were abruptly deserted and safety
sought within doors. The storm came on and
q more fearful hurricane this city never expert
enced. 1t lasted probably twenty minutes,
but in that time did an immense damage. The
dust was so strong and binding that even
grown persons were unable to battle with it,
and although only short distance from their
homes were compelled to seek the nearest
place of refuge. House tops were lifted of,
even the cornicing in some cases with them
taken away, some of them set down in q
strange locality, the occupant of the dwelling
not knowing where the roof had gone and the
ore f1,a W. olf
whence it came. Trees were dragged from the
earth aud taken into the streets where none
had been seen before, while branches were
scattered in every direction. Business signs
laid about promiscuously as if out in search of
an owner or lost from home. The following
have been gathered as some of
THE DAMAGES:
resulting from the storm: Two dwelling
houses on G street, Nos. 1911 and 1913, occ1-
pied by Mr.. Lyons and Mr.. Manning, had their
roofs taken off, and all along the same square
the young trees were broken off and blown |
through the street. A large three-story brick |
house, No. 1920 Fourteenth street, was swept |
Of roof, cornices and chimneys, and the debris |
carried a distance of one hundred feet. The |
dwellings of John o. Evans and DR.. Bliss, on |
X street, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth |
streets, were unroofed, and portion of the tin |
work carried over and thrown against a frame |
house on the south side of K street, near |
Fifteenth street. 4 row of five houses belong |
ing TO Dr. Began, and situated on Q street, |
below Fifteenth, Were completely stripped of |
their roofs, not plank or shingle being left. |
The entire covering of these houses was car
ried down to Fourteenth street. On COrcoran |
street, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth the |
houses of Messrs. Wilson, Van Week, Woods, |
Chinn, johnson, Harley and others were M
rooted.
Roofs were also raised on the following: One |
on Q street and Vermont avenue: one on Four |
teenth and Q streets; one on r, between Thir- |
teenth and Fourteenth streets; two on o, be- |
tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets; and |
an entire row on S, between Fourteenth and |
streets; one on o, between Fourteenth |
and Fifteenth streets Several houses on K |
street, between Fourteenth street and Vermont |
avenue. A portion of DR.. Buffers church was
lifted off. The roof OF Justice Bradley's house |
was removed and deposited in the yard of the |
Seaton school building. At the Ebbitt house |
the iron frame supporting the awning was |
twisted like piece OF wire, and part of the |
awning carried away; one of the large lamps |
in front of the house was also smashed. The |
bulk windows of the establishments of Green |
& Williams, at Seventh and D streets, and |
Henry Bogus, on D street, between Ninth and |
and Tenth streets, were blown in. At the st. |
Marc hotel the damages were pretty heavy, |
and will probably reach 81 900. Four plate |
glass windows were broken, several of the up |
stairs lights, the fine thermometer smashed to |
atoms, and the new awning, just put up on |
Friday last, ripped of, the bolts pulled from |
their sockets, and the whole thing a complete |
wreck. The flagstaff Of the National hotel |
came down with rush among q crowd of men
who were standing on the pavement, but for
tunately no one was injured. A laughable in
cident occurred in the ladies' entrance of this
hotel, where q swirl Of wind carried into the
vestibuls lady's hat, feaTfuily and wonder
fully adorned. The assembled lDungers, driven |
in BY the fury of the tempest, scanned and |
upon It as the frequent flashes of |
lightning revealed its amazing beauties.
A sign stretching across the front of Joe |
Platz' saloon was untimely ripped from its fast
enings, and falling edgewise destroyed two |
fancy lamps, broke two plate-glass front win
1oWs into smthereens, and narrowly shaved |
the heads of hurrying pedestrians.
SOUTH WASHINGTON.
While the wind was sporting in this manner
In the city, it did not forget to pay South Wash
ington visit. In going over it uprooted sew
eral of those noble trees that line Seventh |
street along by the Smithsonian and Armory
SQUIRE. At the "Home Base" the shingles
were pretty well picked from the roof, while
pile of lumber lay on the pavement awaiting a
claimant. Among LQe TOOles6 houses IN LllS
section of the city was that of Mr.. Herman,
corner of Four and-R-half and D streets; the
feed store of Mr.. McCauley, Four -and-a-half
and Virginia avenue, had the walls blown
down; the row of brick houses on F street, be-
tween Sixth and Seventh streets, had the roofs
lifted off and carried across the street; also,
that of Mr.. Gwynn Harris house, F, between
Ninth and Tenth streets; also, those of two
houses, the property Of Judge Wylie, on Tenth,
between D and E streets; also, that of ]. T.
Bradley, on Maryland avenue; Lewis Williams,
on Thirteenth street. The fre-alarm tele-
graph poles along Eighth street were leYeled
with the street.
A frame building IN the rear of the church
on the corner of Sixth and G streets was blown
down while full of people; most all of them
were fortunate enough TO escape unharmed.
A little girl named Bette Bird had her arm
broken, and three other persons were slightly
injured.
The house corner of Sixth and NJ streets,
owned by W. R. Riley, had the gable-end
blown out. Mr.. J. D. Hutton's residence on
Seventh, between F and G streets, was un-
rooted.
Both of the police and telegraph wires were
ether blown down or crossed so that cOmmu-
nicatiou was impossible, and this much-needed
service had to be dispensed with temporarily. |
Workmen were busy all day yesterday making
repairs and getting the wires in working order.
In other sections Of the city very serious dam
age was caused by the hurricane, but SO far as