Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-10-31

/ damage to this church amounts to $50,
600. The steeple of the First Baptis
church, 36th and Chestnut streets, 17C
feet high, was blown down, and in its
fall the spire doubled up, the base fall
ing into the church yard, and the top
with the bell, fell into the street; dam
age, 500, 900. In its fall the top of the
spire struck houses opposite, damaging
them considerably. The spire of the
Emanual German Luthern church on
Carpenter street, 222 feet high, was also
amongst the many church steeples
blown down to-day. A great many
market houses and passenger railway
depots were baldy damaged, and hun.
dreds of dwellings, chiefly in the north.
western section of the city, unroofed
some of them being entirely demolish,
ed. The shed for departing trains al
the Pennsylvania railroad depot
West Philadelphia, was demolished
involving a loss of between
1000 and $4,000. The factory on
Fitzgerald, on Columbia avenue and
American street, had the entire ROOF
carried off. The whole eastern end of the
18th and 10th street passenger railway
depot was leveled to the ground, stop
ping the running ofcars for long time
as it was impossible to get them out OF
the building. Shoemaker's pianoforte
factory, 11Sth and Catharine streets, was
damaged to an extent of $4,000. No
estimate of the loss of stock and mate
lial can be given, but it will be very
heavy. The kitting mills of Aaron
Jones Il Son, Germantown, were un-
rooted. The building also caught fire,
and q panic ensued among the oper-
atOrs. The loss will not fall short of 800
600. The large depot of the Philadel-
phia, Wilmington & Baltimore railroad
near Washington avenue wharf, was
reduced to ruins, and the south side
Pennsylvania grain elevator. in the i'm
mediate vicinity, was blown down. The
two western spans of the Schuylkill
bridge, on the Reading railroad,
fell into the river and stopped all travel
in that direction. Along the Delaware
river front no less than 20 warehouses
are without roofs and water is running
into stores on the east side, doing great
damage to private stock and to goods
stored on the wharves. 1t is estimated
that at least fifty store houses along the
wharves we're blown from their fasten-
ingS and great quantities of goods float
ed off with the tide. The reading rail
road ferry house and slip, above South
street, were demolished. The tide was
the highest known for twenty-seven
years. A ship discharging ballast at
Reed street wharf was blown on her
beam ends at the point of the breeze.
Two brigs are reported to have cap
sized. The Schuylkill river also over
flowed its wharves and there are re-
ports of much damage in that vicinity.
LATER ADyICES OF THE HURRICANE.
Baltimore advices of the 25th inst,
say that Captain Barker of the steamer
Express, which left here Tuesday for
Washington, reports that his vessel
foundered in q gale at the mouth of the
Potomac, and that the passengers and
crew arc probably lost. The captain
was rescued while drifting with frag-
ments of the boat.
Capt. Barker, describing the wreck OF
the Erpress, says the sea was running at
great height, every wave washing the
boat from stem to stern. Shortly after
5 o'clock Wednesday morning, there
came terrific crash and the Joiner
work started. The passengers and crew
had hardly time to realize what had oc-
Cured before wave tore the saloon
deck like so much paper work and fol
lowing the waves swept it off to sea and
with it nearly all on board.
Previous to this efforts were made to
hood \ e, Oh
furious that it was impossible to stand
against it, and the rolling of the boat
prevented the engineers from working
fast enough to keep steerage way on her.
1t was deemed advisable to let go the an
chor to bring her to the wind in the
hope Of riding out of the gale, or at
least until it should subside. The effort
was futile one as the cables parted us
soon as she branched TO, and the steam
er went adrift, no longer manageable
All on board had secured life preserv-
ers at the earliest period of the gale.
Some of the officers tried to secure
boats but they were washed away and
broken up. A moment after the upper
deck had been carried away the hull
rolled over and sunk bottom upward.
Those of the passengers and crew that
could reach portions of the wreck clung
to them, but the heavy sea washed
them off again, and at the breaking of
dawn only s persons could be seen.
OTHER WRECKS.
The steamer Thomas Veems, after a
terrible experience, was rescued by the
Lansjer, and towed to Crisfeld harbor,
where she now lies. The steamer Mas
sachuSetts is ashore disabled at Drum
Point. All on board well. The steamer
Louisa is ashore on Middle Ground.
The steamer Ide and % schooners are
ashore near the Massachusetts. The sig
nal corps station at Cape Henry reports
the American ship A. 5. Dauis, of Sears
port, Me-, Capt. Ira NJ. Ford, ran ashore
at A. NJ, on the 2Sth inst, eight miles
south of the station. The vessel and
cargo is a total loss. The crew, con-
sisting of 10 men, are all lost, with one
exception. The dead bodies were
washed ashore, last night, one and
half miles south of the station.
Net a Beverage.