New-York tribune., 1878-10-24
AuoLENT GALE AT PHILADELPHIA.


cut of during most of the day.
A VIOLENT GALE AT PHILADELPHIA.
OVER FORTY CHURCHES Observation-Disclosures OF
DWELLINGS UNRoOFED-FREAT DAMAGE TO THE
RAILWAYS AND ALONG THE WIRES
PHILADELPHIA, Oct %. "A gale Of unprecedented
seyerity swept over This city early this morning,
commencing about 2:3O o'clock a. m, and reaching
fits height between 6 and 7:3O a. IN. The storm sub
sided with a heavy rainfall about o'clock. Dur
ING these brief morning hours incalculabe damage
was done by the wind which ragged with the fury OF
hurricane. The velocity of the gale at 2:45 a. m.
was twenty-five miles an hour, blowing in west
erly direction. It's fury gradually increased, and
from 7:25 until 7:55 a. IN. it attained velocity of
seyenty-two miles an hour. Not in many years, if
ever before, has there been SO much damage done
in the streets, the public squares, and along the
river fronts Many of the public school buildings
are damaged, and the public squares have been
devastated Over forty churches are more or less
damaged by the demolition of their steeples, etc.
Several are expected to fall in at any moment The
Walnut Street Presbyterian Church, which had just
been rehtted, refTescoed and reUphOlsteTed, was
badly damaged. The spiTe, which was $50 feet
high, was blown down, and in its fall it struck the
roof Of a dwelling and very badly damaged it. and
also carried away portion Of the church roof. The
vestibule of the church and the organ loft were
filled with the debris. The organ was completely
demolished. The damage to this church will amount
TO $4,000.
The steeple of the First Baptist church, which
was 40 feet high was blown down. In its fall the
spire doubled up the base falling into the church.
yard and the top, with the bell, into the street
The structure was of wood, covered with slate, and
the damage is estimated at S23, 900. In its fall
the top of the spire struck the houses opposite,
damaging them considerably. The Spire of the
Emanuel German Lutheran Church. which stood
222 feet above the sidewalk, was also among the
many church steeples blown down to-day.
HEAVY DAMAGE TO RAILWAY DEPOTs AND Dwell
LING HOUSES.
great many school houses, market houses and
passenger railway depOts were badly damaged, and
hundreds of dwellings, chiefly in the Northwestern
section of the city, were unrOOfed. Many houses
were entirely demolished. The shed for departing
trains at the Pennsylvania Railroad depot, at West
Philadelphia, was demolished, involving a loss of
between $4,000 and $4,000. The factory of
F. Fitzgerald, at Columbia-ave. and Amercan-st
bad its entire roof carried away. The whole of the
eastern end of the Twelfth and Sixteenth Streets.
Passenger Railroad depot was leyelled to the gOund
stopping the running Of for a lOn1 time, as il
was impossible to get them out of tlB building.
All trains the railroads delayed, and tele-
graphic communication was shut of. The large
depot of the Philadelphia Wilmington and Bati-
more Railroad at Washington Avenue Wharf was
reduced to ruins. aud the south side Of the Penn
sylvana grain elevator, in the immediate vicinity,
was blown in. The two western spans Of the Falls
Of Schuylkill bridge, on the Reading Railroad,
fell into the river and stopped all travel in that
direction.
Shoemachcrs piano-forte factory at Eleventh and
efg dov 10 fIo Irp
900. No estimate of the loss on the stock and ma
teral can be given, but it Will be heavy.
The knitting mills of Aaron Jones & Son. at Ger.
mantown, were uuroOfed. The building also caught
fire. and the panic among the operatives was very
great. The loss will not fall short of 500, 600
Along the Delaware River 'front.' 10 less than
twenty warehouses are without roofs and the
waterls running into the stores the east side, do
ing great damage to private stock, and to goods
stored on the wharves. II is estimated that at least
fifty Of the storehouses along the wharves were
blown from their fastenings, and great quantities
of goods have hoated off with the tide. The Reading
Railroad ferry-house and slip above South-st were
demolished. On the Delaware River the damage to
shipping cannot be obtained at present. The tide
was the highest known for twenty-seven years. A
ship discharging ballast at Reed Street Wharf was
blown on her beam ends and damaged to the extent
of several hundred dollars. At Point Breeze
two bTigs are reported to have capsized. ship
broke from her mOorings at Kaighn's Point and
driftcd down the river three-masted schooner
Ut Reed Street Wharf was dsmantled.
The Sehuyllul River also OverfiOwed its wharves
and there reports of much damage IN that vi
cinity. Two schOOneTs. with cargOes of coal went
the bar just above the city, where they now re-
main. A number of empty caual boats lying of
Gloucester, n j., were blown into the stream, and
when last seen were floating up the river The diff
ferent feTry-boats experienced great difficulty in
making heir tTipS.
Several fatal casualties are reported. Morris
Dinner, a watchman, was killed by a large beam
falling upon him at the Re ding Railroad COmpany's
machine shops, Richmond. An unknown man was
killed at Dridge-st. and HOmesburg pike by the
roof Of a stable falling upon hlm. John Aiding was
instantly killed by the roof of building on Ale
gheny-ave. falling upon him. An unknown man
was Killed IN Cedar Hill Cemetery by falling tree
Anunknown man was killed at the Reading Rail
road COmpany's cOal-sheds on Lehigh-aYe. An un-
known woman was killed by the falling Of roof Of
adweng on Ridge-aye. A newspaper-carIier was
struck by falling tree at tho Naval Asylum and
killed. 10 is roughly estimated that seyenty-iye
persons were injured.