Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-13
A TWOFOLD TORNADO.
A DOUBLE HURRICANE AT WILL
MINGTON.
Havoc In the CIty-Damage 10 Ship
ping-DesTructIOn In the Pine
Forests and In the Rice Fields.


Forests and In the Rice Fields.
On Friday very heavy storm prevailed
along the North Carolina coast, doing great
damage to life and property. The force of
the hurricane at Wilmington was sufficient
to unroof houses and blow down trees.
The Wilmington Star of Saturday says
that "two terrible cyclones passed over the
city" on Friday. The first warning OF the
approach of the storm was given by the Sig
nal Office at half-past 9 o'clock, and the
hurricane struck the city an hour later, the
wind soon attaining to q velocity OF fifty
miles per hour, and finally, at one time,
reaching as high as sixty miles. The hurri-
cane, which was from the northeast, with
the usual variations incident to such q
storm, swept through the streets with fear
full violence, threatening destruction to
everything that resisted its power, and, OF
course, entailing a good deal Of damage to
property.
A lull succeeded the first fury of the gale,
but In q little while the calm was succeeded
by terrific gale from the southeast, accom-
panied by drenching rain, and which swept
through the streets with unprecedented vio-
lence, sweeping away awnings, blowing
glass out of windows, and creating scene
The damage by the second gale was much
more severe, especially along the wharf,
where 1t had full scope. The Purcell House
was partially unrOofed. The New York
steamers shed, which is now in use by
Messrs. Kerchner u Calder Bros, was en-
tirely unroofed and nearly demolished, tim
bers and rafters flying in every direction,
and large portion Of tin which covered
the shed being thrown into the street In
E~Nr - khnfr cfO a GQnfQ1n
Sam. Skinner's railway yard was prostrated
to the ground, and the roof from the hurri-
cane deck of his new steamer was taken
bodily off and carried over two sheds and
landed about fifty yards from the starting
point. Every building In the Carolina
Central Railroad yard was unroofed,
the office included, and large amount
of damage has no doubt ensued. In
the midst of the excitement in this particu-
lar quarter the German bark Carl Max
broke from her moorings on the west side
of the river, dragging two anchors, and
came across the river at terrible rate, run
ming into the steamtug Douglass, splitting
some of her rails, damaging her staneheons,
ETC., but fortunately doing no serious In
Jury. The shed on the Wilmington and
Weldon Railroad wharf was completely de-
stroyed, the roof being carried bodily to the
hilI above, in the neighborhood of the old
shops. All the goods In the building were
dam, Gged to q greater or less extent. There
were four colOred men In the building at
the tiu ne, two of whom-James Davis and
Isaac Atfller-were seriously wounded, and
two 9th Rrs seriously hurt.
The telegraph and telephone wires were
blown down in all directions, and communt-
cation by wire with the world outside was
entirely severed by noon. Between VII
mington and Abbottsburg, on the Carolina
Central Railroad, it was estimated by per-
sons arriving in the afternoon train that for
fifteen or twenty miles along the line Of the
road all the telegraph poles and wires were
blown down. The damage on the lines
north is reported equally bad. The Signal
officer reported the velocity of the wind at
one time during the last gale at ninety miles
per hour
Der. tried TO go to Smithville In the early
part of the ,1sy, but had to put back on ac-
count of the storm, the wind meeting the
tug with a vel, ,9city of eighty miles an hour.
small schoon er called the Maggie cap
sized. and the TUG succeeded in saving the
crew-two coloreL men-who were clinging
to the bottom of tine boat 10 an almost ex-
hausted condition, being butfeted by the
waves to such an extNnt that they could nos
possibly have held on fifteen minutes long
er. The British bark Live Oak, Capt. Still
well, which cleared FROM Wilmington Tor
Rotterdam on Thursday last, went ashore
near Fort Anderson, and the sea was break
ing over her when the steamer Fassport
came by.
The Star of Sunday gives fhe following
additional particulars: Sat the fAir grounds
only one small building was left standing.
The main building went FIRST, and the re-
mainder followed in quick succession. A
colored woman, her grown daughter and
two or three children were in one OF the
houses, but managed to escape serious
injury. The corn crop in Brunswick coun-
ty, we learn, is badly injured, many OF the
ears being beaten off the stalks. The rice
crops are also badly damaged.
CAT Fort Fisher, where there is small
fishing village, all the houses but one were
washed away. The one standing was form
erly occupied as officers quarters, and 1t
had its piazza carried away. One house,
located near the water, belonging to Mr..
Mayo and occupied by Mr.. Thomas Smith,
was washed entirely away, not vestige OF
it being left, together with all of Mr..
Smiths furniture and clothing, the family
barely escaping with their lives. A party
from this city who was there at the time,
left about two O'Clock that afternoon and
walked home, all the boats, nets, etc, being
washed away.
"The schooner Rose, loaded nth lumber,
sunk at ber wharf at Smithville. The pilot
boat j. A. Levensaler, the schooner Siam,
the pilot boat Swift and the schooner Plant
are all high and dry on the Rocks be-
tween Smithville and Fort Caswell. The
pilot boat Uriah TimmOns collided with the
bark Glacier and sunk in the channel, all
hands on board saving themselves;
and the Glacier afterwards went
ashore on the Rocks. The tug
Alpha, the steamer Passport and the reVe-
nue. cutter Colfax all pulled on her yester-
day morning, but failed to move her. The
pilot boat Mystery came inside Friday
morning, when her sails were blown away
and she drifted outside, and soon after
wards went ashore down the beache about
four miles from Smithville. The captain
and crew saved themselves by swimming
ashore. The Mystery Is q total wreck.
stThe hurricane struck the steamer John
Dawson while she was on her way to the
CITY and about five miles from the mouth of
Black river. Under good management, the
boat sustained no damage, but Capt. Sher-
man had narrow escape. He was blown
bodily from the hurricane deck, but In his
fall managed to catch on the upper deck OF
the boat and save himself.
ga gentleman stated yesterday that over
one-third of the turpentins trees from
Town Creek, Brunswick county, to this
city were blown down; and another stated
that on the line of what Is known as the
Niger Head road, nearly one-half OF
them were prostrated. In some places,
where formerly there were thick clumps,
only very few are now standing. Out on
the Little Bridge road, to q distance of
about four or five miles, a great number
were prostrated.
"The loss by the two storms in Whining
ton is variously estimated, and will probz-
bly, reach as high as 100000, II not more"
-$$-o-~<----
A CLERGYMAN'S SAD END.