The Portland daily press., 1885-11-03
THE GALE.
The Roughest Storm Reported Here
Since January.
Damage Done In the City, Harbor
and Vicinity.

During Sunday night 1t was evident that
storm of some kind. In the southwest it
was thick and black, the entire armament
was clouaed, and an ominons little breeze
about midnight betolened Something in the
wind" Expectations were realized, for
shortly afterwards the wind began to blow
from the southeast with considerable VIC
renee, steadily increasing in power until, by
yesterday noon, the thermometer registered
gale blowing at the rate of forty-fOur miles
an hour.
Early in the morning the halhor was
capped with foam, and the waves we've high,
while young gale blew right up the bay.
The ferry boat Cornelia H., which was light
ballasted, took fifty minutes to make one
trip from the Cape, which is an instance of
how extraordinarily rough it must have
been. Later many vessels were In port all
seeking refuge from the violence of the
storm. On the Cape shore the waves were
magnificent. They broke in clouds of spray
over the top of Cape Head Light.
There was a report current in the
morning that the schooner Clara Leavitt,
coal laden, bound to this port, had
gone ashore ON Trundy's Reef and ten men
drowned. Later the accident was placed at
the Two Lights, but our correspondent, with
his usual promptness, destroys that yarn by
the following communication:
'Since sunrise this morning one of the
most frightful southeast gales has ragged
ever witnessed on this coast AT this writ
ing q p. m) it fully equals in violence the
great September gale of 1869. The ocean
as far as the eye can reach is a
boiling cauldron of seething foam. Trees
on the light station premises century old
are being snapped off at the trunks like pipe
stems. At noon the wind had reached
velocity. of 81 miles an hour. A later test
makes it no greater. Looms, brant, cOot,
she'll drake and other sea fowl were swept
across the land this morning and many were
several vessels were reported off shore, all
making for Portland. As yet there are no
disasters to shipping in the vicinity"
In the evening despatch was received
from Captain Lombard of the schooner Clara
Leavitt, announcing her safe arrival at
Provincetown Sunday night.
The three masted schooner Minnie G. Tay-
lor, discharging coal at the end of Long
Wharf, parted her hawser, stove a large hole
in her bow, and broke several piles of the
wharf. She thumped badly for time, and
it was thought she would break away, but
after time she was secured with a number
of hawsers.
The fishing schooner Maggie Powers, at
the same wharf, parted her lines and swung
around, but was secured without causing
further damage.
All vessels lying at the wharves pounded
badly, but extra lines were run out, and we
have heard of no further damage worth
mentioning.
The Eddie Pierce, which arrived yesterday,
mast and had her sails torn badly.
The M. and E. Cam dragged her anchors
and drifted we'll up to the wharyes on this
side of the city.
The fishing schooner Ellen NJ. Sawyer lost
two boats.
The ehimneys blown down, awnings torn
to pieces and signs wrenched from their
fastenings, it would be difficult to keep
record of. The large sign of Hastings, the
organ builder, on Exchange street, was
dashed to the ground and several people
narrowly escaped injury. A great maple tree
on Cumberland street was thrown down,
and limbs from other trees strewed the side
walks everywhere.
At about II o'clock in the forenoon the
fierce wind blew down large piece of the
brick wall of the new engine house of
the Portland & Ogdensburg railroad. The
piece which fell was so feet long and 20 feet
in height, and was ready to receive the roof.
A couple Of workmen had left the building
just before the crash.
The three masted schooners B. c. Crom-
well and NJ. S. Haynes were dischargiAg coal
at Fish Point yesterday, and they thumped
the wharf so heavily that it was feared their
sides would be crushed in, and the Central
Wharf Tow Boat Company was despatched
to for assistance. 1t required the services of
three tugs to take the schooners to places of
safety.
During the afternoon Cape Cottage and
Portland Head Light were visited by many
people from the city. Some went in hacks,
some in wagons and dozens afoot. Seldom
has storm called so many sightseers to the
shore. The scene off Portland Head was one
of unusual grandeur, the waves rolled in
heavily against the headland, dashing the
spray high in the air.
Yacht Twilight, at Grand Trunk Railroad
Wharf, broke from her moorings and lost
her bowsprit by catching in the wharf She
was towed to an upper wharf.
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