Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-08-28
One fourth of the Houses i'm the City I'm
rooted Church Blown Down and De-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Aground and
wrecked-The storm Elsewhere.

loss is estimated at II 100000
The Destruction at SuIlivan's Island, :. G.
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, :. c., Aug. 25.-The
hurricane last night aud this morning was
terrific aud destructive, A number of
houses on Sullivans Island were blown
away. About o'clock this morning the
storm reached its greatest velocity At
that hour while the hotel people were at
breakfast the casino fell with great
crash. Fortunately all the rooms in the
building had been vacated. 1t is said the
storm was the most violent i'll
thirty years. The loss to the new Brigh-
ton will be 100000. There has been very
general destruction of property on the
Island. The Island was in the main sub
merged, but when the wind changed the
waters receded
1t sweeps Over the City at Rate of
Eighty Miles an Hour-Th Thousands of
Dollars Worth of Property Des-
troyed-Wharves Wrecked.
AUGUSTA, Ga, Aug. Yesterdays
storm in Charleston was Il cyclone in the
proper sense Of the term. The wind was
twenty-five miles an hour at half past one
in the morning increasing to thirty-iive,
forty and fifty, which was reached at
eight o'clock in the morning, and finally
running up to seVeuty-tiVe or eighty miles
an hour. The northern edge of the cyclone
touched Charleston and completed its pas
sage in forty minutes. The streets of
Charleston were more deSolate at the end
of two hours than after the bOmbardment
during the war. The storm commenced
properly at day light from the southeast
with frequent gusts. As early as six O'Clock
the roof of st. Michacl's church was strip
ped At seven o'clock the apparatus in
the roof of the signal Office, the flag staff
and the weather vane were demolished.
The last observation before the climax of
destruction recorded the wind at sixty
eight miles an hour. The fire bells tolled
at intervals, indicating breaks in
the alarm wire. The water in the
river came over the granite wall in the
battery, breaking tlagstones, washing
away ratings and tons of seaWater We're
hurled in upon the handsome residences,
breaking windows and smashing doors.
At o'clock the slate roof of the county
court house was peeled Off The climax
of the cyclone was at about this hour.
But single shed is standing on the
wharves and everything there is in ruins.
At Q o'clock there was sudden lull,
but soon the gale increased and continued
till l o'clock when the great storm of 1855
was over. Hundreds of thousands of dol
lars were expended on the wharves this
season, putting them III order. The water
front ON Cooper river suffered the most.
The Commercial wharves were complete
ly wrecked. Half Il dozen yachts, two
pilot boats and Il dredging machine were
sunk
The Cotton Exchange building was
damaged. The steamers of Sullivan 5 Is
land Ferry company met with serious
damage. The four piers and three of the
sheds of the Union wharf were swept
away. The brig "Freheit" sunk here
The Norwegian bark "Medbor" lost hel
masts and bow in the harbor. Severa!
other vessels were blown ashore and
badly damaged. The steamer Delaware
from New York Saturday came in all
right last night She reports II fearful
storm at sea. The pleasure boats on
the lake were piled up on the northern
shore iii Il confused mass of broken hunks
Along Ashley river there were many cas-
ualtieS to shipping vessels being grounded
Two sloopS have not yet been found. The
convent of the Sisters of Mercy was sert
ously injured and was unroofed. The
colored church in CromWell's alley wa,
completely demolished. The whole OF
Franklin street is barricaded with fallel
trees The south battery was the scene
of great confusion and damage to snip
ping. The streets were flooded with waite
and craft of all descriptions were washed
ashore and were floating III the streets a
high tide. The northwestern and centra
portions of the city suffered slight dam
age compared with that along the water
front, though the entire portion o.
the city west of Rutledge avenue
was submerged with water from one tt
three feet deep, in many cases GOVERN!
the first floor of the houses. The Splre o
the Citadel square Baptist church, one o
the tallest in the city, was blown acros
dwelling, cutting away the piazza ant
front walls and leaving the interior of thu
dwelling exposed to the storm; Man.
churches were UnrOOfed and badl,
wrecked. About mile of railroad tract
was blown up and freight depots Wer
badly damaged. Two sloops were blow
out of the water across the tracks. IN
South Carolina railway storehouses Wer
unroofed and the wharves heavily dam
aged One building was thrown on it
side and ilOated Il hundred yards into tn
marsh. At Sulivan's Island many house
were damaged to Il greater or less extent
The casino was lifted entirely from it
foundations and dashed to the ground,
On CharlestOn's favOrite promenade, tn
east battery ground, floors of residence
were from three to six feet under waite
and handsome gardens were covered dee
with serge. The sea rose so rapidly as |
have the appearance of IA Tidal wave. I'll
steamer Monticello of the Florida line el
countered gale twenty-fOur hours befol
she reached Charleston and had terrib
passage, but is not injured. News COZ
corning the crops is meagre. The rio
factors believe the rice crop is not dan
aged much There is no doubt, howeve
but the cotton crop in the sea islands
seriously damaged. The coastwise stear
er st. Helena is ashore at Martins PoiI
and canal will have to be cut to z
her off.
The news and Courier of Charlesto
makes the following roughestimate of I'll
losses: Wharf property, $3.50, 900; prya
property 100000 cotton presses, $50, 90
churches, $4,000; city property, stree
and parks, $4,000; railroads, 5000
Ashley River bridge, $4,000 shippin
Sl5O,O0O lumber mills, $4,000; mlsc'
laneous, 100000. Total IL, $4,000.
Iowa Republican State Convention.
DIES MONIES, Ia, Aug. 26.-The Repu