The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-08-08
IN THE PATH OF A CYCLONE
Death and Destruction In the Vicinity OF
PhiIadrIpti:i-A Steamer Overwhelmed
by q Cone SI,apcH IitLIh.


Philadniplia-A Steamer Overwhelmed
bya Cone- Shaped Cloud.
a terrific cyclone, sweeping up the
Delaware river on Monday afternoon,
struck Philadelphia near Greenwich
Point, demolishins portion of the
Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Co.'S
works and injuring several employees. 1t
then took a course across the river,
wreCkin9 the river steamboat Major
Reybold and the !crryboat Peerless
The storm blew the pilot, Emory Town
send, and Captain Eugene Reybold, Of
the steamboat Reybold, into the river,
drowning the former and painfully in
juring the latter. The Peerless was
swept clean, almost to the water edge,
and horse and wagon were hurled in
to the water and sank together to the
bottom.
When the Major Reybold left her
dock at 3 O'Clock for Salem, n. J., she
had on board about SO passengers, al
though, as no tickets had been sold up
to the time of the accident, 1t is i'm
possible that some of the passengers
were washed off and lost without any
one observing it.
A steam tug coming up the river
after the disaster reports that the body
of woman was seen for a few minutes
floating in the river near the spot where
the cyclone struck the steamboat, but
that it sank out of sight and could not
be found when the tug made search.
This might have been a passenger, and
there may be Others lost, but no posi-
tive knowledge is at hand to establish
such facts.
B. ]. Warner, one of the ReyDold'
passengers, thus describes the scenes
among the passengers when the catas-
trophe occurred: 81 was standing OH
the forward upper deck, when the boat
was passing below Washington avenue
and some distance above the place
where we were struck, and | saw a
black cloud below. 1t WAS not a water
spout for | did not get wet, although
on deck, when it burst upon us, and 1
was blown below through the hole made
in the upper deck. The cyclone APP
peared to me to move slowly for such
a terrific hurricane, but its force was
in the frightful whirling within itself. l
supposed when | first saw the great
black object that it was a big rain storm
coming up, and did not anticipate any
danger. When the salt works were
struck end the cyclone darted across
the river directly for our boat there was
a terrible punlc, of course. The shock
came too suddenly for all of US to get
below, but the 5o-odd passengers made
great outcry women walled piteously
and the men felt certain that every
person on board was doomed. Some
of the most panic-strickcn jumcd into
the water just as the shock came, but
think they were all rescued. As |
saw the great, shrlcking laundering
mass of furious wind, as black as a sea
of ink, about to dash upon the vessel,
| ran for protection behind the boiler
house, but before | reached it | saw
the pilot-house blown into the air and
| the smokestaCk twisted off like pipe
steam. Then there was utter darkness,
a darkness more dense than the black
est night | ever witnessed. The de-
spairing cries of the passengers below
were drowned in the Internal noise Of
| the ala,noptc I'bnra ,.,ar.a of an
deck, and all of us were blown through
the main deck into the cabin below
and upon the heads of the passengers
and deck hands below. The hurricane
deck and the upper deck were swept
away, and the great mass of debris was
driven upon the lower deck, great
quantity of it falling upon the engineer,
who appears to have escaped by a mir
acle. He stopped the engine and got
out in safety, not second before the
steam began to fill the engine room.
The violence of the gale was frightful,
and it twisted up the heavy machinery
above the lower deck as if it had been
made of putty. Everything above the
water line was wrecked as completely
as though the vessel had been in a
naval engagement with a man of-war.
Mirrors were smashed, chairs and sofas
broken to splinters, and the carpets
were torn to shreds in the cabin as If
they had been paper. The cyclone
passed over i'll less than minute,
suppose. The boat was pitched nearly
over on her beam ends, and pitched
frightfully for Il little while after the
disaster, and there was at one time
danger of swapping. cannot tell
nor can any one tell whether any of the
passengers were washed off and lost,
but l am inclined 10 think that all were
saved"
The storm passed over to the Jersey
side, striking John Dialogues ship
yards, below kaighn's Point, and de
stroying the buildings of the establish
ment. 1t then took a course along the
New Jersey river front, demolishing all
the buildings in its path up to Bridge
avenue, Camden. At this point the
cyclone again changed its direction,
taking an easterly course to Fifth street
Camden, embracing in its path all that
section of the city between Second and
Fifth streets to the Delaware river,
which washes the northern section OF
the city. Recrossing the river, skirting
Petty's Island in its path, the storm
passed over to that part of the twenty
fifth ward of Philadelphia known as
Richmond. In its rava9es in Camden
scores of dwelling -houses were unroofcd !
and some OF them thrown down, and |
the damage to the business property
along the river fronts enormous. Hun
dreds of families were rendered home
less, and six men were killed outright. |
Another, Harry Stevens, had his leg cut
off by flying piece Of timber, and will
die. The path of the storm
through Richmond was marked with
death and destruction.
The track of the cyclone was almost
due north from the Port Richmond
coal wharves. About $50 dwelling
houses were wrecked Or SO badly dam
aged as to be rendered unfit for habi-
tation, and 200 families were driven
from their homes. \ number of pco-
pie were seriously and some fatally in
iured. a girl of 10 years, Lizzie Nc
Vey, was killed at her homs, I72I Mel
vale street, in SIGHT of her mother. who |