The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-27

wharves are badly wrecked On Charlston's
favorite promenade, the east battery, the ground
floors of residences were from three to six feet
under water, and the handsome gardens were
covered deep with sedge. The sea rose so rapid
ly as to have the appearance of tidal wave,
The steamer Monticello, of the Florida line, en-
countered the gale twenty-four hours before she
reached Charleston, and had terrible passage,
but is not injured.
The railroads leading to Charleston are con-
siderably damaged. On the Savannah road,
several hundred feet of track was washed away,
but the road was in working order again last
night. The freight depot of the Savannah &
Southeastern roads are badly damaged, but the
freight in the depots is uninjured The North
eastern railroad track for one and half miles is
covered with water, and one-half of the track is
washed away. Running arrangements have
been made with the South Carolina railroad.
The news concerning the crops is meager.
The rice factors believe the rice crop is not
damaged much. as the tide water would scarcely
reach the fields before change in the direction
of the wind would take it down river There is
no doubt, however, that the cotton crop on the
Sea islands is seriously damaged.
The coastwise steamer ST. Helena is ashore at
Martins Point, and canal will have to be cut
to get her off.
general review of yesterdays cyclone. 1t speaks
of the warnings by the weather bureau, and prog
nostcations of old sailors. but says that nothing
of the severity of the storm experienced was
looked forward to- or even anticipated after 1t
began. At daylight on Tuesday the wind
was blowing from the southeast at the rate
of about thirty miles an hour, with
frequent gusts reaching to about fifty miles.
This in itself was unusual feature, as most
equinoctal gales in Charleston start from the
northeast. At o'clock the wind was pretty live
ly. but the rain which during the night had
fallen in torrents, had almost ceased The streets
were deserted, save by the ice wagons and milk
dealers, who had considerable difficulty
in II, lodging the flying states, bricks,
whirled about in every direction. The account
proceeds with description of the increasing
damage, as the wind increased, stripping
Mebae chnrsh from and the tSsr Roof of
the filling of the streets with falling bricks and
other missiles, and proceeds:
THE outlook was squally, but not unusually
alarming. But suddenly the tin on tie roofs
of the various Offices and cotton sheds, was
| rolled up and scattered like SO many rolls of
paper, and the waves angry dashed over the pier
heads and made mountains and valleys in the
river. The time Of high water was 746 A. NJ
The Battery and South Battery were practically
But this was not all. Mountains
of waves, as they dashed against
the sea wall, were caught up by the wind, and
tons of water were lifted into the air and hurled
buildings which line the sidewalks, smash
ing i'll the windows doors and fences,
and inundating the lawns and gardens. The
faestone promenade of the East Battery was
badly broken up, the waves seizing large flags
and pushing them off to the opposite side of
the street. Almost the entire railing
was washed away, and many a. gaps
were made in the embankment The damage to
the houses, gardens and lawns On this thorough
fare was serious Not more than two or three
houses on either thoroughfare escaped. Most of
them were unroofed, either entirely or in part
and all of them suffered some damage.
'The storm continued to increase in violence
as the day advanced. The streets were gradu-
ally filled up with states, bricks, signs,
window-shutters and sashes. At s
o'clock the rain began to fall in
torrents; The streets were flooded. and the
drain pits being choked up, the water ran knee
deep in almost every street in the city. The rain
was accompanied by claps of thunder at short
intervals, the noise of which was almost drowned
in the roar Of the Storm"
The story proceeds to tell of the gradual un-
roofing of the courthouse. and then of the fall
of the steeple of the famous st. Michaels
Church. which had withstood the storms
of more than a century, and had even escaped
the Union balls during the late war; 1t fell
about 845, just when the storm was beginning
to lull