New-York tribune., 1886-02-27
EIGHTY-FOUR MILES AN HOUR.
TIE BIGGEST GALE IN FIFTEEN YEARS.


The expected blizzard arrived as per schedule
yesterday 1t drove the storm before it. ana the STORM
eentre which was dispOrting itself over Michigan OH
Thursday was sent flying eastward and yesterday nao
things lively in NewEnglaDd. The cold brealh Vi 'no
blizzard struck this city early in the morning MI" %
the mercury in the thermometer tumDllng do"h r"p'
Ala H. the Thermometer at the signal service S'''
ON rho Eouitabe Building registered 13 above zero ana
was making preparations TO register n sun io"el to
peraure. The wind was blowing Win great ioroo a." ''
For fifteen years high wind has not peen hno"n "
,hi. ci,v II roared through the streets sending hats
cnrryiug along the sidewalk In advance OF the o"heS'
lifting the tops from covered wagons ana ha'ins hK
,,ra ceperallv Telegraph poles were blown down and
tel.oraphic communication with the outside WOrlo was
almost entirely of The greatest trouble seemed 10
no within radius OF seventy five miles around the city
Atom M the Western Union Telegraph Company mad
two three wires WORKING TO "ashhs'oh' one DoSo
and one to Chicago
At o'clock in the morning 1t was blowing
forty-eight miles an hour, and at O'Clock IN
the evening ffty-four miles. Between = ana .
o'clock the wind made spurt, and for ABOUT nVe
minutes II blew at the OF eghyfour miles an hour
This gentle northwest zephyr caught people as they
were coming around corners and dashed them about
with great freedom and emphasis. telegraph pole
that could stand up in such gale was doing well.
Mr. Sink the night superintendent at the western
Union Building, said in the evening, When tribune
reporter climbed operating room where operators
were trying in vain make wir, work: ""eA' we are
doing the best we can, but don't know how long we
shall have wires all working When left
the room to speak TO you there was hhe
IN operation to Chicago but guess IL
is gone by this time Boston held by the feeble tenure
of single wire and there is no knowing at what minute
that will 20 1t was enough during the day, but 1t
is getting worse all the time. 1t Is the same IN all
directions. east. north south and vest An operator
will he talking comfortably with city when all of sud
den the wire breaks off in the middle OF sentence
which is impolte and annoying We are doing the best
we get off the Associated Press ana gehera ois
matches but are having a hard time OF It,"
Up the tower OF the Equitable Building, where the
eirnal Service man sits aud weighs and
measures the storm, 1t seemed TO be blowing
hard enough to blow the electricity from
the wires say nothing OF blowing away the wires ana
poles The red eye Of fire that glowed like great rurS
in the southern tower was warning to vessels not to
put TO sea- needed storm signal to prevent
captain his from going to sea In such howi
ing gale The thckest Of clothing was no protection
against the icy gale which cut ike a knhe ana Iairy
stupefed one with its cold rush and roar
sThe mercury in Hudnuts thermometer he IAN at 3O'
AT m and going into rapid decline, stood at l59 at
CD H. IL grew colder as the night advanced and
the wind moderated somewhat In lts fury.
The Signal Service predicted that the
weather to-day would be colder than yesterday but the
blizzard would seek other regions TO conquer.
Many timid passengers the elevated roads were
made nervous as the trains swung around the lofty
curye at One hundred and -tenth-st and Eighthave
The wind swept such force across the top of the
structure that the conductors and trainnen could not
stand on platforms of the cars but retired within
The cars sgayed perceptby in the blasts and the more
timid passengers went TO the wndward sides of the
trains to hold down. but at no time was there any
real danger that the would blow over.
Passengers the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday dld not
feel in that state of serene security which they usually
do There was a swaying and trembling notion to the
great structure though not great under the cir
cumstances was enough oonure up all sorts of pos
slbies In the minds OF travellers.
AtlOa III. a violent gust OF wind blew an old woman
against Of the elevated railroad columns at Ninth
ave- and sixeth-st with much force As to cut her
face and bruse her limbs severely. policeman learned
that she was Mrs Elizabeth simmons, Of No 455 West
sixtiethst and took her TO her home
A large tree was blown dowa opposite No 80 west
Eleventh-st.
In spuce-& woman was blown fiat upon the side
walk whence she was helped uD by nnb!e-footed mes
senger boy. young man with large, square heavily
framed picture was driven down spruce-st att ten
knot pace. The wind would not let him stop. Letter
rarrieys were the special paythDgs for the roaring
blasts and the pressure against their mail pouches
nearly upset in their journeyngs across exposed
highways.
At4pm.a a part OF the chimney of the fourstory
piano factory at No. l554 Thrdavc. was blown down
and the falling bricks knocked over telegraph pole A
girl who was passing struck by brick and severely
hurt but went home without telling her name.
At6:l5 D. m the chimney of the building No 0G Mac
aoucast was blown of; there were few people passng
aud no damage was done.
The wind felt with great force in the annexed
district late tho afternoon. The tbree-sOry brick
building at Onehundred snd-thirty-Sxthst, just east
of the Southern Boulevard, is occupied and owned by
NJ Forsbay as a windowshsde factory. A little after
O'Clock an exceptionally heavy gust Of wind caught
the roof the building and lifted it bodily of Only few
of the employees work in the building and though
frightened they were not Injured The Injury
can be repaired at cost o. about $4,000
The cornlce OF the building Nos. % and 20 Wooster
ct. blown of about 10 p III. ana thrown with
crash on the sidewalk No one was near aud no injury
done except TO the house But the wind soon began
scattering bricks IN every conceivable direction, and 1t
became necessary for the police to prevent further
travel through the street.
The long Wooden ssnboard in front OF the American
10 ~ III. II gave lureh $ it caught in the
two of winds sweeping aud Spruce
sts.. halted in nid-air for moment as II undecided
which course take. and then fell TO the
aen na sG sGryaas 9a Which left
Clifton for NewYOrk at $3.50 a. H., had her forward
rudder chains broken by the strain upon them against
the gale. AS she 10 double-ender, she was turned
10 the other ruddcr and came up to her
slip at Whitehallst' Repairs were not completed TIL
The only Sailing vessel which arrived yesterday by
way Sandy HOOK was the schooner Gsrret r. Wright,
from Virginia. she was tQwed up from Sandy Hook by
passed Quarantine at $3.50 NJ. the schooner and tug
resenbed two good-s!zed ccbergs both being com
The northwest with Leavy high sea running all day. At
noon was blowing seventy two miles an hour at sandy
large tree in the East Drive in Central Park near
sxty-second-st. was blown down. Mrs M. Reed OF No
% East FIity-thrd-st. was walking along the plank
roadway leading the Art Museum In the Park la tie
afternoon when she lifted off her feet and thrown
down by the force Of the wind. She received
cut the left eye.
The nigh wind severely felt in Brooklyn, espe-
cay In the exposed portions OF the city,
damage was done by it, A floating pile driver, owned
by james Kelly OF Newark, which lying off the
OF Balties was overturned and the damage to it was
stable in DE Ksb-ave between Hudson-sve. and Navy
ct owned by Thomas Murphy, billposter. blown
down causing loss OF about $780, The police and
other telegraph wires much intcrerod with by the
gale About 500 OF 300 wires OF the New York and
Ecw-Jersey Telephone Company were useless.
Shortly before p. a gust OF wind caught the tin
roofs OF row OF eight houses at Nassau and kngand
aves., GreenpoEt. The corner house was completely
nfnd roof falling street. followed by