The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-21
FIRST GALE OF THE FALL
HEAVY LOSSES AT NEW ORLEANS,
MOBILE AND MEMPHIS.

Fifty Coal Barges Worth $4,000 Each
Swept Away at the Pelican City-
Houses Unroofed and Other Havoc
Played-Tracks Flooded With Back
Water.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 20.--An easterly
gale has prevailed since Saturday afternoon
with fitful gusts of velocity of forty eight
to sixty miles per hour. Great damage has
been done in the city and along the river
front. Several buildings were unroofed,
fences were blown down and trees were up
rooted.
FIFTY COAL BOATS LOST.
The coal feet of the Pittsburg and South
are known to have been lost They are
valued at So, ,000 each.
The Louisville and Nashville and Illinois
Central trains were delayed by washouts.
Great damage has been done to the rice
and sugar cane crop.
TELEGRAPH WIRES DOWN.
Telegraph wires are prostrated in every
direction. There has been no communica-
ton with outside points since s o'clock Sun
day night
The city was in darkness last night. The
electric light plant was shut down on ac-
count Of the contact of the electric light
wires with the telephone and telegraph
wires.
HOW IT STARTED.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 90. II p. M.-The
wind set in at 80 o'clock Friday evening,
and increased in force accompanied by oc-
oasional showers until Z o'clock Saturday
morning During the day the wind con-
&l.oa ~ b,t baI
Grated that no attention was paid to 1t. AT
$3.50 o'clock Saturday night the wind again
strengthened, and by Q o'clock Sunday
morning it was blowing gale, which held
from the eastward until 3 o'clock Monday
morning, when the wind veered to the
southwest, and at O'Clock Monday morn
ing the storm moderated, and by 10 o'clock
it was over.
HEAVY RAINFALL.
The signal service reports the rainfall for
the twelve hours ending at z o'clock Mon
day morning at 7.86-100 inches. The total
for the twenty four hours was ~ inches. The
highest velocity of the wind observed was
sixty miles an hour at O'Clock last evening,
prevented observations of the maximum
velocity, but the average velocity is given
as forty-dve miles an hour. Great damage
was DONE
DAMAGE IN THE SUGAR BELT.
In this city, and in fact throughout the
sugar belt, from Baton Rouge to the gulf,
including also the rice producing section of
the state, much cane and rice was blown
fiat upon the ground, and many sugar
houses and dwellings were badly damaged.
In this city many houses were unroofed,
fences were prostrated and trees uprooted.
NEW ORLEANS FLOODED.
The heavy rain last night for time
flooded the city, damaging goods in several
stores. The rear portion Of the city west of
Claiborne street is still inundated, the water
in the canals being SO high that drainage
machines are comparatively useless. The
city was in darkness last night. The cleo
trio light company was compelled to shut
off the current on account of the contact of
it's wires with those of the telegraph and
telephone companies.
ALONG THE RIVER
The greater damage was along the river
The W. @. Little, Laura and Barataria,
small steamers, were sunk.
The steamboat Ed Richardson went
adrift, lost her chimneys overheard and
sustained other damages.
There were hundreds OF minor losses
throughout the city that will in the aggre-
gate amount to many thousands Of dollars.
HIGH WATER AT MOBILE.
MOBILE, ALA, Aug 20.-A southeast
gale, which began Saturday afternoon, in
creased to velocity Of iifty-seven miles an
hour early this morning. The waters of
the gulf have been driven over the low
lands, both east and west Of here, and the
Louisville and Nashville track Is badly
flooded south. There have been no trains
to-day either way. The route via Meridian
and sselma remains OPEN
The lower portion of the city was inun-
dated this morning and many stores were
flooded, but the damage is small.
The wires being down everywhere no de-
tails Of the damage outside of the scity can
be obtained tonight.
THE FLOOD RECEDING.
The food is receding rapidly from the
Louisville and Nashville track tonight, as
the wind has died down and the tide is run
ming out. The officers of the road state
the washouts above the city and between
here and New Orleans are small, and that
repairs can be made tomorrow. The last
passenger train in from the north arrived
Sunday afternoon, but as the train could
not go through the passengers were sent
back by the 8 o'clock night train. The
last north-bound trains leaving the city
were sent around by way Of Meridian.
The wires are down and there Is no tele-
graphic communication except over the
New York quadruplex.
NEW ORLEANS CUT OFF.
No communication can be had with New
Orleans, but as the storm centered in
Louisiana, and as the wind must have
blown at least sixty miles an hour and
straight up Rigolets into Lake Pontcher-
train, there is good reason to believe that
the whole back portion of that city Is
flooded to an exceptional degree. The tide
in the gulf was very high, and the back
water was as heavy as in the famous flood
of 1861, when Now Orleans was badly inun-
dated.
STREAMS DANGERoUsLY SWOLLEN.
MEMPHIs, Aug. 20.-Heavy rains havo
fallen all over this section Of the country
during the past three days, and still con-
tinue. All tho small streams, especially to
the south, are bankfull and in many locali-
ties have overhowed and flooded valuable
farming lands Telegraph wires between
Memphis and New Orleans have been pros
trated, and only very meagre news can be
obtained.
SWEEPING OVER coFFEEvILLE.
A local storm of unusual severity swept
over Coifeeville. Miss, to-day, doing con-
siderable damage, and IL the present. spell
of weather continues much longer very
serious damage will bc sustained by the cot
ton crop. The reports coming in show that
tho rains have been general and disastrous
In their nature. Last week q drought was
threatened in many Localities, but now
foods are feared, and more serious injury