The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-04-24
SWEPT BY 4 GALE.
Terrific Storms Throughout
Virginia and Maryland.
The United States Ship Pensacola
Sunk at Norfolk.

A dispatch from Norfolk, Va., says:
Thunder and lightning, hail and snow and
bowling gale were what the people in this
vicinity were treated to the other day. This
continued all day and changed at 10 o'clock
at night to a regular cyclone, the wind
blowing upward of ffty-four miles IN hour
until o'clock that morning. The wind came
from the northeast, and blew into the harbor
and its tributaries tide which, at high water
was eighteen inches hig her than ever recorded
before.
The United States ship Pensacola sank in
drydock, where she was being prepared for
sea. Her sea valves had been opened for in
spection and another one was being cut. The
tide flooded the dock and she filled with water,
and, getting of her keel, sank before she could
be got in position again. A diver will have
to be sent down and her valves stopped up
and the ship pumped out. The Simpson Dry
dock was flooded and the damage may reach
$4,000.
The lower part of the city was flooded by
the tide, and. fire broke out on Water
wharf of John Q. Gamago G. Son. The
entire block with the exception of
Savage, Son & Co.'s, commission mer-
chants, was in flames. The old Cotton E1-
change building containing about 500 bales
of cotton, and the warehouse Of j. W. Perry
& Co., containing . about GOO s bales
Santos & Bro, coal dealers, lost
everything except their Office build
ing; Batchelder g. Collins, coal, lumber and
lime, are damaged to the amount Of $4,000,
John A. Gamage's loss including building, is
$4,000. The loss on buildings and stock de-
stroyed in this block is estimated at $3.50, 900,
partly insured 1t is probable that the losses
sustained by the wholesale grocery merchants
from the water forced into their warehouses by
the unprecedented tide will nearly equal this
amount Hundreds Of barrels Of sugar and
flour and other goods are ruined. During the
storm the roofs of the Opera House, Masonic
Temple and many dwellings were torn off,
and the Virginia Beach Railroad depot is
badly injured and the track for hundreds of
yards is seriously damaged.
In Portsmouth fire destroyed the lime and
lumber yard of Trugie g. Hill. The wires
along the coast were all down.
The snowstorm began at Charlottesville,
Va, early in the morning and continued
through the night. The telegraph wires were
badly broken down along the Chesapeake
and Ohio and the Richmond and Danville
railroads and all trains were delayed. The
electric light wires were down in the city.
The worst storm of the season prevailed at
Richmond, Va. 1t commenced with thunder
and lightning, and was followed by rain, hail
and snow, augmented by high wind. At
nine o'clock the snow and wind showed no
abatement, and reports denoted the storm
general throughout the State.
A furious snowStorm and blizzard pre-
vailed at Winchester, Va, all day, snow
falling to the depth of fourteen inches, as
much os has fallen during the entire winter.
At 1890 o'clock, while the snow was falling
rapidly, loud clap of thunder from south
a.& oto 1ol 80; Tbo ,J.
very high all day. Telegraph wires were
down in all directions. This is the severest
storm this late in the season for years.
The storm i'll Washington badly interrupted
electrical communication and workmen were
busy all day repairing damaged telegraph
and telephone wires. There are 3S4 poles
down between Alexandria and Fredericks-
burg, Va.
The barge Sunrise, bound from Norfolk for
New York with coal, was towed to buoy in
Delaware Bay and anchored by the tug B.
the barge foundered. The Captain, his wife
and two children and one seaman were lost.
Joseph Coyle was the only survivor Of the
wreck.
Coyle, in the open boat drifted ashore near
the Government pier. He was picked up in
an exhausted condition by one Of the crew Of
the Lewes Life-Saving Station.
A dispatch from Baltimore says: Reports
coming in from the counties in the State
show the storm to have been very peculiar
one. The snow and rain was accompanied by
thunder and lightning, and much damage was
done. Near Mount Airy rain began to fall in
torrents and continued until at about P. NJ,
when the snow began. In some places it was
from eight to ten inches deep. A terrific gale
of wind was blowing; and the snow was
binding. A singular feature of the storm
was that while the snow fell there were con-
tinuous peals of thunder and vivid flashes Of
lightning From Knoxville down sTelc-
graph poles and wires were streWn in all
directions. Throughout the State nearly all
the wires were down. On the bay the wind
blew gale.