The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-01
CHARLESTON MAN'S s1oRr.

eorrounded Az Night by Rushing water
g - In ATo,uen.nrv Dre,d Of Death
A Charleston man who arrived In New iork
yesterday told Sun reporter his experience
during the cyclone. He said:
i"The damage done In Charleston Ivy the
cyclone will much exceed that OF the storm Of
1856 and It is not to be wondered Mt. WINE
the maximum velocity OF the latter did not
exceed eighty miles an hour. our late visitor
treated us to gait OF l2o miles All the
vharves except those Of the Custom House ana
Ayers are destroyed: the battery Ia utterly
ruined. trees have been uprooted. telegraph
poles are down. numberless houses unrooted.
and the city Ia n sad sight generally. When
tpot the 10 o'clock boat to tho island on sun
day the sky was overcast and the wind blew
IN fltfuI gusts. had looked at the barometer
for the last lew days and l had noticed the
ateady falling. but l thought nothing OF the
threatening sky. believing that by afternoon
this would pass away. The weather got worse
rapidIy. Rain comm enced to fall and the wind
rose higher and higher.
BY 81 o'clock the storm burst upon us In
earnest. accompanied by binding rain. we
fastened all the doors and windows and wait
ed. About 9 o'clock q negro came running
toward our house When he reached the pi-
AVA opened the door for him. and he hand
I'd me a bundle. saying that the rest OF the
family would follow. There was a six months
Bid baby in the bundle and u few minutes
IA II grew dark or the storm increased in vio-
lence. but our real danger was not from the
s sss thd it 1S% ' sstns
nearer. At o'clock it was high water.
tsrt wav time NE sts
sandy sand ssVatios in front Of my lot and H. seS
was upon US; The water came after this s With
henoh and when the two tides met about 100
yards back Of my house, the spray was tossed
81 ses soW w hsh S .0s and
only about six inches below, the fioorinG;
boards. and running like mill race &C., We h r.
Island. Sitting in the dining room. we
could distinctly hear the SURFING sound Of (, the
ominoas sound minEle with the bowling OF
the wind and the crash Of breaking timber a.
form e faint faint idea Of our ,nnsnya%ie position:
About 10 o'clock looked ut the house from
which the family of nine persons had come, i L
was dimly outlined against the sky. ana II
looked odd to me. 1 Gale! the owner Of it. He
looked long, and then said: Good God the
houae has been turned completely around I =
The front. formerly facing the sea now laced
our houae. showing that It was atoat, having
been lifted from it's foundations shortly after
asi ow E terribly slowly. the time went by;
Every moment EXPECTED our hGnse to Ii9 "a
lot nudge. We we're ali Watching and pray
ing Tor dayngnt; 6ut IL seehcu as ~ nv i 'ei
look ed at my watch. and. after an hours time
DO I thought. l looked again. to find that
bnlg ten minutes Ind elapsed since last con.
suited It. Never had daylight gray and dis.
NAL as Il was. been 40 welcome to US a.; az
Waist deem in the water. came to our house
and ask ed II we needed help which they were
prepared to furnish for q consideration Ate
survey possible went out to Investigate tn
damage. When left Charleston on ruesda,
nj hnainaaa Et0nD01.
out light. What the damage has been no mai
can tell. "