The Portland daily press., 1893-05-05
THE STORM.
The Breaking Waves Dashed High Yester-
day, But Surprisingly Little Damage
Was Done-Chimneys Blown Down and
a Churcl, Loses Vane,

ituu rainy Weather WIllCu udo Ucou Will
us since last Monday morning, culmi-
mated in storm of great fury. The
rain fell in torrents, and the wind blew
gale. In the forty-eight hours ending
with the cessation of rain yesterday
afternoon, about an inch of water fell ac-
cording to the measurements made at the
weather bureau office, and the gale at
tanned a maximum velocity of forty-three
miles an hour. At o'clock a. M, the
weather bureau said, the storm came
from the Atlantic coast region and
travelled very rapidly. 1t must have
done so, for the weather bureau did not
foretell it, and the Boston and New York
boats went out from both Portland and
Boston without expecting anything I'M
usual. The Portland left this city and
arrived in Boston about a. M, without
having a specially hard time; but the
fremont, coming this way was forced to
put into Gloucester for refuge. The
Cottage City lett Portland Wednesday
night and caught the gale at its worst off
Provincetown, where she put in for
shelter. arriving there yesterday noon.
The Manhattan, bound eastward from
New York, got into New London at s
o'clock yesterday morning, having met
very heavy weather.
SO far as is known the only prediction
of the storm was made by Mr.. Samuel
Lane of Cornish. He told the steamboat
people that we were going to have it,
and he seems to have hit it.
In the harbor the water was tremen-
dously rough. Some old tars say that
they have not seen the like of it for
twenty years. About 10 o'clock in the
forenoon the Cape Elizabeth ferry boats
found it too bad for them and had to
haul off for some time. The Mary w.
Libby shipped sea which filed her
cabin half full, and the Winter Harbor
had her awning stripped clean off and
blown away in jiffy.
Schooner Bessie H. Gross dragged her
anchors and fouled the schooner Victory
The Victory broke from her anchorage
and made fast to the Bessie III. Gross.
The Dominion steamship Oregon, the
last of the season, went out in the after
noon, in the worst oft all. Her pilots
took her to Portland Head, and then re-
turned. She goes to Halifax and thence
to England. She took large cargo, but
few passengers.
Throughout the city the gale made it's
marks.
The weather vane on the Church of the
Messiah was blown off and fortunately
was saved from dropping to the sidewalk
and possibly killing some pedestrian by
getting stuck in the gutter of the roof.
Officer McGrath managed to release the
vane from it's dangerous position by
means of a ladder.
The fence at the Portland Athletic Club
was blown down.
Two chimneys at IS and Is Merrill
street and another on the corner of
Lafayette and Congress streets were
blown down.
Part of the coping on Lawyer Garlic
toms house on the corner of Congress
and St. Lawrence streets was blown
off and several fences in that neighbor-
hood were unable to stand the attack and
went down in kindling wood.
At Woodfords one of the gates at the
Portland & Rochester crossing was
broken by the wind.
Captain Sprowl was struck by the
boom on schooner and hurt consider
ably.
An electric light pole on Smith street
was blown over and fell against house.
1t was removed without much damage to
the building.
Two sections of the fence at the
Deering ball grounds were blown down.
A heavy board fence was blown down
on High street.
In the afternoon, several parties went
out to the Head Light on the Cape to see
the breakers. They found Old Ocean in
a state of great wrath, the sea running
very high and presenting a magnificent
spectacle as the waves broke on the rocky
shore, sending sheets of spray high in the
air. The steamer Oregon went by on her
way to Halifax and the great vessel was
pitched and tossed about as unceremon-
iously as chip in mill race.
A Landslide.
There was landslide on the Maine
Central between Yarmouth and Freeport.
The track was covered to quite a little
depth for some distance and trains in
the morning were delayed about half an
hour.
Along the Maine Central.
Along the line of the Maine Central the
low lands are covered with water and the
trains passed along them very carefully
and cautiously. At Brunswick the An
droscoggin is very high and almost
touches the ton of danger Rock.''