Morning journal and courier., 1893-08-25
A FRIGHTFUL GALE.

Worst In Many Years-Over Three
Hundred Trees Blown Down In
New Haven-Havoc Made with the
Fruit Trees and Crops all Over the
State-NeW York Trains and Malls
Badly 'Delayed-A Host of Vessels
Seek the Shelter of the Breakwater-
Worst Sea on the Sound In Twenty.
seven Years-Much Damage to Ship
ping-RepOrts From all Sections OF
the State.
The storm of wind and rain which
enveloped New Haven in Its grasp yester-
day was the fercest experienced in this
section in at least seventy years. The
storm began early Wednesday evening and
continued to increase in violence during
the night and early morning Of yesterday,
and finally began to abate about o'clock
yesterday morning. The wind blew at the
rate of ffty-two miles an hour, SO said
Signal Officer Cox, and in consequence
railroads and steamboats, were practically
at a stsndstill, and telephone and telegraph
wires were blown down, and where not
blown down were practically useless.
The rain descended and the winds blew,
oAA tAOJ OlOW SiOnb guns A'SAy "hSAo
throughout the city the track of the storm
Was plainly manifest in consequence of the
uprooted trees, broken limbs and general
devastation which marked its path. In the
city proper over 300 trees were blown
down, while the number of trees from
which limbs were detached were simply
innumerable.
In the history of the United States sig
nal Office in this city. covering period of
twenty years, there never was so heavy a
wind recorded as that which blew during
the small hours of the morning.
The storm known as the great blizzard
of March, 1888, did not equal that of yes
terday, go far as the wind power was con-
cerned.
In August, 1881, the wind attained a
velocity of forty-three miles an hour, the
highest recorded at this station up to that
time. Early yesterday morning the wind
blew fifty-two miles an hour, breaking all
previous records.
The cause of this great atmospheric dis
turbance was the joining of two storms
one of which lowered over the upper lake
region yesterday and the other coast
storm on the South Atlantic. 1t began
raining at $3.50 p. m. and the wind gradu-
ally Increased until a little after
midnight it had reached the maxi
mum and the ffty-two mile gait
was continued until day dawn. At
7:30 yesterday morning the velocity was
forty eight miles, and at 10 o'clock the
storm had moderated down to common
place sort of a gale, with a wind velocity
of thirty miles an hour. The rain accom-
panied the gale nearly all night The wind
began in the southeast, but cavorted round
to the northeast at q. m. Wednesday
night the barometer recorded 20 SO, but il
was only 29.SS early yesterday morning,
which is remarkable drop.
TREES UPROOTED AND BLOWN DOWN.
On every street In the city the signs OF
the presence of the storm is manifest in the
number of trees uprooted and blown down
and the limbs of trees which in conse
qaence of the gale obstructed many of the
highways also tell the story of the violence
Of the storm. This state of affairs wal
particularly noticeable on Whalley avenue
George street, Broadway, Whitney avenue
Orange street, St. Roman street and How
ard avenue.
In the various public green's Throughout
the city the trees were almost shorn O.
their limbs. and in some wholly uprooted
In the old green, the Wooster green, ant
| the Broadway park a number of the tree
| were deprived of limbs and foliage, ant
! travel was materially impeded, the CROSS
walks being literally blocksded with limb
and portions of limbs Of the old and ma
| jastic elms which materially add to tn
| beauty and grandeur of the places.
|