Passaic City record., 1893-08-26
SWEPT BY A HURRICANE.
RUIN WROUGHT BY A WEST
INDIAN CYCLONE.
The Worst Summer Storm That Has
Ever Struck New York-Great
Damage Along the Long Island
and New Jersey Shores-Two-
Score Lives Reported Lost.

i and NEW UeEScy SHUT hCo - w
| Score Lives Reported Lost.
The West Indian cyclone which swept over
the middle of the Atlantic coast on its wayto
the New England coast lett its marks over
the whole region around New York-with a
| sweep of fully 1000 miles. 1t strewed the
New Jersey coast with more wrecks
! than have been recorded in a sim
| ole dav since the blizzard. Reports
| show that nearly two score of lives were lost,
| and many pleasure, merchant and fishing
| craft foundered or were driven to destruc-
| tion on the shores. The greatest violence OF
| the elements was manifested in region hfty
| miles in diameter, with New York City as a
| center and in this district the fury OF the
| storm was almost unexampled.
In New York City the storm did every
| kind of damage that rainStorm can do, ex-
| cent that it was attended with no fatalities.
| Signs, shutters, chimneys and fences were
| blown down, trees were uprooted, plate glass
windows were wrecked, leaky roofs were
discovered and cellars were flooded. The
parks perhaps displayed the most striking
scenes of wreck when morning came. The
paths were almost impossible with the
branches of trees. and those trees that were
blown down. A pathetic feature of the ruin
was the large number OF sparrows that
were killed Three hundred dead ones were
tral Park they must have been numbered by
the thousands Among the hundreds of
trees blown down in the city the old oak
which formed a landmark in West Ninth
street. between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is
noteworthy, it being blown across the
street. effectualy blocking it. Along
West. Vesey, Barclay and Washington
streets some of the greatest damage was
done. mainly by the flooding of easements
and cellars. Everetts restaurant on Vesey
street. and Smith Il McNelfs on Wash
inoton and Greenwich streets were
flooded and much damage done. In
the North New York parks trees and
shrubbery we're blown down. and along the
streets next morning were seen shutters
blown from their fastenings. At Oak Point
and Port Morris much damage was done
to yachts Residents say it was the
worst storm in years in thai section.
On Washington Heights huge trees were
uprooted. broken and twisted, gardens were
utterly ruined and fences were torn apart
and strewn along the roads. Several streets
were blockaded by fallen trees, and the axe
men were busy for several hours.
The storm ragged over Brooklyn with de-
structive fury and next morning there were
marks of its work all over the city. Houses
were demolished in some cases, unroofed
in others trees were blown down, electric
poles and wires broken and twisted,
and business signs knocked into splinters
Nearly 600 of the finest shade trees were up
rooted. One struck Fifth avenue elevated
train. but fortunately did no damage to it, A
strange feature about the destruction of the
trees is that the largest suffered. They went
down before the merciless storm leaving great
gaps where they stood. ripping UP sidewalks
and pavements and crushing fences, rails,
stoops and piazzas. There were cases where
the fallen trees barred ingress TO or exit from
the houses in front of which they stood. The
trees and plants in Prospect Park suffered
greatly One hundred shade trees were
uprooted and thrown others were stripped
of their branches Hardly one escaped. The
beautiful flowers were wholly or partially
DESTROYED The cemeteries were not spared.
Trees were thrown, plants and shrubbery up
rooted headstones leveled with the earth
and ratings thrown down.
Coney Island lay fairly in the cyclones
path, and probably Jared the worst of any
section. so far as damage to property was
concerned. No such storm had visited the
island in years, and perhaps not within
its history as seaside resort. From
Norton's Point, on the westerly end,
to Point Breeze. on the extreme east,
the shore was left a continuous picture OF
disaster and wreckage. At Brighton Beach
Hotel the lawn and walk were completely
destroyed. The tide reached remarkable
height, sweeping up to the electric railway
tracks on Sea Breeze avenue. The piles
supporting the Brighton Beach Elevated
Railway were washed away. and a train
was removed from the station just in time
to save it. The station itself is a wreck
and the road crippled. The guests in the
hotel were reused at 4.30, as the spray was
then dashing over the piazza, and it was
feared the structure would be surrounded. At
West Brighton the most noticeable damage
was DONE Palmer's mammoth bathing pavil-
ion, said to be the largest in the world, was
wrecked. as were also dozens OF smaller
bath houses, restaurants, booths and places
of amusement. At Manhattan Beach the
powerful bulkheads protected the hotel to a
great extent and less damage was caused,
but the boardwalks were broken and scat
tered over the lawn. The losses on Coney
Island are estimated all the way from $780,
900 to 5000. 600.
Considerable damage was done on Long
Island The wind blew with the force of
hurricane, tearing off branches of trees and in
some eases tearing trees up from the roots.
Travel on the various branches of the Long
Island Railroad was greatly inconyenienced,
and nearly all the trains were more or less de-
layed. Some of the trains were not started.
MANY business men on the south side of the
island gave up all idea of coming to town.
but many who had concluded to take a
holiday changed their minds when the
weather cleared later in the morning. The
farmers who have for two months been
wishing and praying for rain are IN Sc
rious state of mind. The wind that came
along with the water was more than they
bargained for. In some cornfields there is
scarcely stalk standing. and on some of the
truck farms patches of vegetables are COM
pletely washed out. The effects OF the storm
at the various yacht club anchorages along
the Sound were tremendous. The exces-
sively heavy winds on shore drove the small
boats together and in many instances great
damage was done among the frail pleasure
craft by collision. At Larchmont Har-
Dor big schooner went ashore
early in the morning during the height OF
the storm on the rocks off Shepherds Point.
Her crew OF seven men remained on her at
work at the pumps, but with the falling OF
the tide she was left high and dry, and will
inevitably go to pieces. All along the Sound
shore from Indian Harbor at Greenwich TO
Port Morris, the devastation of the
storm was apparent in the de-
stroyed piers, the flooded meadow
lands and the shore houses, whose
first floors were in most instances on a leve
with the water The gale struck Flushing
broadside. and over 100 OF the rarest ant
most beautiful specimens OF trees, which
have made the village famous, were uprootet
and thrown across the street. blocking travel
ctr.