Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-29
A Terrific Storm.

w. iui io'e AiEul, 1uu mOf'Ho Nf-
idly northward and westward, carried
death and destruction in its wake.
The prostration of the telegraph wires
south and southwest cut off the strick-
en- section from telegraphic COMMUNE
cation with the rest of the world. The
storm, nearly reaching a hurricane in
force and accompanied by heavy, but
intermitting rainfall, swept down upon
this city. 1t also made itself felt all over
Maryland and Virginia. The storm
increased in violence as the night wore
on. On the bay and along the coast
of these two States the storm was very
severe and it is thought much damage
has been done to property and vessels,
and many lives lost.
A dispatch from Petersburg says
yesterday afternoon, between four and
five o'clock, the wind blew perfect
gale there. Many shade trees were
blown down, and others were denuded
of their branches. The wind was &C
companied by rain, which came down
in torrents. In the adjoining counties
the storm was very severe, and the
wind was almost like hurricane.
Trees were blown down, and fences
leveled to the ground. a great amount
of damage was done to the orchards,
where the fruit was blown from the
trees. South of Petersburg, along the
Atlantic coast line of railroads, the
wind blew with the force ola cyclone,
uprooting trees, and leyeling poles to
the ground All trains from the south
are delayed.
A dispatch from Richmond says re-
ports from many parts of the State in
dictate that the wind-storm has been
general, the severest known for some
years. At Blue Ridge Springs the wind
was unusually high and swept over the
MOUNTAINS at great velocity. So far no
serious damage is reported from that
particular point. The storm at Char
lottesville was very severe.
In Washington the streets were
swept by rain and wind, which played
havoc with awnings, trees, fences, tele-
phone and telegraph lines and I'M
Stable structures, but did not result
more se!iousyl People were kept
awake all night and some of the cleo
trio railway lines were compelled to
stop running cars. At the wharves
some damage was done. The steamer
w. w. Colt was blown against the
steamer Harry Randall and had part Of
her side stove in. Several small craft
were also damaged.
In Baltimore the wind blew n gale
and deluging rain fell. Water was
blown out Of the harbor flooding the
streets along the wharves, telegraph
wires were Frustrated, houses unroofed,
trees uprooted and great damage done
There was peculiar phenomenon in
the northeastern sky during the storm.
Flashes of electric current at short in
tervals ran nearly up to the zenith,
sometimes in one streak, and again in
two parallel lines, and occasionally in
broad mass of light. The effect was
not like that of an ordinary lightning
storm, but was what might be termed
in technical sense, purely electric
storm.
The storm created terrible havoc in
Georgia yesterday. In Savannah MANI
persons are reported to have been kill
ed and several millions of dollars oil
damage done to property. Heavy rain
attended the cyclonic wind every
where, and flooded the towns and cities
in its path. The great rainfall caused
many of the rivers to overflow, and q
great deal of damage was in this way
done to crops and property along the
river banks.
The Savannah river which had been
rising during the day, made more than
four feet at Augusta, which city suf,
fcred no loss beyond the heaking OF
telegraph, telephone, and electric light
wires from falling trees, but the damage
TO crops cannot be computed and est,
mated upon for some days.
Reports from Screven county says
that the storm was very severe there.
doing great damage TO houses the and
cotton crop. No casualties so far as
known.
The storm was very severe at Bruins
wick.
jacksonville, Fla, has been cut of
from communication with the outside
world since 9 o'clock Sunday morning.
The hurricane center passed over OF
very near savannah Augusta, Char
loIte, and Lynchburg, cutting off tele-
graph communication with the South
and West.
The report from the Weather Bureau
of this section states that the storm was
central at Lynchburg, starting at about
eight o'clock Yesterday morning II
was followed by heavy rain, and 2,6S
inches fell in that city. The storm
travelled due north to Lake Erie. 1t
was accompanied by strong wind,
travelling at the rate Of twenty-five
miles an hour in Lynchburg, twenty
six at Norfolk, twenty-four at Wash
ington and forty at Chicago.
The wind in New York city at eight
o'clock last night was blowing at seven
teen miles an hour, but lit later increased
to gale,
The storm, the Weather Bureau
stated, will pass out of the country by
way of the St. Lawrence river and by
Wednesday the weather will be clear
and cooler. A veritable gale blew over
Chicago, the wind travelling at the rate
of forty miles an hour. Heavy rain
followed in the track of the storm and
all along the coast it was felt. At
Washington the storm veered to a di-
rect northerly course and pursued its
way toward the great lakes.
The New York Herald says: Yes
terday's cyclone travelled north-north-
east, with most of its area on the land,