Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-30
The Gale Mt the old Burg.
FIRST NEWS FROM CHARLESTON.
The CITY Flooded, Badly Damaged by
Wind and SeveraI Deaths Reported.


The damage caused by the great wind
and rainstOrm which swept over Virginia
Monday does not appear TO have been so
great as might have been supposed, and
the Old Dominion seems 10 have been
spared the fearful results which followed
the tempest in other Southern States.
The gale which struck Richmond III the
afternoon was undOu Otedly an ohShoot
of, or perhaps the end of the dlreful
cyclone which devastated Florida. ieor-
gia and South Carolina on SUNDAY. While
the winds hOwled and whlstled here as
though they presaged hurricane, they
did very little harm.
There was a terrific storm on tho Chesa-
peake bay, and DanvIlle steamers were
tossed about considerably, but they brayely
breasted the bllloWs, aud after some delay
reached West Point III safety. The crops
seem 10 be but slightly damaged In the
section lying between West Point and
Richmond. Reports from other portions
of the State traversed by the Danyllie
system show that the storm did no serious
injury, while the section through winch
the Chesapeake and OHIO railroad passes
send equal as favorable tdlngs. me
rams in the mountainous sections of the
State were very heavy, and there was
considerable wind.
FIRsT NEWS FROM THE SOUTH.
Up to the present time all teegraphlc
communication has been cut off between
here aud Charleston. Savannah. and other
Southern cities, and the indications lead
one TO the belief that these places were
terribly damaged by the storm. The tele-
graph wires IN these sections of the Union
have all been blown down, and II Is practl-
callv impossible to ascertain the exact loss
Of life and property. Yesterday afternoon
the Richmond fredericksburg and Po-
tomac officials by means OF patch
wires" were able TO put themselves IN
communication with Rocky Mount, n.
c.. and Florence but they obtained
very little positive information relative TO
the cyclone. The assistant-superlntend
ent indirectly received the following from
a conductor on the fast mail, which left
Charleston at 4 F. NJ. Monday, but II is
hoped and believed that many of the par
ticulars are exaggerated: About every
third house with top gone. DIX feet OF
water under Atlantic Coast Line sheds.
Two feet of water in Meeting and King
streets. Gale blew four,masted ship un,
! der our shed. Lots Of debris ana deau
| seabirds washed into the city. Blew down
! all the phosphate factories around omar
| lesion. About fifteen or twenty box cars
were blown from the track. Man on ~
! saws 500 lives were lost on Hon man
| Island. Nothing definite or direct other
than by train.
THE ACCOUNT OF A CONDUCTOR.
Passenger train No. 7S on the Coast Line
| due IN Richmond on Monday at AZ p. M.
! did not reach the city until last night at Z
| O'Clock 1t brought the first authentic
news from Charleston, though the lntor-
nation is very meager. The windows OF
/ the Pullman attached TO the train were
shattered by a tree, and the car looked
| as though il had been "Toughing II.
| Capt. O. +. Emerson, the conductor, SAID
! that be left Charleston at 9 O'Clock Mon
| day afternoon. At that time there were
| SIX feet Of water at the depot, but IL was
reaching everywhere. The waves extend
| ed as far as the 81. Charles Hotel. Capt.
! Emerson said that he had heard that 70
| people lost their lives In the tempest at
| Charleston, while rumor had 1t that oOO
! had perished at Sullivan's Island.
RISE IN THE RIVER.
The heavy rains have caused James
! river TO rise rapidly. but there does not
! seem 10 be any danger of freshet. Some
| merchants having goods In exposed places
| took the precautlon to move them last
night. -
Al 4 O'Clock Yesterday afternoon this
| was the condition of the stream: AT CIii-
| ron Forge, 3 feet above high water MARI
and falling; at Eagle Mountain. 2-l0 feet
above, and falling at Lynchburg, IL 2;lO
| feet above. and falling; at ScottsYllle'
| Is l2-l0 feet above, and rising; at Colnn-
! bia. 1s clio feet above. and rising at BAL
| cony Falls. IL $40 feet above and rislng.
DImag,i the valley.
Especial telegram TO tho Dispatch.l
HARRIsoNBURG, Va, August 20.-Moo
DAYS storm did considerable damage tc
corn, fruit and fencing IN this section
Tar Rivers Current Reversed.