New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-27
WIND OF GREAT VIOLENCE.
TORRENTS OF Rain WITH 1T.
OF COMPARATIVELY BRIEF DURATION
BUT FIERCE WHILE 1T LASTED.

ITS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. WHO WERE
CAUGHT OUT HAD HARD TIME
ROUGH ON THE THEATREGOERs-
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
The warm unhealthful weather OF the last few
| days has made nearly every wish for
change Of some kind, with particular specifca-
| ton as to what the change should be. The wish
has been gratifed The change has come. 1t did
not come in snow, In sleet or In the cold crisp
biting weather that ought to be with us at this
holiday season 1t brought with 1t no particular
| cheer no Frightening Of spirits, unless athletic
races and tumbes may be characterized as such.
1t came In wind and rain 1t change
! though, and 1t was a good one. At O'clock with
temperature Of SO degrees drzzling. showery
rain set In, and from that time until 3:45 o'clock
1t was "a toss-up" as to whether umbrellas were
necessity or not Only one thing about the
weather was certain. and that that it was
! essentially disagreeabe. The air was muggy the
| streets were wet and dirty. the cars were damp.
| and travellers in this metropolis had generally a
hard time Of 1t.
But at 3:45 the rain ceased. The weather
grew perceptibly colder. and at o'clock the
| wind began to blow. At first II blew softly
| gently lust enough to dry the wet garments or
| those who had been out in the rain, and to cool
| the fevered brows Of some Of those who had not
| been out in the rain. It's gentleness decreased
as the afternoon waned and at $50 the rain
| again came down to help the wind. AT O'Clock
| the fact that the wind was not out for It's
health" was fully established, for It was blowing
gale at the rate Of forty-eight miles an hour.
That was a pretty good gait for any wind put
II was not satisfied until at 10:45 o'clock 1t man
aged to reach the high notch OF sixty-six miles
and the rain fell in torrents. Then 1t decided 10
tone down. and at II 80 the rain had ceased ana
the wind had died down to calm. The storm
had ceased The weather prophets, however,
predict more trouble. They say that the wino
will change during the night and come from the
west. and that to-day will have rain. turning
into snow In the afternoon and that 1t Will De
much colder.
CAME FROM THE SOUTHWEST.
Tho southwest was evidently responsible for
tho Storm for that is the direction from which
II came The East River "all broken up
| and those who crossed the Roosevet-st
! ferrv-boats fully realized this for the waves
! broke over the boats and fairly flooded the
cabins The wayfarers on Park Row also reit
the brunt Of the storm. for the wind from the
North River and the wind from the East River
met at Printing House Square and swired
around the statue Of BENJAMIN Franklin, carry
ing with them hats. umbrellas or any other
| articles Of paraphernalia obtainable from the
| nasserby The entrance TO the Brooklyn
Bridge was strewn with wrecked umbrellas and
| numerous paper articles that the wind had
| broken and scattered with vandal hand.
| The destructive ability OF the wind was not
| alone noticeable in Printing House Square
AT $50 o'clock large section OF scafrolding
| - To-
under construction at Forty -second-st and Mad
ison-ave was carried away and blown on to the
roof Of the house of NJ. Hyman, at No II East
Forty-second-st. The roof Of the dwelling
house. which is a three-story brownstone
structure was badly smashed by the heavy
timbers, and the scaffold itself was broken to
pieces The total damage 5000.
| A large shade tree which prominent land
| mark at Twenty -second-st. and Nnth-ave. was
| blown down early In the evening and lay across
| Ninth-ave., blocking traffic until 1t was removed
by the Department of Public Works
| HOUSES IN BUILDING SUFFER.
| The houses Nos 221, 223 and 225 West Sixteenth
ST.. which have been in course of construction.
| were reported to the West Twentieth-st station
| during the night by Policeman Brooks as being
| In an unsafe condition. During the prevalence
| OF the high wind number of the bricks fell from
the houses The cornice OF one OF them also
| dropped into the street. narrowly missing pass
ersby. Sergeant Lindeman informed the Build
| ing Department, and stationed two officers oppo-
| site the buildings &c warn pedestrians
| At II o'clock a large plate glass window In the
cigar store at No 1923 Eighth-ave. was blown in
with crash and smashed to pieces
The Brooklyn Bridge another sufferer. so
far as its burden was concerned.
BRIDGE TRAFFIC AFFECTED
The wind swept up the East River at fearful
rate and whistled about the huge cables Of the
Bridge with a fury that threatened to tear away
and hur into the river anything that had not the
firmest Of supports. TIE Bridge cars ran regu-
lary but carried few passengers. At 1890
| o'clock one lone hatleGs man was seen on the
footpath midway between the two termni Of the
Bridge fighting his way slowly toward Brooklyn.
He had evidently lost his hat in the early part of
his Journey and every and then gust Of
wind would arrest his progress and cause him to
grasp the ratings for support.
Shortly before 10 o'clock the main electric wire
which furnishes the Bridge cars with light was
torn from the guy supports and severed near the
Brooklyn end. simultaneously the electric lights
went out In the Bridge cars causing some APP
prehension among the passengers.
They were not left in total darkness. how
ever, as the lamps were lighted when the ac-
! cident occurred. Electricians out to
repair the damage at once. and before midnight
the dynamo was started again
At 10 o'clock an electrc-ght wire set fire to
the pole at Seventysxth-st. and First-ave.
Sergeant Fitzgerald. of the East Sixty-seventh-
st. station telepaoned TO the Manhattan Elec-
trio Light Company, and they put out the fire.
| At II o'clock the large illuminated Their
| mometer In front Of Hudnuts pharmacy, No.
| 2O5 Broadway, blown down. The Their
mometer IL made of glass, and Is illuminated
from within by several electric lights 1t was
destroyed. 1t was valued at $500.
LOWER BROADWAY IN DARKNESS.
Several OF the electric lights on lower Broad
way were extinguished at the height Of the