The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-12-11
SWEPT BY A GREAT STORM.
Immense Darnage Done by Wind and
;Sa;n on Lake and Land.

| Immense Da,nage Done by Wind and
%a;n on Lake and Land.
A widespread storm. one OF the most Sc
/ we're the country has ever hal. and the only
storm since the blizzard OF March, 1888, in
which it was impossible for the Weather
| Bureau to issue complete weather charts
owing to telegraph lines being down and
communication cut off, swept over the
Southwest, West and Northwest. inficting
great damage.
| The storm apparently had its formation
| somewhere on the West Gulf coast Of Mexico
and Texas. It was first observed over the
extreme Southwest in a weak depression. II
! began to move northward. and was first felt
| in an area Of low pressure in the Southwest.
extending northeast ward to the Tennessee
| Valley. Next the storm showed very definite
! outlines. covering all the country east OF the
| Rocky Mountains. with rain or snow falling
| over the entire area. Rain fell from the
| Mississippi Valley and Southern Texas over
| all States east to the Atlantic coast. and
snow generally over the western area OF the
storm from Michigan southwesterly to Gen.
| trail Texas.
The storm took northeasterlv course and
passed very rapidly to the Lake Regions,
where il developed great increase Of DOW
er, the high winds attaining velocity OF
from sixty to seventy-four miles an hour.
The high winds extendelto the Middle At
lantic and New England coast, where the
velocity ranged from thirty to forty miles
per hour.
Preceding the storm centre the tempera-
ture was unusually high for this season OF
the year, averaging from twenty-five to
thirty degrees above the normal. To the
west of the Allegheny Mountains the temper
ature fell rapidly, with the cold wave push
ing eastward.
The heavy wind storm reached the pro-
portions of genuine hurricane in parts OF
Ohio. Illinois. Michigan and Indiana, where
much damage was done.
Dispatches told of the destructive effects
Of the great wind in Cleveland Cincinnati
and other Ohio cities and towns: Indian
apolis, Ind; Detroit and other Michigan
places; Chicago, Ill, along the great lakes
and in New York State.
The storm on Lakes Michigan and Su-
perior was the worst known for years, and
it was not thought the stanchest steamer
could live in it. Three large vessels went to
pieces on the lake shore at Glencoe, Ill. In
Chicago the losses by the storm ag-
gregate S25O,060, the telegraph. elec-
trio light and street railway companies
standing the bulk of IT, Street car traffic
was seriously interfered with: trolley lines
were broken with the weight Of the snow;
telephone and telegraph wires were borne
down, broken and crossed. until half the
wires in the city were made useless. BY
midnight all communication with the out
side world was entirely cut of.
telegraph poles and telegraph wires were
blown to the ground and mingled In one
chaotic mass. The telegraph companies
were forced to 60 out OF business.
The police telephone service was al
most entirely destroyed, and the public eX.
change was cut off from many portions OF
the city. It was one OF the greatest wind
storms the city had ever experienced, the
wind blowing at the velocity Of seventy-two
miles an hour. Very great damage was
done to property all over the city.
The storm did almost incalculable dam.
age in the Northern Ohio oil fields. All
along the field, taking IN Oil Centre.
Welker, Stony Ridge, Mercer fields, Lucas
fields, Sandusky tract and almost every
where else in the territery in which millions
Of dollars have been expended this year in
equipments. nearly everything Is gone.
Cincinnati and nearly every city in the Ohio
Valley was cut of from all telegraph1c and
telephone communication. Scores OF build
ings were demolished or unroofed over a
wide extent Of country.
News from Indiana indicates that no sec
tion escaped the storm. The big plate glass
factory in Elwood was partially wrecked
and several men were injured. Indianapolis
was in the throes of the most powerful wind
storm that has been felt since November,
1876, for eight hours. Residents in
some sections Of the city baceme
panic stricken and took refuge In their cell
lars. Much damage was done to property.
Many small buildings were overturned.
Great destruction was done to shade trees.
Houses of all kinds trembled as II they would
fall In ruins.
Reports from Michigan show that the
storm was general, and in many places was
accompanied by heavy fall Of snow. Seri-
Gus damage was done in Adrian, Monroe
and Port Huron. Nearly foot OF snow fell
in the latter place. Heavy snow 1nterfered
with railroad and street traffic in Muskegon,
Grand Haven. Benton Harbor, st. Clair and
other towns Great damage was done In
Detroit.
At Buffalo, N. Y, sixty-eight mile storm
prevailed. After the heavy rain subsided
the wind sprung up with startling results.
The water in the lake, which had been
three feet lower than normal, was six feet
above. The Central tracks at the foot OF
Georgia street were washed away. The
Philadelphia and Reading road was stalled
by the huge waves and their terrible force
The damage to shipping was not great, but
throughout the city ruin was widespread.
The terrific storm also visited New Jersey.
The rain fell in torrents, and 1t was accom-
panied by thunder and lightning. The
wind blew at high rate Of speed, tearing
limbs from trees and upsetting and unroofng
the smaller buildings. The streets OF many
towns were flooded, and railroad trains were
behind time.