The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-27
During Christmas Celebration
a Portion of the Roof Was
Blown Away.
MANY PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
Unusually Heavy Rains Block Traffic
in Many Portions of the
Country.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Dec. 26-The
high wind that accompanied tonight
rainstorm nearly caused a terrible disaster
at the Mariners Bethel Church. at Front
and Union streets. A Christmas-tree
celebration was being neld at the church
ana the little building was packed with
about 600 people, many of whom were
children.
Just before 10 o'clock the merry partici-
pants in the festival were startled by what
sounded like heavy blow on the roof
above their heads. The noise was followed
by falling bricks and mortar, and in the
efforts to escape from the impending
danger a wild panic ensued among the
people IN the church.
a rush was made for the single exit. and
women and children were trampled under
foot by the stronger in the rush for safety.
About half OF the people succeeded IN get
ting out of the church before some OF the
cooler heads in the crowd pacitied the
fears of the panic-stricken people.
Although a number of people were
knocked down in the flight from the
church and number of others were cut
by the falling bricks and mortar, no one
was very seriously hurt. An examination
of the cause of the panic showed that
about half of the roof of the building had
been lifted off by the wind.
PITTSBURG Pa. Dec 26.-One of the
worst storms in long time for telegraph
and telephone companies in this vicinity
passed over Pittsburg and Western Penn
sylvaniG. Wires are down in all directions
and communication with the East is badly
impaired. Rain began here early in the
afternoon ana the downpour gradually in
creased until about o'clock tonight.
High winds also prevailed, which played
sad havoc with the telegraph wires
The storm seems to have been at its
worst east of Pittsburg. Near Hopewell
on the Huntington and Broad Top Rail
way tree was blown down across the rail
road track. A train crashed into the OBJ
struction and a railroad foreman was
killed. The rain has now ceased, but snow
Is falling. The signal station here has had
no communication with points east oil
Pittsburg up to 9:45 o'clock tonight.
NEW YORK. n. Y, Dec 26.-About 6
O'Clock tonight this city was visited by an
unusually heavy wind and rain storm
The velocity of the wind continued to in
crease gradually up to about 1890 O'Clock,
when the registers in the weather bureau
indicated that the wind was blowing al
the rate of sky miles an hour. At that
hour the rain fell IN torrents and the
streets were wholly deserted. Up to a late
hour there were but few accidents re.
ported, and they were of a trihing
character
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, Dec. 26.-The
worst blizzard that ever visited thi:
vicinity struck the city early this morning
1t has continued with increasing violence
ever since, until now the streets are almost
impossible and telephone and electric
wires are one tangled mass.
There is not a telephone in working or
der. One horse was killed and several per
sons knocked senseless by coming in con
tact with large wires.
Large gangs of men are trying to get &C
cess of the streets, but the storm is increas
ing III force and bids fair to leave the cit,
without electric light. The damage to The
telephone company is enormous.
JEFFERSON CITY, No, Dec. 26.-Th.
Gasconade and Usage rivers are fallin.
and the situation is more encouraging
No estimate of the loss to farmers ha
been made vet. In some districts tn,
floods have left desolation and restitution
Along the Usage and Moreau valleys tn,
crops were almost entirely ruined ant
there is much distress.
At Bagnell the Usage is still three miles
wide and no train has been able to ge
within mile and a half of the town fo
four days. Only the roofs of the highes
3 buildings can be seen in Tuscum bia, which
is almost entirely submerged. The prop
erty loss has been exceed ngly heavy.
NOBLESVILLE, IND, Dec. ga furi
Gus snowstorm has ragged here since las
midnight. The snow is wet, sticking t.
and breaking off the tops of trees and i'm
peding travel generally.
SAN ANGELO, TEX, Dec. 26.-New,
reached here this afternoon of dieaster il
which several lives were lost and much
property destroyed last Tuesday night
The wind and rainstorm which swept owe
Western Texas assumed the fierceness of
hurricane.
At Nanimbricks' ranch, near Sterlint
City. on a branch OF the Concho River
about sixty miles northwest of this place
Ortano Cardez, his wife and daughter
lived in. cabin, and Juan Vergas anG
Elmo Dealto, two herders, boarded with
Them. The cabin was wrecked and blown
into the stream and the five occupant,
were drowned.
Two miles farther down the river AL
berto Jardin and Pedro Sardis wer,
drowned while trying to escape from &
sudden rise in the Concho. The storm
coming on suddenly in the night, the vic
tins had no warning and could not pro
tect themselves. The whole country in
the Concho valley is overfowed and many
sheep and cattle have been drowned.