New-York tribune., 1896-10-01
A HURRICANE ON THE COAST



nanted. 1t carried away part OF the roof Of the
state Department. where the official documents
are stored but fortunately. left them uninjured
The costly roof of the Patent Office. constructed
after the fre there some years ago. was rolled up
and distributed all around the neghborhood and
skylights half an inch thick were remorselessly
beaten in. The Naval Observatory and. in fact.
most of the other public buildings were more or
less damaged. -
THE PRESIDENTS COTTAGE UNROOFED.
President Cleveands suburban home at
Woodley. near the city. which has been left in
charge Of servants since the President and his
family went to Massachusetts. caught the full
fury of the gale. Roof and rafters were car
ried away and landed 800 yards distant. where
they were intermingled with the ruins OF
windmill which had supplied water to the Coun-
try-seat of John r. Mclean. adjoining the
Presidents property Portions Of Mr.. McLean's
stables which stood slight bluff adjoining
the Presidents grounds. and which. from their
exposed position, were a feature in the land
scspe were intermnged in the general mix-up.
This evening workmen were engaged in repair
ing the damage.
the French Minister left roofless, and even
the substantially built Embassy Of Great Britain
suffered the loss of the portico under which the
British Ambassador was accustomed to sit In the
summer evenings and receive his friends.
CHURCHES AND THEATRES SUFFER.
Churches and theatres suffered alike. The slate
roof of the Church of the Covenant where Presi-
dent Harrison used TO worship was blown off.
and each separate slate by curious freak
planted itself upright in the grass parking which
surrounds the edifice. Still more disastrous was
the fate of the New-York Presbyterian Church
The whole tower of that edifice was reduced to
kindling. Nearly every other cnurch IN the CITY
suffered less damage.
The tower of the Grand Opera House. formerly
Albaughs. was blown 10 pieces fortunately W with
out injuring any one although the debris still OBJ
structs the whole width of one or the Droadest
streets in Washington. Several other theatres
lost their roofs. in whole or in part The new Al
baugh's Opera House. built on the site of MI
Blaines old home, where the assassination or
MIR Seward was attempted. escaped INJURY put
the watchmans boz at the corner. where through
several Wintry weeks newspaper men watched
the progress of the last illness Of ehe great Secre-
tary, was caught up by the storm and crushed
into splinters. ,.,
The devastation wrought among the beautiful
trees Of the capital was heartrendlng. For years
the Commission which controls this part OF the
National capitals decoration has been impiored
10 have the redundant foliage of these trees
trimmed The reply has always been that sum
cient appropriation has not been made by Con-
gress Now thousands OF trees whicn woulu
otherwise probably have weathered this stoiiil
have been blown up by the roots or hopeiessiy
dsmembered, and the damage done pv las'
nights storm cannot be replaced by an approprid-
Congress for one years tree culture
TWENTY-FOUR PEOPLE BADLY INJURED.
There was no loss of life. so far as known. in
Washington. although a list of twenty-four per-
sons seriously injured by falling branches and
crumbling walls is given out by the hospitals
Attorney General Harmon had narrow es-
cape from serious injury. He was driving py
the New-York Avenue Presbyterian Church IN
the worst part OF the storm. and instructed the
n
from the church. The alley however, was
closed by debris, and Mr.. Har1non's carriage
WAS driven away a few seconds afterward the
steeple and portion IF the roof fell where the
carriage had been standing.
One of the worst wrecks in the residence sec
ton is Stewards Castle, in Dupont Circle the
home of the silver Senator, and for many years
occupied by the Legation of China Most or It's
tower. its roof and its windows are gone, whiie
its interior is damaged to the extent or nearly
$4,000
The total destruction of property in this this city city
by the storm is estimated at nearly SoOooOo
In Alexandria. the damage done by IN me
storm is estimated at not less than Sloo-
600, and at least two lives are known TO nave
been lost The killed are Mrs. Louisa Holt ana
William Dunlap Stewart, who were crushed 10
death by falling walls Nearly 200 houses were
badly damaged.
DESTRUCTION ON THE WATER FRONT
The storm swept the water front with vio-
lence never before exceeded. Not only VIII
nearly every steamboat company have to pay
some Of the steamers will not be able to run
for considerable time TO come BESIDES TINS
numerous small craft were lost. and the boats
Of the Capital Yacht club and others lying at
wharves were nearly all sunk or stove IN
against the Wharves. The scene was one or III.
descrbable confusion Some seventy-hve sman
vessels were off one Of the wharves when the
storm broke and ii did not take fifteen minutes
for the wind TO lift one boat after another clean
out of the water. some We're Sasned ,n,nd
ately sunk Others hled and went down sun
others breaking their moorings, were swept out
into the stream, where the waves were running
at tremendous speed. and went sWirling up
the river some TO be sunk at the Long Bridge
and others beached on the flats.
Ths greatest damage done aside from the loss
Of the Yachts was to the steamers When the
hurricane was at it's height the Leary. the
southernnost of the steamers lying at the
wharves went adrift. She swung stern foremost
into the current and proceeded on career OF
destruction to every craft so unfortunate as to
he in her way She made the trip in about fve
minutes, and her progress vas succession OF
crashes that resembled thunder
THE HURRICANES WORK IN BALTIMORE
Baltimore, Sept. 30.-The bright sunshine and
soft breezes this morning were in striking con-
@rast with the downpour Of rain and the wind OF
ultra hurricane proportions when sWlIIeu
through the streets Of Baltimore last night Inc
tornado which had been travelling up tne Al
lantc coast from the Gulf or Mexico struch meie (
Yesterday noon, and. after a heavy rainfal IN
the afternoon. developed into dangerous proper
tions at II O'Clock last night. The wind when
had accompanied the storm suddenly gathereu
with all the fury of hurricane
Upon the wharves fell the brunt OF this MAD
dened rush of the winds The d1reclon from
which they came caused the water in the harbor
10 back up above the level OF the surrounding
streets and food the cellars Of mercantile houses
The steamboats, and numerous other cra1t at tne
upper end Of the harbor were swayed back ana
forth at their moorngs and lifted high above
their usual level. Sleep was an unknown guam
tity to those on board the vessels and those Nv
ing in the neighboring streets. fearing as they
did that every instant the storm would come
upon them with such intensity as to cause loss
of life and widespread damage 10 property.
Street railway cars running along the water
front we're blocked i'm numbers, and passengers
.,nro farcod 10 leave them and wade through