The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-30
DREADED
EQUINOX.
It Sends a West Indian Cy-
clone
Whirling Wildly Into SaVan-
nah, Georgia,
KILLING MANY PEOPLE
KILLING MANY PEOPLE
The Storm DeVastates the Ill
fated Sea Islands.
Extends It's Fury Through
Pennsylvania and Elsewhere.


New Orleans, Sept. SO.-An autumnal
hurricane swept Savannah, Ca, yester-
day and for many hours conmunica-
ton with that city was cut off.
A special to the Times-Democrat
from Savannah says: A worse storm
that that of August, 1898, if not the
worst in the memory of those living
was at its height at 1890 yesterday
Business in the city was suspended for
over an hour, the storm being furious
for that length of time. No person
dared appear on the streets. The street
cars halted, elevators stopped running,
electric currents were shut off through
fear or because of breakge; windows
and shades were blown in everywhere.
Wires We're curled down, trees were
razed, houses unroOfed, portions of big
buildings were wrecked, vessels turned
over in the river, church steeples top
pied and the streets We're literally
strewn with debris of every imaginable
kind.
The stOutest buildings in the city
trembled. There is the greatest appre-
hension for vessels out and for small
craft that are known to have been in
the blow.
Relatives of persons known to be at
sea. are frantic in their endeavors to
receive news from them. Early in the
storm there were reports that there had
been loss of life in the city. The money
loss. it is estimated will reach 5000 900 to
$80O,000. There was an indication at
o'clock of severe winds.
At that hour the observer said that
there would be a wind of over 80 miles
an hour. The wind began to raise at
11:3O and at u o'clock was blowing at
4S miles an hour. At 1915 a velocity Of
sc miles an hour had been reached and
the air was literally filed with flying
debris. AT that time the instruments
at the Observers Office was blown out
of working order. A few minutes aft
erward the wind had reached a veloc-
ity of 80 miles an hour. Atm the
| barometer had dropped to 1920 and at
12: 80 it was 28.95. After that further
reports could not be secured.
The last report the observer received
from Tybee was at 1870. The wind
was then blowing 40 miles hour.
Since then it has been impossible to
communicate with the island. The
damage to shipping was great.
A tramp steamer at the Plant sys-
tenn wharf is aground. The Norwegian
bark Rosenius, was blown from her
moOrings and smashed into a total
wreck. The steamer ChattahOochie,
pulled away from her moorings and
got out in the stream but is all right.
The steamer Flora left at 9 o'clock
this morning with a heavy cargo for
Brunswick. Nothing has been heard
from her. The steamer Gov. Stafford,
was to leave Beaufort for Savannah at
10 a. M. Grave fears are entertained
for the vessel. She was due at Tybee
at u o'clock and it is thought the
storm at that hour was at it's height at
the island.
The bark Hilda, owned in Savannah,
left here last night at II o'clock for
Brunswick in tow of the tug H. Smith.
Those interested in the vessel and the
tug are worried. The lighter Joseph
Souther, left at 4:3O a. m, with 500
bales of cotton bound for Brunswick.
She is in tow of the tug Cinthia. The
tug returned this afternoon reporting
lighter and cargo lost. Among promi-
nent buildings damaged are:
City Exchange, Savannah theater,
John Bourke & Sons Savannah Gun
factory, Savannah Pants factory, Com
er, Hull & Co., Guano factory, Henry
Solomon & Sons grocery, A. S. Brown
& Sons Planning mills, plant Railway
system depot total wreck; plant sys-
tenn shops, Central Railway of Georgia
shops, Lutheran church, car sheds of
the City and Suburban railway, Savan-
nah Brewing company.
Hundreds of dwellings are either to-
tally destroyed or damaged and the
principal retail stores of the city are
sufferers.
There has not been such a general
loss from a storm in this city in years.
The loss of life it is feared, will be
great. Already ten deaths are re-
ported. There are numerous islands
about the city inhabited by Negroes,
and the loss of life will, it is believed,
be heavy on these. Within two hours
and a half after the storm the sun was
shining and the rain had ceased. The
streets were filed with curious sight
seers. The city was in total darkness
last night.