The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1896-10-02
CYCLONE AT SAVANNAH.
Damage Estimated at Nea, Million Dollars

perry destroyed, ~ the record of tn
cyclone which swept Savannah from
1890 a. m. until 12.1 p. m to-day, Th
loss of life and damage to property ar,
yet mere estimates and both NAV b'
greater than now known. The storm
which has been lurking in the Eastern
Gulf for the past two days swept rapid
ly across Florida, at s o'clock this morn
ing it was at Jacksonville, and with
out warning burst upon Savannah.
In half an hour it had done its work
The streets were filled with wreckage
hardly house escaped without more
or less damage though there are com
paratively few total wrecks.
Three hours before the storm was at
its height the weather observer said
that the wind would not exceed a
velocity of thirty miles all hour. 1t
began to rise at II o'clock. Half an
hour later it was blowing sixty miles
an hour, and the air was filled with
flying debris. When the wind reached
velocity Of, sixty miles an hour, the
instruments at the weather station
were blown away At noon the baro-
meter dropped to 1920 and at 12. Is p.
m. was 1886.
The storm was terrific in its inten-
sity, exceeding that of the great cy-
clone of 1898. which devastated the
South Carolina coast. The shortness
of its duration was all that saved a
complete annihilation of everything
within its range. The storm came
from the southeast, and swept direct
ly over the city. Hardly a public build
escaped its fury. The forest trees around
the city were laid in swaths.
The parks are in ruins and many build
ings were razed to the ground. The
immense Plant system passenger de-
pot was the first building in the path
OF the storm, and was complete wreck.
The magnificent prize train of the
Plant system, exhibited at the Cotton
States Exposition and stored in shed,
was wrecked and the cars are almost
total loss. The Central Railroad
freight houses, on the opposite side of
the city, were unroofed and the walls
demolished. The theatre was partially
unroofed, and the Second Baptist
Church is almost a total wreck. The
Savannah Hospital and Gain Intirm-
ary are damaged. The Suburban
street railway sheds. in which were
stored twenty cars, were blown down.
Nearly every store in the retail section
of the city was more or less damaged. |
The damage to the shipping was less
than 1893. About 100000 to $15O,OOO
IS believed to be low estimate of the
damage to it.
Telegraphic communications was cut
DIT at the beginning of the storm, and
not wire has been working in any di-
'ection since noon, this report being
'ent out by train for transmission from
nillen, Ga. The Western Union Tele-
Graph Company has its forces of line
men out in all directions to re-establish
communication. The only train to ar
i've in the city since the storm began
s the north bound Plant system fast
nail, which arrived two hours late and
S still waiting for information as to the
of the track north of here.
\ special train was sent out late this
yfternoon over the Plant system but
has not yet returned. The Central
will run out special train
o-night. No trains have passed over
he Florida Central & Peninsula Rail
oad.
One of the most complete wrecks is
'orsyth Park, which was the pride of ,,
be city. Three .fourths of the trees
'ere blown down, or torn up by the ;;
BOTS, and are lying in every direction. 9
he city is in tangle of wires. The
rect car lines stopped running soon |
fter the blow began, and the cars are
on the tracks in every part
the city, blocked in by trees and the
chris of fallen buildings. The ware i
ouses OH the river front were heavily r
Q