New-York tribune., 1897-07-24
THE CITY STORM-SWEPT.
CLOUDS FORM A BLACK CANOPY AND
THE RAIN DEscENDs IN TORRENTS.

VIVID FLASHES or yJoHrNrNG PIERCE rHE
GLOOM STRIKING SEVERAL. TALL BTr.p-
INGs BUT DOING LITTLE DAMAGE
MANY EASEMENTS FLOODED.
One Of the most terrific thunde.storrne that
New-York ever experienced passed over the
island yesterday afternoon at about o'clock.
There faint and distant warnings Of the
approaching tempest early in the afternoon. and
the atmosphere was sultry all day long. but the
storm itself gathered and burst With almost
tropical rap;city. 1t came from the southwest.
ard from the windows Of the high office build
ings could I've seen speeding from the hills Of
New-Jersey with ruthless haste. There were sharp.
vivid flashes of lightning, not the forked sort
representa- in illustrations. but the deadly and
serpentine sort that instantaneous photography
has depicted faithfully Of late The light
ming was sharp on this side Of the North River
when the rain could be seen falling in a smooth
gray wall In Jersey and suddenly the
air darkened and the force Of the storm fell
upon the city. Then the wind which had been
light. sprung into life and in moment 1t was
blowing a gale.
AS the rain swept across the river and to
the island it blotted out the light like a pail,
and the city looked as though night were falling
fast The streets that had a few moments be-
fore been filled with hurrying thousands were
instantly deserted. as everybody to cover.
Only the cable-cars were in motion. The rain
fell Internationally. but in torrents. II 1t ever
rained harder IN New-York. II a long time
ago. Up the streets that lead from the river
the water swept in horizontal gusts. and across
City Hall Park II lashed itself like a huge gray
blanket shaken in the hands OF a giant Against
the western windows the rain dashed with
roar and broke with a sound like ocean surf.
Mingled with it were few hailstones but they
were neither large nor numerous enough to do
any damage
Every few minutes the storm lulled bit, and
then the tall Office buildings in Broadway took
on tangible shape once more. the river front
came again dmy into view. and a close OBJ
server could get evidence that New-Jersey had
not been drowned. But in an instant the gale
was raging again. and New-Jersey. the river
front and the tall buildings disappeared from
view in the gray and rushing wall Of water.
All this time the lightning was frequent and
vivid. and the thunder cracked and rolled to the
discomfort Of the rervous.
SWEPT ALONG BY A HIGH WIND.
The rain began to fall at 1856 o'clock and con-
tinued for about forty minutes in which time
about sc Of inch of water fell. or rather blew.
across the river. At the height Of the storm
the wind blew at the rate Of ffty-four miles an
hour but II fell to almost nothing soon as the
storm was ended. In few minutes the temper
ature fell from "a to CA degrees. The storm
came UP from the southwest and travelled tow
ard the northeast, but just as 1t reached New
York 1t whired around and swired away to the
northwest.
The lightning was spectacular. 1t struck In
number Of places In this city. including several
Il 40
damage. but nobody was severely injured. al
though several persons sustained shocks. At the
height Of the storm. bolt of lightning struck
the top Of the new New-York Life Building.
Broadway and Leonard-st.. setting fire to the
scaffolding about the tower. The rain quickly
extinguished the flames. but 1t was found that
one Of the granite blocks composing the figures
upon the tower had been cracked. Otherwise no
damage done The shock was not felt In
the building.
At 4;32 o'clock lightning struck and shattered
the flagstaff on the dome of the Gillender Build
ing. a skyscraper at Wall and Nassau SITS. The
pieces of the flagstaff which was 80 feet long
fell into Nassau-st.. but hit one The flag
pole on the Bank Of Commerce Building was
struck at the same time and tilted at angle
Of As degrees. but was not broken.
wRECKAGE IN THE BOULEVARD.
All along the Boulevard, from Seventy-sec-
ond-st. to One-hundred-an tenth-st, limbs OF
trees were blown down and the streets
piled with all sorts Of brushwood. Travel was
thus impeded in many Of the streets in the
northern portion Of the city.
Lightning struck the house at No 366 West
Twenty-seventh-st, but did little damage. At
3:55 p. m. bolt of lightning struck the foot
fagpole Of the hay barge Chicago. lying in the
shattered TO splinters. and the gilt ball Of
10 inches diameter which surmounted the pole
was split exactly in halves and hurled hundred
feet. The lightning after demolishing the flag
pole Jumped to the telephone wires running into
the private boathouse Of j. p Morgan. which Is
built a float nd moored in the slip back Of
the barge. When the lightning struck, S. l.
Miller, son Of the owner Of the craft, was on the
upper deck with several members Of the crew
They were thrown from their chairs and badly
frightened, but not otherwise injured.
The employees Of the Iron Steamboat Company
said the storm was the worst they had ever
known. All the boats were late, and some Of
them had difficulty in making a landing. All
the vessels In the bay scudded for safety when
the storm approached. A fishing boat. belong
ing TO Richmond Havens. Of Beford. n. j..
capsized of the point of Sandy Hook during the
Storm but all hands were picked up by the
Engineers Department tug Dolphin.
The houses and stores, well as some of the
factories lying between the North River, Twen-
ty-second-st and Twenty -ffth-st and Tenth
ave. were all more less flooded. Easements
had from 8 TO feet Of water in them after the
storm was over. and much damage was done 70
merchandise. The Brighton Mills. which make
cotton and linen largely used In the manufact-
ure Of bicycle tires had to close down on account
Of the fires being extingujshed The mills are IN
Twenty-third-st. between Eeventh-aVe. ana
Twelfth-ave The water was so deep In the Erie
Railway yars at Eleventh-ave. and twenty