New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-14
HAVOC BY WIND AND TIDE
SERIOUS DAMAGE BY THE SEA AT coNEY
ISLAND.

HOTEL, UNDER wArER-PARr OF THE OCEAN
sroppEp-rIFE-sAvERs ORDERED OUT.
The high wind Of yesterday played almost un-
precedented havoc at the shore resorts OF Long
Island The seas we're sent In high and angry
all day and all night and the damage at some
Of the most popular resorts was great AZ
Coney Island the tracks OF the Coney lsiahd
branch OF the elevated railroad had so much
water upon them that the police ordered trains
TO stop running early in the evening. The
Brighton Beach racetrack was deep IN water
and the Brighton Beach Hotel was comp'e'e'y
surrounded by the high tide.
At II o'clock last night the entire front or
the Ocean Hotel, at Brighton Beach, had been
washed away. A high southeast wind sprane
up at that hour and it was feared that the
hotel would be beaten to pieces before morn
ing The entire life-saving crew stationed along
the Coney Island shore was ordered 10 patron
the beach to look out for any boats wh'ch
might possibly wash ashore
1t was reported at Coney island at that time
that several yachts belonging to the GraVeseno
Yacht Club had broken from their moorlngs
and drifted out to sea, but this report couio
not be verified, owing to the crippled state OF
the telephone service. The entire floor OF the
Brighton Beach Hotel however. was hiled Win
water. and the guests were forced to abandon
It and adjourn TO the second floor
wRETCHED IN THE CITY.
In th,, city the rainfall that began on Mon
day continued nearly all day yesterday, Win
onlv occasional and brief intermrsiors. The
temperature fell with the rain. and the nighes'
noint touched in the course Of the day. accord
ing to the Weather Bureau. was 20 degrees at
2 o'clock in the afternoon. The me- IAN tempera-
ture for the day was ~. New-York was not
comfortable place to live In, for the reason tnat
the atmosphere was saturated with an omni-
present humidity. Its percentage ranging from
80 to 100 The rainfall was heavy at times
and In the twenty-four hours ending al O'CLOCK
last night 17S inches Of rain fell The storm
was not one of great geographical extent. IL
rained as far north as Albany in this State and
in New-England. but not much further and as
far south as North Carolina. Pittsburg ana
other cities escaped without any RAIN
II the weather authorities can be believed,
New-York will to-day enjoy In the way OF
weather a duplicate Of just what 1t had yester-
day.
Rain and stationary temperature was the
prophecy last night
CoNEY ISLAND ALMOST INUNDATED.
The fashionable section Of Coney Island last
night resembled a sunken island. with the big
buildings sticking UP out OF the water. When
the tide came in the water rose higher than II
has been known to do before In years, even IN
winter storms The strong steady wind which
has been blowing since Saturday night from the
ocean has piled the water up along the coast.
and Manhattan and Brighton beaches felt the
full force of the storm So steadily has the wind
~ De hoc M
since. Monday morning. and since Tuesday morn
ing the water at Its lowest has not gone mucn
below the ordinary high-wster mark
Creat rollers were coming In from the ocean
last night and threatening to carry destruc-
tion TO the shores from Norton's Point to Rock
away Inlet The waves broke over the beach
and their pounding could be heard long dis
tance away At times the spray was carried
two hundred yards lnshore. The Brighton Beach
racetrack was under four feet Of water. and
there seemed every possibility that Mondays
racing there the first Of the season. may be the
last for a long time. as the track Is Doubtless
ruined by the water. The big fence about the
track was down in number OF places, ana
more threatened to give way. 1t was also re-
ported that one section Of the grandstand had
been damaged by the storm. At the stables IL
was said that the horses and stablemen re-
naming on the track were making the best OF
their Imprisonment. and had not then been
much discounted. Some owners and trainers
removed their horses from the track yester-
day. as measure OF precauton.
The waves last night were rushing over the
bulkheading at the Manhattan and Oriental no.
tells and damaging the lawns. The brighton
Beach Hotel was completely surrounded by
water and the guests were prisoners. Ihe
greatest damage yet done by the water was re-
ported from the Brighton Beach Hotel. Dig
gap was torn in the bulkhead. and 1t looked as
though the water would before long reach the
front steps Of the hotel. No one left the hotel
as there was no danger to the building and II
was far safer remain there than to attempt
| the perous passage away from 1t.
THE RAILROAD STOPPED.
| At q o'clock last night the Coney Island police
| ordered the elevated railroad 20 cease running
as II was too dangerous on the stretch to the
east end OF the island No damage had been
done to the railroad. but It was feared that a
train might he thrown from the rails. The po-
lceman stationed at the Manhattan Beach Hote
soon after this telephoned to the Coney Island
| police station that he had prisoner under ar
| rest for drunkenness The patrol wagon started
for the hotel and turned back, reporting IT had
! proceeded until the water was almost up 10 the
hubs and that washout was probable AT the
west end OF the island the streets were deserted
and the concert halls were silent
IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF BROOKLYN.
The high water caused many washouts ir
Blythebourne, Bath Beach Bensonhurst and
! Gravesend yesterday The West MeadoVs
which adjoins Coney Island creek. were flooded
last night. and the roads leading to the place
were from three to four feet deep in water
Many of the people who live in the shantes
there had to leave their homes and seek
shelter elsewhere. Old inhabitants said that the
tide was the highest they had seen In a number
OF years.
At Edgemere yesterday the tide cut into the
narrow strip Of land east Of the Edgemere Hotel