El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-24
A CYCLONE.
Ell PasO Swept by Furious Blasts and
Solid Sheets of Rain.

| The rains descended and the floods
came, likewise tle mist furious blast
| il Is believed that ever visited Ell PasO,
and while there Is no very marked loss,
| beyond the plaza disaster, there arr
enough small losses and disasters to
swell the aggregate to highly re-
| spectacle figure.
The storm struck the town from the
west last night at SID o'clock, and
seemed 10 be the result OF two heavily
charged clouds meeting from different
| direcslOnS. 50 many storms are de-
| Elected by the mountains and pass
around the town that it was thought
that tue skies would do nothing more
than threaten. But the current sent
| blasts and the rain dir ectly
into town, and for twenty
five minutes it did seem as though the
whole town would blow away. The
preliminary sprinkle was followed by
what appeared TO be a solid wall of
! water blown through the streets by ID
tremendous gale. People rushed fran-
| tically for the nearest shelter, ana
| there was a wild dive of teams to get
out of the way. Mltcheh's horses ran
| away, threw him from the hack. ana
were recovered later IN terri. fed con-
ditiCn near The Southern Pacific freig .
house, with the hack turned over.
The McGInty band was preparing fOf
| L
although the band had not Yet left
| headq the paraphernalia had
been taken to the plaza pavilion, auu
everything was in readiness there. Inc
plaza was crowded with people count
| ing on hearing fine musical treat
| aud besides So many people were pour
| ing into the park that the largest
audience of the season was promised.
Th IN down came the waters, and in
III linz he nj m cd n
hundreds Of people rushing for nome
or the nearest shelter. Scores OF peO-
pie were drenched, and the band para-
phernalia was blown all around and
considerably injured. Fortunately, the
musical scores had been held back and
were safe in the band room. The
blasts and the precipitation lasted more
than half an hour, bat III that brief
time there was an immense amount OF
damage done. AccCOrdIng to the
| weather bureau the maximum velocity
| (or highest velocity for five minute7)
was at the rate of TO miles per hour.
But the extreme ve.Oc, ty Tor quickest
single mile) was at the rate of ABOUT 81
miles per hour. Tue prec. pltation,
mostly in twenty minutes, was .63
inches. In that time score of fue
trees in the plaza were blown down,
so that the beautiful spot was a scene
OF sad desOlatiOn this morning,
and trees were leveltd with the grOunu
in many other spots through the city
IN a belt of perhaps quarter OF mi e
wide, the federal bulluIng being in the
center. Many windows were blown in,
and house interiors greatly damaged,
small structures were unroOfed, fences
and sheds blown not merely down, bat
literally blown out of sight. Streets
were washed pretty much to pieces,
the Southern Fac tic round house Was
flooded again and the yards badly
washed, cellars and vacant lots al
through the south part of the town
were filled or partially filled win Wa
ter, and the path OF the cyclone is
very much in evidence today. Myrtle
avenue Is once more seaside resort,
and the ripping waves Of the lake
once more touch the seagirt shores" If
that fas bionable thOroug hfare. Yet,
the residents along that avenue are
not stuck up one bit, and don't appi e.
clated complimentary comparisons
with Coney island or Santa Catalina.
Proprietor William Cough of the St.
George hotel. rushed onto his roof to
rescue some things when tie force Of
the blast struck him where the Oh ckea
got the axe. 1t threw him down onto
the tn, and not darlng to get up for
fear Of being blown Into the street.,
the poor fellow lay there flat on his
face. and took the whole show in. -
When the Storm let up, Re tumble d
down the ladder into the hose a mel
ancholy aEgrega'icn OF br.c-a- brac
The roof of the rear part of the Sill
berberg res:den e on Mesa avenue WAS
landed in the center of Mesa avenue,
and Mrs. Rob TT SLIDER berg was severe
ly sho ked by lightning. y forty foot
oil board just north of the Stewa "
Cav ford building on Orepo on street WAS
blowa some 800 feet 70 The