The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-02
THE.sTORM AT SAVANNAH.
IL Ragged Furtousiy all Tuesday Night
Heavy:Damage to,isuiidtng~ and ship
ping-The city I'm Darkness-North
Carolina Soidier~ uoye ed From Ty bee

Savannah, Ga, August Sl.-while
there was no loss OF life from last
nights storm which swept Savannah.
the damage 10 property will foot up
close TO $500. 900.
The storm began early Tuesday
night and ragged with increasing vio-
lence until o'clock this morning IL
was at its height between 4 and 5
o'clock when the wind reached "A We
locity of eighty miles an hour Ii was
then the heaviest damage was done.
When daylight came the streets were
impossible from debris. Probably one
hundred buildings were wholly or par
TALLY unroofed and as many more were
damaged in other ways. The roof was
torn half off the Savannah theatre and
the auditorium Of that building was
transformed into a lake. The First
Baptist church is among the most
heavily damaged buildings. The entire
western half Of the roof was lifted
from the walls and carried into the
street below. The handsome organ was
filled with water and the rich fresco-
ing was ruined. st. Johns Episcopal,
the First and Independent Presbyte-
rian and the Lutheran church OF the
Ascension were also damaged. In the
business part OF the city dozens q:
stores were unroofed and windows
were broken in and the interiors were
flooded.
There was no telegraphic communi-
cation during the day until late in the
evening when the Western Union and
Postal Gable lines We're in partial
working order. Street car travel is
blocked and tonight the city is in
darkness. The streets are "A network
of tangled wires.
In the harbor and at quarantine at
| Tybee the damage TO shipping liz
heavy. The British bark Dreamer from
Demarara, was blown on a tetty dur
ing the night and is heavily damaged.
The Italian bark Maria Raffo broke
loose from her anchorage and drfted
/ into the marsh where she is lying.
The Norwegian bark Noe broke loose
! from her moorings at quarantine and
went ashore on Daufuskie island at
! the mouth OF the Savannah river. Her
! crew of twelve men was rescued by
the tug McCauley. She is a total wreck.
| Between fifteen and twenty naptha
/ launches in the river and at the Sa-
vannah Yacht Club anchorage at
/ Thunderbolt and as many more small
| sloops and schooners doing a coast
| ing trade with the islands. were sunk
| or lost. The steamers Alpha and Do
| retta drifted their anchors and went
! ashore and are heavily damaged. The
, steamer Eulala broke her moorings at
Wilmington island, about ten miles
. from Savannah, and sank. Mrs. J. f..
! Lucas, wife of the owner, was on
board and was rescued with difficulty
by the captain and a deck hand. She
was taken to the top OF the wheel
! house and thrown inshore and was
caught as she struck the water and
was carried safely TO land. The rev.
enue steamer Tybee, in command of
| George Maher went to the assistanc.
of the stranded vessels in the harbor
before daylight and rendered valuable
aid in saving life and property. Tn.
cutter Boutwell, was in Wilmington
| river and Is safely anchored
At Tybee island the hotels and cot
tages were heavily damaged. Tn.
| North Carolina troops passed "A terri
bic night there, but were all brough
safely TO the city today.
| All of the railroads suffered severe
ly by washouts and trains have rul
with difficulty all day.
The rice and cotton crops have bee
heavily damaged. II will be irnpossi
bic, however, TO estimate the damag
for several days.
The storm covered a comparativel
small territory. II extended in the in
terror not more than thirty miles an
hardly that distance north and south
IT is believed 10 have been severe n
sea and fears are felt for vessels OF
the coast.