New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-03
ONDAY. OCTOBER 3. 1S9S.-TEN PAGES.
GALE on SOUTHERN COAST.
MUCH DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND
SEVERE LOSS OF LIFE FEARED.

| MUCH DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AMI
SEVERE LOSS OF LIFE FEARED.
| CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THD GREAT
| STORM OF 1soa-wATER EIGHT FEET ABOVE
HIGH TIDE LEVEL AT sAvANNAH-snA
ISLANDS DOUBTLESS SUFFERED
GREATLY-MANY PERSONS
RESCUED.
Savannah, Oct 2-For eighteen hours from
3 o'clock this morning until o'clock tonight,
Savannah has been in the grasp of a West Indian
tornado During that time the wind blew stead
lily from fifty to seventy miles an hour While
the city escaped with comparatively little dam
age the loss Of property among the Sea Islands
Of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts is be-
leved to be heavy. For miles in every direc-
ton around Savannah, the lowlands along the
rivers are submerged.
Only one fatality has so far been reported
the drowning of a negro while attempting TO
reach the mainland from a small island near
Thunderbolt-but heavy loss Of life Is feared
from the South Carolina Sea Islands where
great loss Of life occurred In the tidal storm of
1S93. The conditions now are similar TO those
In that storm. Owing to the submerged country
and the isolated location Of the islands, no news
can be had from them until the water subsidies.
For eight miles north Of Savannah. the entire
country Is lake. with only the hummocks WIS.,
ible.
At noon the water was eight feet above the
highest tide Driven shore by the northeast
storm, II piled up on the islands. swept over
banks and dams. carrying away the remnant Of
the rice crop that was left by the August storm
and had not been gathered and wipng out
farm crops. The loss to rice growers alone will
be from $4,000 TO $4,000 OF the entire rice crop
along the Savannah River valued at S250,000, all
except about Is per cent was lost in this and the
preceding storms.
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO SHIPPING
The damage TO shipping rs considerable. The
schooner Governor Ames. which was on her
way 70 sea With q cargo Of 100000 feet Of
lumber wen. adrft In the harbor but was
secured safely The wharves at the Ouaran-
tine station az the entrance to the river here
partially carried away. The Quarantine
officer and his family and servants were res
cued early in the day by tug. Four vessels
which We're AT anchor at the station we're torn
from their moorings and driven into the
marshes Three Of these we're the British
schooner syanara, bound for st. John. New
Brunswick: the American schooner Milleville.
for Mleville, n. ]; the FAME l. Child, for
Boston, all lumber-laden. and the Italian bark
FRANKLIN. How badly these vessels are damaged
is unknown. No news has been received from
Tybee since early in the morning. and nothing
is known Of the damage there. At Thunderbot
and Isle of Hope. suburbs Of Savannah, all the
lighthouses on the banks and hundreds Of small
boats were carried away
The extent 10 which the railroads suffered Is
not fully known. The naval stores and cotton
and lumber yards Of the Plant System are sub
merged, and the tracks Of the Central of Geor-
gia and Georgia and Alabama roads around
the city covered. The northboUnd exp SIS
on the Florida Central and Peninsular Rail-
road. due here from Florida at noon, has not
yet arrived Telegraph wires. except one wire
over the Western Union lines, down, and
the condition Of the railroad tracks is unknown.
A special train will be sent out at daylight over
the Florida Central and Peninsular road south.
All other roads are operating and the Florida
Central and Peninsuar is running north Of At
lanta~ The telephone, police. light and fire.
alarm wires are down and the city is in dark
ness.
MANY PEOPLE RESCUED
On Hutchinsons Island. opposite Savannah
and separating the city from the South Caro-
lima shore, there we're many negro families res
cued by boats from the revenue steamers Tybee
and Boutwell,. One man with a child in his
arms, holding the child above his shoulders
started TO cross the dams with the water up to
his body His wife, with another child, stood in
the window Of their house. the floor OF which
was already flooded by the rising water. and
watched her husband feel his way step by step
along the top OF the treacherous dam, one false
step from which caving bank would throw
him into swiftly moving current Finally he
was sighted from across the river on the city
side. boat was put off, and after half an
hours effort the family was rescued. Upward
Of a hundred people We're brought from the isi
and TO the city in boats.
All day rescuirg parties at work. To-
night the wind has subsided but the water
which receded with the ebb OF the tide in the
afternoon has again risen. Considerable
iety is felt for shipping at sea. The Ocean
Steamship Companys steamer Nscoochee, for
New-York. and the Merchants and Miners
steamer D. H. Miller for Baltimore. went to sea
on Saturday night The City Of Macon, Of the
Ocean Steamship Line, was due this morning
from New-York, but has not arrived. and the
City Of Augusta. Of the same line. sailed from
New-York on Friday and was due here to-
night.
The extent Of the storm cannot be told until
telegraphic communication is restored or news
received from the country between Savannah
and Jacksonville over which the heaviest part
OF the storm passed.
LITTLE DAMAGE AT CHARLESTON.
Charleston. S. c., Oct. 2.-Much alarm was oc-
casioned here to-day by the hostng Of tornado
signals by the Weather Bureau It was feared
at one time that much damage would be done,
but such not the case. In the course Of
the day the wind reached a. velocity Of sixty
two miles and the tide two and half feet
above normal. Several streets in the city were
submerged, causing much inconvenience. but
traffic was hot interrupted. nor the city
cut off from communication, either by rail or
wire in any direction
All the ships in the harbor sought safe anchor