The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-05
TORNADO At LONG BEACH.
Two Persons Are Killed and Several In
jured.

Two Persons Are Killed and Several In
jured.
Atornado struck Long Beach yesterday after
noon. II did not last more than five minutes,
hut It's force was terrific. A two-and-a-half
story frame building 40 feet long and 30 feet
wide was lifted bodily from its foundations. the
lower story dropped out and the upper part let
down gently on the sand about forty feet to the
rear. the ridge pole of the roof still in its proper
relative position. Two persons were killed and
several were more or less severely injured.
A new stable that was being erected OF a ca
pacity to accommodate 200 horses had its
frame all up and was partly boarded in. 1t
collapsed with IL crash. and falling over the tel
egrarh and telephone wires broke them all. so
that the settlement was left without outside
electric communication with the world for the
remainder of the day. Two large sloops were
capsized in the inlet near the beach. and II is
feared thai lives may have been lost.
1t twas 4:3O o'clock when the storm cloud from
the direction of New York was seen to be
Spreading very rapidly. Long Beach was in all
the glory Of its early summer. The big hotel
had opened on saturday. and the special event
Of flying kites with the Stars and Stripes
pendant with u hope that the flag might start
on a successful transatlantic voyage to the
shores Of Spain had been begun. The kites
N'lN A'hl'l anu AI' lf fll'lb II b'llNhNI Nll'Il
was floating in the breeze. which. however. was
blowing shorcward.
A large number of visitors had come down
from New York on the train arriving at 3
o'clock. About one hundred and fifty persons
were enjoying themselves in the surf. Many
persons were looking on. As the storm cloud
daFkencd the majority of the spectators scat
tered toward the hotel piazzas or other shelter.
The air was pleasant. with only enough breeze
To maintain the kites at a steady angle.
Suddenly great rain drops began to fall.
Bathers and bclated spectators made n wild
rush for the bathing pavilion. which is situated
TWO or three hundred yards from the beach.
All reached it Just as sand and papers and
boards and bits Of debris began to swirl mildly
toward tn" sea. The wind seemed TO come out
Of the edge Of the cloud overhead. The
side Of the bathing pavilion furthest from the
water Is composed of IL series Of double doors,
opening on n piazza, and the upper
halves Of these doors are glass. All
the doors referred to were wide open.
Before they could be closed the whirlwind
ana sand storm swept nearly all the
people before IL clear across the seaward end
olthe PIAZZA and over upon the sand beneath.
ESm"re lh"( huddlcd in fear and trembling, A
.fM meli who had stood their ground tried to
shgt thr doors and eventually succeeded in
fGSihG So bur hardly q whole pine of glass was
ii - Il'Iu INV Nlnl blpWlIR IL clear OUT 'I
~ frames. There, were several narrow es-
SSi.,%o rom being badly cut. The floor, was
uttered WIN glass; At one time the building
Inches. "N'' anu the front oil II 'ii'ed several
o,TIhoTc Who had been trying to close the doors
Ing Il couple Of hundred yards further in
more that had been used as IA laundry
s SDnt servants house lifted bodily from, lis
pIhnht!pnS. and they had seen lying timbers
N ,9" distance. but the air became too black TO
t Ssrhsu,1h what had happened. When, the
EtSS sys r"Etlnedthoir senses and looked about
vbd Hqlloi That ussd to be a two-story building;
nm sIit""l IN" driving torrents Of rain, many
ir M fl. % lhr wreck and heard cries for help
aayUTnr I"hrhth IT. seven negro servants were
ss11t.rlrti"d IN Il badly bruised condition, and two
Sottai' h' had TO he CARED upon stretchers TO the
All hos" injured we're negro men. Two of
Nsm died last night.
IN 'kS eS - the night watch at the hotel were
tn'u m" upper story Of the building at the
th"W, ~ ~" disaster. They hardly knew any
,Ihe tqiI ilng had twenty windows on each
en- Tth"annH lIrrr AZ each end In the upper story.
ain" ~, T'r" abundant means Of exit. Bed
Itfswm" r Nv %GnI,irnts OF, the lower story were
~ 10 ~" four winds.
, = mr wreck Of the new stable. in a direct line
miIiSTJfi ~ !dInln III" bathing pavilion past the
ofErokmmnI ,Ills, was found to be simply Il mass
the hms@ ~ ia" hotel piazzas felt very little Of
back ruI%a'Ht'' So limited had been its path. but
EracL ul"N me waters OF the inlet several
0pecks could be seen, az the snuall cleared.
tIen SmMn lai her topmast carried away and
irmSmm nan named Samuel Jackson came ashore
Erntitmnr,r 1ll said he had been fishing with his
drowT"n.ji Law, whom he believed 10 have been
br."." Jackson Is an old resident Of Lyn-
BEessoSi' ana when he got to The long
his h"ut nNr'ad station he got n message that
dre"" MA" '"ninlning his wife and three chill
llRhtTIiir"r ~, Si"r-in.law had been struck 10y
Nbenn ana mat all within it had been killed,
barn thaa, ~ home ne, Icund thar II was his
Tkss Ina, ial been struck. and not his house.
NsSon nstI was burned and two horses, several
TScped ana a quantity Of feed had been de-
~A0'Aer slOop was seen to cApsise. but no one