The evening times., 1898-09-08
HEATS CONVULS[VE END
Death Struggles of the TOrrid
Giant in New York.
A PAIL OF DESTRUCTION
The Advent of n Cool Wave Marked
by Sacrifices--A Woman Struck by
Lfx htninS In Brooklyn Street
Car-An Eastern Cyclone Without
the Regular Funnel-Shaped Cloud.

New York, Sept S.-New Workers are
breathing easy today The change of tenn
perature came in time to stop the swell
of deaths and prostrations from heat
that had taken the city in its grasp and
which If continued a week longer would
most assuredly have broken all records
of disasters from a similar cause. Hardy
one-third of the stories of caiamities
caused by the torrid giant that mas heid
this city in its grasp for the last week
have been told in the daily reports IN the
newspapers. Many who have been sick
in their homes from various maladies
have died because it was absolutely be-
yond their power to combat the tempera-
ture that assailed them.
The hot spell passed away in a convul-
sion as if fighting for d longer lease of
life and carried death and destruction
with it to its ending. Its extinction was
like unto the dying struggle of tiger,
and humanity was forced TO make sacri-
fees in its downfall. II wound up its
harvest of disaster with such cyclone
as people of this section of the country
have rarely, If ever, experienced before
The storm of yesterday afternoon came
out of the southwest, and there was warn
ing of it all morning. The weather bu-
reau had told of its coming, saying that
IL would marx the emu OF tlit lol wave
1t was a few minutes after ) p. m.
when lightning began TO flash, and twen-
~ minutes later the storm broke. Those
in the tall office buildings could see the
progress of the cyclone clearly. 1t came
with a mighty rush. The wind suddenly
sprang into velocity of u miles an hour.
The cyclone was first seen near Liberty
Island. II whirled along, a swirling brown
mass. 1t turned up the North River, max
ing snake-like course. Near Twelfth
Street il shot toward the shore.
Just as it struck the new pier at the
foot of Bethune Street there was blind
ing flash OF lightning, followed by a
mighty clap of thunder.
The iron structure was hurled down with
a frightful crash; the course of the cy-
clone was diverted, and it went bowling
up the river.
The pier, partly finished, was in ruins.
Scores of men shrieked in terror and in
agony. Some of them leaped into the
river; others scrambled out Of the ruins,
while the thunder added 10 the din and
the rain poured down.
This pier and the iron superstructure
upon 1t were being built by the city for
the Wilson line. 1t is called New Pier
SO When il is finished ii will be 12O feet
long from the bulkhead to the end of
the SuperStructure.
About 400 feet of the iron framework
was practically finished; that is, the
frame and the sides and roof girders
were in position. OF course all the rivet-
! ing had not been done.
/ But no one imagined that there was
wind that could blow it over. Even the
men who worked on it supported the
/ testimony of the foreman who was in
! charge, that the structure was as strong
/ ly braced as possible for II 10 be.
II was nothing more than a skeleton,
/ and how il came about that the wind
( could blow II over is not clear. No
| fewer than six men declare that II was
/ struck by lightning; that they saw the
bolt The force of the wind or the light
ming struck the structure at the river
! end Most of the workers We're on the
second floor. putting the frames in posi-
ton. There were about thirty on the
| roof These had started to come down
! because they were afraid they might be
| blown away by the storm. The sky had
taken on a peculiarly threatening ap-
| pearance In the black clouds We're
| bIotches of angry yellow.
Men who were in offices in West Stree
say they could see the cyclone shoot II
toward the pier. Its course was marked
by a whirl of dust and paper. Just as i
of lightning blinded them.
The building went down like row o
| dominos each frame hurting down III
one in front of it. The workmen sa.
they had no warning, but this is no
! strictly true, for many of them had tim
10 escape
When the structure began to Civ
Thomas Clark, rivet heater, who wa
working on the roof, ran to the edg
1 ha ri1
ty others followed him, including man
who were on the second floor.
The crash was tremendous and tn
panic of the men made them wild. The
shrieked above the fury of the storm
They were blinded by dust and in awfr
terror Presently they began scurryin
out of the wreckage.
Only one man was killed outright
Samuel Peterson, an iron worker, VIII
was near the river end of the building
His skull was crushed. The fact that S
comparatively few men were injured
due TO the fact that the superstructur
was wholly of iron, and there were n
wooden joists and beams TO crush IN
workmen. The iron girders and frame
were twisted and bent in all manner {
shapes but there are many interstice
where the men who did not jump foun
| themselves.
vet complete woman on trolley ca
returning TO Brooklyn from Berger Beac
was struck by lightning.
There were about dozen passengers
the car which was moving along al II
usual speed Out of the black clouds thel
came a binding flash of lightning al
fast upon ii a terrific clap of thunder.
The car seemed ablaZe with a whi
U fame of great brilliancy. Some of Il
passengers saw a woman. who seemed
i be ablaze fly from the car as if she hS
been hurled from IL by a tremendous fore
They were paralyzed with fear and
strange numbness and for few secon,
. they could not cry out. Then the alar
q was given and the car stopped.
The young woman was found in Il
= road unconscious. The passengers sa
| a blue streak extending across the rig
side of her face, a mark that added
their fright. An ambulance bore the youl
woman to the Kings County Hospti
where a physician said that she was 81
fering from electric shock and concussi'
of the brain.