The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-09
rAnEE ror Hrar.Wnrrn r1ar.
Furniturs used TO Gauge Tire Depth Of
water In 4 T~ida.InHnANd Houhh.

-a.aa-@-sH-
Eurniture used TO Gauge the Depth Of
water In q Tide-InVhded HousS.
"You folks up here. with your squares Of
giant-ribbed buildings to dull the wind and
naturally fortified coasts that take the main
btunt OF havoc, get very little idea Of an edui-
noctial gale as the term 10 construed down
South" said q woman at breakfast the other
morning In allusion TO the morning papers re-
ports OF the storms work on the Georgia coast.
Tho damage to the rice crops 10 heavy. '"she
read. " Iknow Just what that means. and there
are only a few people saved Of the entire little
colony living on an island. I have q vivid idea
Of how that is also. Not so many years
ago l, In company with the other board
ers at a seaside hotel. stood on the
piazza just after daybreak OF q morning
following a fearful night and saw there houses
in turn break loose from the last props and
lashings that held thom and float out to sea.
falling to pieces when they got fairly In the
breakers like 80 many 1imsy glued boxes.
They were not nero shanties or indifferently
built houses, eithor. They had stout tlmbers.
were two stories. with many rooms and long
piaHEas and each one anohored=-it was sun
posed lrmly-to the piles deep driven. as IL the
custom with wooden coast houses. They had
been owned and lived In by the same families
summer after summer for years. They were
just 80 many chips. mere nothinEs In the clutch
OF the storm. No. There was nobody In them.
The tenants had realized their danger and got
out hours before. and had saved some OF
their things, but the sight Of those houses
floating of and going to pieces with the
wind blowinR-1 forget how many miles IN
hour-and tho liRhtship's distress guns boom
Ing out every 80 many seconds made an i'm
however. was not Q record breaker. They haYe
had worse ones OH the Carolina and, Georgia
s saes F SesG nSs sP g m sinS and 9 I'm s sifa Eh Z Su sfRsFi a
good deal. The native people, those accus.
toned to summering there; did not seem 70
So1tt99 ife b sas sc Ss S III. N ssff 20 oS SSfIa W. jay 81 h afa
down, because we were on the lookout to leave
all during the might, the men made trips a
SssE how q sis sR aSST T SssF' had 20 fh nisS sIo'%Re We. f ksa AZ n
thing. below to o. shift It'll FOR tRems sStS We could
there q report soon came that the, water was
as high as the second runs OF the dining room
chairs. Before long 1t was up to the top OF the
BY degrees the depth Of water, measured in
al SSimpess and .sauability by old hands and
turn Of thinking. and tben, came the verdict
inch higher, we. must all leave the. house. II
seems see FL that, 70 those the versed IN the 6 20 Of
were going through. the crisis was at hand
the critical moment. when either the water
would go on rising and maybe topple over II
mean undermined the house. or else begin
to go down. or. al. any rate, leave OF coming
Up. 1t is needleFs to say that that quarter ofan
hour was passed by me-. at least. on tenter hooks
and with bated breath, and by Mary, the black
nurse. who had abdicated her ONCE, with sti6-
sped muscles and an attitude Of prayer. Capt.
Obliged to Be outWardiy brave along with all
the other men. but l knew he was trembling
inwardly, being no more accustomed to suQh
perve-straining exigencies than. I was. We
had both been raised in a good old Connecticut
own where the weather never cuts such an
tics. Being a civil engineer and getting an ap-
pointment to supervise Government work on
the Southern coast. he gladly accepted the
post and l went down to keep him company;
homer. Oh. to the fort. There's o rugged old
revolutionary fort on the island. resorted to
We didn't have to. 60 to 1t. At the end Of the
e%ventful quarter Of an hour. waited for, watch
in hand. by the committee on danger. the de-
scent below stairs was made: and word
gone down'an I'M Il hadn't risen. The tide would
soon be on the turn and we were SAFE"