The times., 1899-03-20
THE City Seized BY
A FREAKISH STORM
A Wind Jubilee From the Pa
cific to Washington.
Rain, Hail. and Sunshine Included
in Its Repertoire.
Cherished EquinoxiaI Traditions
Scoffed at by the Weather Bu-
reau-A Trail of Rain.

A storm which had travelled from the
Pacific Coast centred itself in Washington
yesterday morning and as a result the
city was tossed about by a sixty-four- mile
per hour wind for nearly eighteen hours
and was the scene of vaudeville rain
and hail storm which lasted from sunrise
until afternoon.
1t was the strangest storm of strange
season of storms 1t howled a north sea
gale, it ceased apace and became a balmy
zephyr. 1t hailed large speciments of hail.
1t rained as though cloudburst had oc-
CURED, and as suddenly the downpour
ceased and the sun shone warmly. But the
gales overcome the zephyrs and the rain
washed the brilliancy of the sun into
naught.
Few were those who dared the strength
of Boreas and appeared upon the streets
during the day, and the luckless who dared
were tossed and buffeted and whirled until
they sought refuge. Awnings were stormed
and blown into careless rags, signs were
ripped and tossed into the street. Dis
comfort and danger were everywhere, and
man had no power but to await the calm.
1t was a national wind jubilee, in that
the storm had crossed the country, had
whirled through twenty States, from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, and had centred
in the National Capital as a grand wind
up to the celebration. The storm left Ore
gon on Thursday last and taking a south
ern curve passed through Colorado, Ken
lucky, Oklahoma Territory, Tennessee,
Arkansas. and Alabama and howled on in
a northeasterly course until last night,
when it passed over Massachusetts and
lost itself out upon the Atlantic.
In Alabama and Arkansas the storm
wrought fearful havoc. Houses were torn
down and a number of lives lost. Strange
though it may seem, these States suffered
because they were on the outer edge of
the storm and not in the centre. 1t may be
that the eaerly fruit crop has been destroy
ed by this storm, as heavy hail storms pre-
vailed along its course.
1t was an iconoclastic storm and was eX
ceeding rude when it reached this city.
The fact iss that the attendance at the local
churches was indeed slim because of it,
and new tales OF rough usage come in from
every quarter. While those who had dared
the storm TO attend church yesterday morn
ing were returning home food of rain
and hail which for a time swamped the
streets was but one of the freak tricks
performed by this storm. Thirty minutes
later, when everybody had been well soak
ed, the sun shone as blandly as though
nothing had ever occurred.
Men said that this was the equnoxial
storm, and the sage and the Oldest inhabi-
tant were given a chance to relate such
tales as comforted the sufferers. But the
weather man hath nc traditions in his re-
pertoire. and he ,rudely downed the lovers
of things ancient with a statement that
the equinoxial storm never was, is no, and
never will be.
Harry c.. Frankenfeld. the forecast Of
fetal in charge Of the Weather Bureau,
stated last night that the storm which
ragged yesterday was not an equ.noxisl
storm, and that there was no such thing
as an equinoxial storm.
That name used to be a great figure
for the makers of old almanacs and for
ancient weather prophets" said he, but
no modern astronomer, thinker, or student
of weather conditions believes in any such
stuff. 1t has been proven conclusiveiy
again and again that no disturbance can
be relied upon to appear at the equinoXial
periods. The holders of goose bones and
other infallible material were wont to
state that the equinoxial storms appeared
upon March q and September q of each
year. We have not had a so-called equi-
noyial storm for many years, and this is
not one. No official in connection with
the Weather Bureau believes in any such
stuff and We expect many of these spring
storms this year
The wind velocity registered in this city
yesterday was sixty-four miles per hour.
A rainfall of ninety-three hundredths of
an inch was also registered. The indica-
| tons for today are fair and cool. The
storm passed Dorthward last night and
only slight winds will prevail today.
The wind velocity in New York last
| night was seventy-two miles an hour.
| Storm signals are displayed from Cape
Hatteras to Eastport Me. Cold wave sig
nails are displayed in Nebraska and Ohio
| The temperature has fallen TO point be-
/ low zero throughout the Northwest.
The storm delayed local rapid transit for
time yesterday morning. when the rain
washed sheets Of mud into the slots and
tracks along the electric power street car
systems. The streets were flooded for a
| time during the day and many telephone
and telegraph wires were damaged.