The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-27
TREES SNAP LIKE REEDS
Panic Caused by Reported Escape Of
Lions From Cage at the
Theatre.
ROOFS, WIRES AND POLES BLOWN DOWN
Almost a Hurricane in New York City. Disas
trous Flood 10 Pennsylvania. -Four 60
Down 10 Death in the COL
lapse Of Bridge.
(By ths Asso.,ateG presg.)


New York, August 24.-v-A most violent
and protracted rainstorm accompanied
by wind which at times in some sections
approached the proportions of hurri-
cane swept over New York city. Wes-
chester county and the northeastern
portion Of New Jersey this afternoon.
The most damage so far reported was
at Jersey city, where buildings were
wrecked, including a church and a
theatre.
Rain had been falling Internationally
all the morning and about 1 p. m. the
low-hanging clouds began to discharge
torrents of water and this was kept up
til-after 5 o'clock. About 3 O'Clock
the wind increased nightly in violence.
and at $3.50 Jersey City began to have
the worst storm experienced in it's his
tory. Blasts of wind carried widespread
destruction. Two wind storms seem.
ingly met in the neighborhood of New
ark avenue and Barred street and cy-
clonic condition resulted.
Horses standing in Newark avenue
and the wagons to which they were
attached We're blown over. Telegraph
church. the largest in the city fell back
ward upon the church, striking the roof.
; Piles of brick from the spire crashed
from the roof down on the pews.
Two blocks south of st. Mary's church
and nearly on line with it on Newark
avenue is the Bijou Theatre. The Man
Who Dared company was rehearsins
for nan opening for the theatre for the
season. The lions that are used in the
play Mere in their cages Aon the stage
when j terrific rush, Of IND made the
building rernble. WAplhg cries caused
49, oaR. @rmers to leave the stage not
cond too soon. Bricks came down
n from the high walls, running the stage
and bending in the lions cage The lions
roared in terror. AS the performers
rushed out shout was raised in the
street that the lions We're loose and the
crowd which had sought shelter in the
corridor fled panic stricken. The lions
did not escape, but their cages were hit
and the beasts were cut by the bricks
but the barls held them.
On the south side of Newark avenue,
opposite the theatre the roofs of twelve
hrce-story buildings were ripped off.
Great pieces OF tin fell in the streets,
The roofs were SO completely ruined that
the rain soon deluged the buildings.
Van Worst Park, the ornament of the
mos pretentious part OF the down. town
community. was the scene OF the storm
iercest work. Trees that were the growth
Of many decades were uprooted or broken
OFF as though they were made of pipe
clay. a piece Of the roof of the Union
League building which stands in York
street, opposite the middle of the park,
was lifted high and carried over to the
park and dropped on the broken remnant
- tree.
B one WINS reported as Killed or IN
I'D.
rhe storm In New York city was con-
he'd TO a heavy downpour of rain with
violent wind. 1t was the heaviest in the
Bronx where the streets were flooded. The
cut through which the Harlem division of
the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad runs from Melrose to Williams
bridge. was flooded to depth of from two
TO four feot. At the Fordham station
there was considerable sand on the rail-
road tracks and trans were unable to get
through.