The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-17
Business Houses Were Flooded and
Number Of Firms suffered
Losses Not Yet Estimated
NO WORD FROM FORT MORGAN
WHERE TWO COMPANIES OF COAST
ARTILLERY ARE STATIONED.
Fate of Islanders Not Yet Learned
Shipwrecks Near Pensacola-Sev-
y-MiIe-an-Hour Gale.

MOBILE, Ala. Aug. is. - The tropical
storm which came up out OF the south on
Wednesday and increased In force during
the day following is believed to have been
the severest in the vicinity of Mobile. The
highest wind blew at the rate of seventy
miles an hour for some time. Various re-
ports of the drowning of men i'm the bay
have reached here, but il is impossible 10
confirm them, owing to the complete demo-
lition of communication. The pleasure
yacht Ariel bound for Fish river with a
party of Mobile people board. is re-
ported to have pounded to pieces on the
wharf at Battles on the eastern shore Of
the bay. Nothing has been heard OF the
crew The pleasure yacht Mayfower. or
this city. with party of prominent people
on board, reported lost this rorniHsvs
been heard from. All aboard found refuge
on Cat island. but the boat was wrecked.
Nothing has been heard from Fort Nor
gan Two companies of the coast artii-
lery are stationed there. The barracks
undoubtedly received the full force of the
blow. No communication can be had with
any of the islands i'm Mississippi sound.
just outside the bar. forty miles below here
Any news concerning the fate of the island
ers must come by boat. and this is anxious
ly awaited.
The fruit steamer Harold. from Puerto
Cortez. arrived late tonight. She reports
speaking a two-masted schooner sixty-fiye
miles southeast of this port. totally dis
masted. The captain of the schooner de-
clined assistance.
Logging camps and mill manufacturers
have suffered considerable loss by the break
of booms. Sawlogs and square timbcrs
drifted into Mobile all day, much OF IL
coming up on Royal street, three blocks
from the water front. The Dixie sawmil
and the mill Of Heironymus Brothers. To-
Gated at Magazine Point. were badly dam
aged, parts Of the plants being blown
away. No estimate of the damage i'm Mo-
bile is possible at this time
WIND BLEW WITH FORCE.
The gulf storm which began with wind
and rain Wednesday reached its severest
force about 5 o'clock Thursday. the maxi
mum wind velocity being sixty-two miles
an hour. Considerable damage was done
in Mobile i'm the way OF uprooting trees,
unroofing houses and topping chimneys. A
falling wall demolished the rear end Of
Charles Mohr 4 Sons drug store. lsl
Dauphin street, badly damaging his stock.
The flood water backed by the SOUTH
east gale over the cotton wharf and Front.
streets for several blocks north OF St. An
thony was covered The water was eight
cen inches deep In the Cotton Exchange
and both the Western Union and Postal
Offices were flooded. The power houses of
the electric railway were flooded and cleo
tric car service was shut down after ,
O'Clock. All business In the wholesale dis
trict was suspended. Care had been taken
to elevate lower floor goods temporary
platforms and the grocers suffered little
a.. fFn FranF mar rnf -,
extent. Owners OF cement lost 100 barrels.
The tracks OF the Louisville a. Nashville.
Southern and Mobile & Ohio pass
through Commerce street: and werc under
water, traffic, OF course, being stopped ell
trely. The Mobile & Ohio is operating
the Louisville * Nashville received one
train during the afternoon al Magazine
Point from the North No asd afternoon room and md
South and none Is expected tonight
The bay boats made their morning trips
from the eastern shore of the bay 10 Mo-
bile but no afternoon trips were made 10
the other side. They went up the river
when the storm came and took refuge be-
George T. Bentley. Captain Edwards LETT
few days ago for Cienfuegos but. meet
ieTdsV ieE sVe SP The scRooners Mary E' Morse and
Mary T.. Judge sailed Monday and have, 10
Is feared. been involved in the storm.
REPORTED HEAVY WEATHER.
The fruit steamer Espana. from Puerto
COrtez. with General Cabell on board. was
due yesterday. but waited outside and came
in to-day. reporting very heavy weather.
The schooner Asa a. Stowell. bound from
Havana 20 Pascagoula. was outside on
Thursday morning. and when in the storm
put into this port. Her anchors would not
hold and she drifted all the way up the bay
and lies upright i'm the flats or Little island.
opposite the city A small schooner. laden
with 90 barrels OF resin for New Orleans.
overturned at the resin wharf. The tug
boat Venture sunk al this wharf.
Several yachts and naphtha launches
owned here anc at PortersNille are reported
wrecked and the canning factory al BAYOU
La Batre. on the southern shore. Is dam
aged.
All the wharves and bathhouscs at Port
Clear eastern shore OF the bay. were
washed away. The bay shell road. the
noted drive on the eastern shore Of the hay.
was washed out for a distance OF half A
mile. and the entire road Il covered with
logs and driftwood.
Superintendent Charles Marshall OF the
New orleans division OF the Louisville es
Nashville Railroad. reached Mobile on
washed In many places. a work train from
the Montgomery division had by that time