The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-08-29
STORM in
JERSEY CITY.
MANY BUILDINGS UNROOFED
AND HORSES AND WAC
ONS BLOWN OVER
THE STREETS.
ALMOST A HURRICANE IN NEW YORK

Panic Caused by Reported Escape oi
Lions From a Cage at Thentre-Four
90 Dow to Death In the CoIlap.e Of n
Bridge.
New York, Aug. 24.-A most
violent and protracted rainstorm ac-
companied by wind which at times
in some sections approached the
proportions of hurricane swept
over New York City. Weschester
county and the northeastern portion
of New Jersey this afternoon.
The most damage 80 far reported
was at Jersey city, where buildings
were wrecked, including a church
and a theatre.
Rain had been falling intermit-
tently ali the morning and about
p. m, the low-hanging clouds be-
gan to discharge torrents of water
and this was kept up until after 5
O'Clock. About 3 o'clock the wind
increased nightly in violence, and
at 1880 Jersey City began to have
the worst storm experienced in it's
history. Blasts of wind carried
widespread destruction. Two wind
storms seemingly met In the neigh
b0rho0d of Newark avenue and
Barrod street and cyclonic condi-
tiOn resulted.
Horses standing in Newark avenue
and the wagons to which they were
attached were blown over. Tele-
graph poles of st. Mary's Roman
Catholic church, the largest in the
city fell backward 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. Mar 8
church and nearly on a line with ii
on Newark avenue is the BijOu
Theatre. "The Man Who Dared"
company was rehearsing for an
opening for the theatre for the sea-
sou. The lions that are used in the
play were in their cages on the
stage when a terrific rush of wind
made the building tremble. Warn
ing cries caused the performers to
leave the stage not a second too soon.
Bricks came down 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 were loose and the
crowd which had sought shelter in
The corridor fed panic stricken. The
lions did not escape, but their cages
were hit and the beasts were cut by
the bricks but the bars held them.
On the south side of Newark
avenue, opposite the theatre the
roofs Of twelve three-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 most pretentious part of the
downtown community, was the
scene of the storms fiercest 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 of tree.
No one was reported as killed or
injured.
The storm in New York city was
confined to 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 Hud-
son River Railroad runs from Mel.
rose to Williams bridge, was flooded
TO a depth of. from two to four feet
AT the Fordham station there was
considerable sand on the railroad
tracks and trains were unable to gel
through.