The Washington times., 1902-03-20
MARCH LION SHAKES
HIS TANGLED NAME
Hats, Signs, and Awnings
Blown Hither and Thither.
Wind Blows at Rapid Gait for Many
Hours, and Numberless Citizens
Greatly Disconnected

The March lion shook his tangled name
yesterday, and the hats of Washington
ians blew hither and thither at his COM
mand, whirling through the air, or be-
coming grimy with dirt from violent slid
ing above the dusty concrete.
At the rate of many miles an hour the
wind whistled through the streets, tear
irs down signs, whipping awnings into
shreds, and leaving havoc in its wake
But most of all it tore the covering from
many heads. and thus incurred the dis
pleasure of thousands of citizens who
were forced frequently. with many varying
emotions. and with what composure they
could, to watch their hats execute geo.
metrical figures from one side of dirty
thoroughfare to the other
Old Boreas was most unpopular. and the
very fact that he didn't care but per-
sisted III his evil ways from sun up until
after midnight, made his offence the more
aggravating.
some OF his pranks were of the variety
theatre class. They were hard or the
actors, but amused the audience
The chief OF one of the bureaus OF the
Treasury Department emerged from his
office few minutes after o'clock yes
terday afternoon. He had been hard at
work in his Office all day. He had for
gotten the strong wind which blew
through the city's streets, roaring like a
beast, and taking liberties with pedes-
trians. He was possessed OF bald head,
usually covered on the street by dig
nified silk hat. It is hobby with this
particular chief to wear a tile OF this
description always.
Boreas broke the rule less than five
minutes after the hour of departure of
the Treasury official for his home at CO.
lumbia Heights. The departmental man
walked with his customary dignity to-
ward a Fourteenth Street car
lady whom he knew approached. The
Government employe prepared to bow.
He bent his head slightly, raised his
hand to remove his shiny hat, and-the
wind did the rest.
Down the street the respectable look
ing piece of head covering tore. with an
army OF small boys pellmell after it. The
hat rolled merrily. 1t skipped the fender
Of northbound car. causing the Treasury
official who watched to catch his breath,
slid under the feet of four horses, had d
narrow escape from the wheels of the
dray they hauled. and was finally lost
sight of in small whirlwind of dust
BY this time II had reached the Avenue.
A stout lady lacking against the wind
and trying to double the corner, threw out
a kedge anchor and attempted to beat
into the harbor of a doorway Dust filled
her eyes and she clutched wildly at a
portion of an iron railing surrounding the
corner building. At this instant the silk
hat came out of the cloud of sand and
blew straight into her arms.
With the despair of a drowning person
clutching at straw the stout lady en-
circled the hat with her arms and clung
TO II tenaciously. She pressed il close to
her bosom, and. finally gaining the fence
she aimed for. impaled the tile on a sharp
picket.
The Treasury Department official
reached the corner the last scene of
the tragedy was being enacted. With the
courtesy OF a Chesterfield he assisted the
lady TO a safe haven. Strengthened the hat
as best he could, and crept shamefaced-
~ TO a car. holding the hat down this
time with both hands.
Many other incidents occurred Hat
dealers estimate that many dollars worth
of damage was done to articles in which
they trade. ard in consequence regarded
the strenuous bTeezcs with sentiments of
joy
Considerable dana ge in dollars was
also done signs and awnings throughout
the city. In Washington Heights and Co
lumbia Heights. the most elevated por-
tions of Washington. the winds prevailed
with greater force than in the business
sections of the city. Down town Four
teenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
and Fifteenth and G Streets were two of
the most blustery corners in the city
The damage done here to hats and vo-
cabularieg was IRENE ndous.
The telephone companies complain of
the high winds. Whistling through the
wires the small tornado delayed the serv-
ice. and made conversations over the
lines IN many Instances impossible.