Evening star., 1902-02-26
SEVERE STORM IN FRISCO.
Houses Blown Down and Ships Drag
Their Anchors

A dispatch from San Francisco last night
says: One Of the heaviest southwest storms
that has been experienced in many years
struck this city this morning The wind
attained great velocity, blowing forty-five
miles an hour in the city while at Point
Reyes 1t reached sixty miles at 7:30 o'clock.
Ships dragged their anchors or broke their
moorings at their docks, q fishing boat
was capsized, the telephone and electric
wires were down. and awnings, shade
trees and fences were wrecked and pedes-
trains were greatly inconvenienced.
Telegraphic communication with the out
side world was cut off. The full force OF
the storm was felt on the bay. and the bar
was so rough that vessels were unable to
leave port.
North of the ferries craft Of all sorts
was tossed about like egg shells. The vio-
lent south wind stirred the bay into a
rolling, tempestuous sea. against which
anchors were almost futile. Swell after
swell, each apparently heavier than tho
one preceding. pounded the vessels from
the Southerly direction and sent them drift
Ing In dangerous proximity to one another,
drove them close to the piers and To the
Islands, and kept the towboats busily en-
gagged in efforts to prevent disaster.
The transport Soace, with nothing but
300 tons Of coal to keep her down. broke
from her anchorage off Beale street and
careened about the bay like drunken
sailor She drifted broadsde on until q
collision with the government steamer Al
batroSS seemed imminent but she veered
off in the nick of time. The wind and the
swell caused her to drift helplessly, send
ing her finally toward the transport wharf
at Fulsom street. The officers Of the serv-
ice gathered on the pier fully expecting
the Solace to crash into the wharf. For
tunately the direction of the swell carried
the transport around until she Jest cleared
the buffer and swung out into the stream.
The transports Hancock and Rosecra1s.
which arrived from Manila last night. re-
to land their passengers
The San Francisco liEhtShip. No 30. To-
Gated seven miles from Point Lobos, part
ed her mOorings during the height OF tho
storm and was soon drifting toward tho
harbor which she finally made. AT the
time she went astray the wind was blow
ing at the rate Of seventy miles an hour.
Three three-story houses were blown down
in the Mission district.
The gale as 1t swept over the Preside
reservation left in it's trail wreck and
ruin. The signal officers of the reserva-
tion say that at one time during the morn
ing the wind was blowing at the rate OF
sixty miles an hour. Dozens Of tents were
wrenched from their positions, and after
being carried high in the air were landed
yards away, where they were afterward
gathered up by the rain-soaked soldiers
who had fought so hard to save them. The
ma iority of the tents simply collapsed un-
der the pressure Of the wind. To the SOL
dierS the wreck Of the tents was a seri-
Gus affair for the majority of them had
all their possessions under the tents, and
before they could collect their belongings
they were thoroughly soaked by rain.
In the residence portion of the city bor-
derng the military reservation much
damage was done to high fences and lofty
chimneyS.