The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-17
SWEPT BY A GALE
SEVERE WIND STORM VISITED
SAVANNAH.
BLEW So MILES AN HOUR.
HEAVIEST WINTER GALE EVER
EXPERIENCED IN THIS SECTION.

Alarm Systems Deranged-Fences,
Tree Limbs and Signs Blown
DOwn-Tybee Felt the Gale at 90
Miles Hour.
The northwest storm predicted along
the Atlantic seaboard from Savannah
to Baltimore, made it's presence felt
yesterday afternoon and last night
Not only did the wind blow with fury
next to a hurricane but it will go on
record as the strongest winter gale
known in Savannah since the estab-
lishment of the weather bureau thirty
three years ago.
1t was a gale in every sense of the
word and was remarkable for this sea-
son of the year, though harder gales
have prevailed during the summer and
autumn months when such conditions
are expected, but even these blows
have beaten it on but two occasions.
in recent years the greatest
force being as miles from the
northwest on Aug. 81, 1898, and
the second. rs miles, from the south
| east on Sept. 90. 1896
generated Rapidly.
Another fact about the blow was its
rapidity in generation as is shown by
the records of the weather bureau. At
noon it was blowing but twelve miles
from the southwest; at O'Clock
| twenty miles from the same direction;
at and 5 o'clock it had decreased to
eighteen miles per hour. In the next
| twenty minutes the blow had taken
| on greater velocity, and at 500 the
| wind gauge showed a speed of thirty
| two miles. For five minutes from $40
| to 7:45 it had a general velocity of
| forty-eight miles, and for a minute
of this time reached the extreme fig
ures of fifty-two miles from the west.
| At 500 o'clock some energy had been
lost, and it was then ranging at from
| thirty-six to thirty-eght miles, which
velocity it held to 1920 o'clock
when the weather bureau reported a
still further decrease to thirty miles,
and it was announced that the great
| est force had likely been expended.
other Winter Winds.
The nearest approach to this wind
in the month of February was forty
two miles on Feb T. 1895, from the
| northwest. A similar velocity was
| also experienced Feb. %, 1902, from the
west. The highest January wind re-
| ported here in the past thirty-three
years was thirty-eight miles, on
the 9Th in 1899, and the
greatest December velocity thirty eight
miles, on the 7th, 1890.
Another interesting fact connected
IE1yifh esf,o g he
| temperature. During the highest stage
of the blow the mercury stood at 66 de-
| grees, but the stages of temperature
| is better told by beginning at a. M,
when it registered 81 degrees. From
| then the mercury climbed rapidly I'M
til 1880, when it reached the maximum
| of the day-74 degrees. 1t then de-
clined and at 8 o'clock was but II. At
o'clock it was still falling, and at
| 7:40 was sc, as stated above.
Still further interesting is the mark
ed decline in the barometric read
ing, which is the third lowest
ever recorded here. The lowest was
| 1904 Aug. 81, 1898, and the second, 29.1S,
Feb. 6, 1896, while that last night was
1927 at O'Clock.
sixty Miles at Tybee.
At Tybee the gale reached velocity
of 60 miles per hour at the same time
it was felt AS miles in the city. No
damage is reported and all vessels out
| going were safely moored inside The
rain was quite heavy there and reach
ed nearly half an inch, though lasting
less than 30 minutes.
During the early evening the wind
swept down the streets in the city and
carried the lheacy dust everywhere
making travel decidedly disagreeable.
Store doors had to be closed and win
doWS fastened to keep out the hying
sand.
Although it would appear that con-
siderable damage would have been
done by the wind but little if any Sc
rious loss was reported. In the
southern portion number of
fences were blown down and dead tree
limbs scattered promiscuously. The
street signs suffered considerably and
many small and insecurity fastened
ones were torn away. Foye & Eek
STEMS big sign came down during the
height of the wind but fortunate
ly no one was under it. The
show case standing in front of
over during the afternoon and broken
The Mecca Cafe had three win
dow panes blown out and other
of the city had shutters tiers
torn off and window glasses shattered.
Loose pieces of tin blew about in sew
eral places, but up to 1890 o'clock the
police had not received any report of
houses being unroofed or blown down
or trees uprooted.
The fire department had some
trouble with its wires by a cross arm
on West Broad street being broken
but this was quickly repaired and the
service restored, though the sagging
and crossing of the wires with those
of the telephone companies kept taps
coming into the station during the
night.
Lights and Telephones.
The electric light company had
trouble with crossed wires, especially
in the southern portion of the city, the
most of the lights being out on Jones
and other streets in that section for
some time after the fierceness of the
blow had passed. Other lights in diff
ferent parts of the city were reported
extinguished at various times during
the evening.
Both the Georgia and Bell
telephone companies suffered bv
breaking wires in the portions of the
city where they are strung on poles
and numbers of instruments were put
out fservice, either by being burned
out of service, either by being burned
by breaking. Crews of men were
started out at once to find and remedy
the troubles and it is likely that by
to-day the complete service will have
been restored.
Telegraph Wires Down.