Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-23
MISREPRESENTATION.
The Gale of Last Week, Lasting
But a Few Hours, Wrought
Havoc Along The Coast.

Havoc Along The Coast.
The gale which originated in the
West Indies some three weeks ago
aud which steadily worked its way
up the coast, prevailing with great
intensity In this section Wednesday
night of last week, wrought some
disasters along the Atlantic seaboard,
but as shipping bad ample warning
the damage WAS comparatively small.
The ten-hours' "blow" is supposed
to be the reputed equinoctial gale.
Its velocity was about 40 miles an
hour. The wind came up from the
southeast, but suddenly veered around
to the northwest.
The storm wrought great havoc
along the Potomac and the Chesa-
peake shores. Strewn along the
shores twenty five craft, some of them
in cornfields or tomato patches, lie
wrecked, mute witnesses of the vic.
lerce of the storm. Many of the
fishermen are ruined. Immense stake
nets aud traps, in which all their
hard-earned money was invested q
few weeks ago, were torn up aud
swept away by the merciless gale.
The Potomac, of the Weems Line
reached Baltimore Thursday sew
eral hours behind time, having
weathered out the storm at the
mouth of the Rsppshannock. Capt
Long reports a terrible experience
stating that the waves rolled higher
than he has ever seen them on the
Chesapeake.
Steamer Virginia" of the Morri,
81 Fisher fish guano factory, Reed
vile, and nine sail vessels went
aground in Coan river. At least five
fish steamers were blown ashore of
Lewisetta, but all except the "Vir.
GINA" worked off next morning
she remaining on the ground until
Friday. Captain Robertson's iine
vessel was blown on the shore, high
and dry, at the head of the river.
The steamer Northumberland
of the Weems Line reached Coau
Sunday looking much battered. She
ran aground during the storm and
was afterwards run into by a tug
while attempting to work off.
One of the Randall steamboats, was
hard and fast on a saul bar near
Maryland Point lighthouse, where
the storm drove it.
Nearly all the telephone lines
throughout the Neck were blown
down. This section was completely
cut of from telephone communities.
ton with Richmond and Fredericks
burg for days.
Stacks of fodder aud great deaI
of corn were blown hundreds OF
yards, and some of the best orchards
In the Northern Neck were ruined
Captain Samuel Lewis, of Hunt.
ing Greek, Accomac county, an ex-
perienced sailor, was caught out in
the bay alone in a 30-foot bateau
when the first storm struck him al
anchor at s o'clock at night. He fell
his boat commence to drag anchor
and rushed out of the cabin Just in
time to wind some strong ropes
around his wrists when the boa
capsized. lie floated some twent,
miles that night, tied fast to his boat
and was found by some sailors the
next morning at . o'clock in an un
conscious state.
The large terrspin ponds of Fran
Y. Lewis, at Hunting Greek, were
destroyed by the storm. Mr.. Lewis
IS the largest terrapin raiser on the
chesapeake bay and annually ship:
hundreds of the finest diamond back
terrapins In the world. The terra.
pins are put in still ponds, boarded
and wired in, and lay their eggs il
the sand. The terrific wind brought
in the huge tide aud completely
Hooded the ponds. The animals
were driven from the ponds and
killed by the tossing of the choppy
sea. The number of terrapins killed
is about 1900, valued at $4,000. Mr.
Lewis wharf property was washed
away, valuable drove of hogs killed
and his handsome electric motor
launch was torn from her moorings
and carried nearly three miles ovel
a marsh to Drummond's Mill.
Tangier Island, in the Chesapeake
bay, was also big loser. The new
high school building was caught in
the hurricane and totally demolished
The loss will be about $4,000. Great
numbers of wrecks of small craft
can be seen strewn along the shores
of the bay.
The United States monitor Florida
reached the Norfolk navy yard after
a trying time in the storm down the
bay. The monitor was compelled to
anchor Wednesday night off Orlsli cid,
Md. The waves were so high that
they broke completely over the low
freeboard of the Florida, but the
vessel sustained no damage. Tn.
monitor had rs fathoms of cable
out. The Florida reported thai
eleven wrecks of small vessels were
visible around Crisfield. These were
probably oyster vessels.
After losing two of the three barge.
being towed from Boston to Norfolk
having one of her own crew washed
overheard and drowned, and nearl,
laundering la her efforts to rescue
him, the tag Merrill limped into
Norfolk with the barge Camden.
The other two barges, with their
crews of ten men, are somewhere or
the ocean, if they weathered the gale
Inc disaster occurred fifty miles
southeast of Barnegat. The tug and
oarges were struck by the gale a.
$50 Thursday morning.
| From New York to Florida mum
Der OF lives were lost, much propert,
was damaged and several ships wer,