New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-09-30
I FREAK STORM.
Not SO Bad as That of 1898, Says
Eyezcitness of Both.

St. Louis Sept 29.-The first train over the
Mobile & Ohio road from Mobile arrived this
morning having left Mobile at $50 o'clock yes
terday morning, after a delay of thirty-six
hours.
George X. Warner, of st. Louis treasurer of
the ST. Louis Southwestern Railroad, and his
family were passengers from Mobile.
The storm is bad a in 1898 accord
ing to my opinion, and 1 went through both
storms" said Mr.. Warner. The storm or Thurs
day was a freak storm. the wind coming from
the southeast and sweeping over the city, doing
great damage TO the wharves, harbor and naval
stores on the waterfront. The damage, I think,
will reach probably $25O0oOO Sixty per cent
more Of the wharves and docking facilities
were damaged and put out Of use for some time.
Roofs were torn from houses and windows
blown cut, but the total will be small.
There Was no tidal wave; the wind simply
forced the water from the Gulf into the city I
heard OF three Negroes having been drowned.
There was very little loss Of life. The accounts
of The loss Of life and property have been ex-
aggerated. Damage could be seen all along the
line from Mobile north to points in Mississippi,
corn and cotton being materially harmed"
c. S. Clayton the Pullman conductor Of the
train. who also passed through the Mobile storm,
made the following statement:
morning the water was sweeping into the city
from the Gulf and the wind was still blowing
hard For four blocks north from the water
front the water stood from four to six feet deep
in the buildings and the damage to the contents
VIII be great l am sure the loss of life has
been exaggerated. l understand that one white
man was drowned on the first floor of the South
eFn Hotel while trying to escape from the flooded
building. Three Negroes were drowned in the
outskirts while trying to save livestock 1t
was reported that ten or fifteen persons lost
their lives when five boats the bay were
wrecked and sunk. The pier of the Mobile &
Ohio road was blown to pieces Christs Epis-
cOpal Church was badly damaged The cav
thorn and Bienvile Hotels were damaged to a
great extent. BienVille Park is a mass of fallen
trees The force of the hurricane unroofed
houses generally over the city and uproOted trees
and all the while the rain poured in torrent
For one hundred miles north of Mobile the
STORM ala nuch damage, tearing off roofs and
destroying cotton and corn along the route At
Cironville, Ala. two houses We're blown down
and. II is said, that one or two persons were
killed. We had several passengers out of Mobile
VINO had been I'm the hurricane at MONTGOMERY
Ala, and they say that the damage there is very
great. The Pullman car that they were on was
attached 10 a train on the Louisville &, Nash
Vile Railroad that held near Montgomery
for eighteen hours. Everything was as dry as
could be at 9: 80 q. Thursday at AfontgOn1-
cry, and $3.50 a. m. the passengers on the
train. including the Pullman passengers that
were on my train, had 10 wade from the train in
water up 10 their arms. and some of them mar
rOwly escaped drowning. The damage TO the
South by the hurricane and tidal wave cannot
be told yet at all, so great is il, learned from
all parts OF the South. The damage to the cot
ton crop alone will be several millions of dollars
aside from the damage TO the sugarcane and
corn crops. Ali along the line to Corinth Miss
oefecte stor,, oo,,I,7 - -. 80
ton Of cotton and corn.
Louisville, Sept. 29.-The Louisville &, Nash
Vile Railroad Offices here are advised that the
forces ct work near Mobile expect to get a train
into Mobile by Sunday evening, provided the
weather will permit the to work.