The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-17


Lynchburg, Va.
New York, December 14-Lashed by
the fierce flaws of a heavy norIheaster
New York is tonight in the wintry
clutches OF storm OF wind. hail and
rain, which has completely swept the
whole Atlantic coast from Hatteras
to Maine, hampered transportation,
| demorallzed lines of communication
with the outside world and threatened
| all ships, under sail or steam. that
sought to make port in the teeth OF
the sixty mile gale. Down off Sandy
Hook the once stout bark Edward
Phlnney went to pieces on the sandy
shores after her skipper and crew of
ten had been rescued in the breeches
| buoy. Eleven transatlantic steamships
due in this port today, were still un-
reported at Sandy Hook at 10 o'clock
tonight. though no apprehension is
! felt for their safety. Six coaStwise
steamers that set sail today for south
ern ports turned back from the pitch
ing and pounding seas that met them
at the harbor gateway and anchored
in the shelter of Sandy Hook bay.
| The powerful blasts snapped off
| twenty feet of the three hundred foot
brick chimney of the New York steam
heating company on Sutton place in
this city and went topping over into
| wooden shack in which a watchman
| man was standing. He was instantly
IL 1I
tar fell upon the house of Henry Spei-
| tel and crushed through the entire
structure, seriously injuring Mrs
Lena Speitel and her two daughters.
The storm center, which started in
Mississippi, swerved eastward and
From the northeast came fierce gale
driving heavy clouds of rain and cut
ting sleet before it. The rain turned
| to snow and then into rain again, but
the wind doomed steadily along at
sixty miles.
The rain hung to telephone and teie-
graph lines and froze and the freight
ed wires snapped and cracked. while
| the gusts toppled over scores Of poles
Eastward from New York communi-
cation was almost impossible. A sim
gle wire to Boston was all that re-
| mained of the trunk lines through
New England. North, south and west
there was much wire interruption from
sleet and wind, but New England
seems to have been the worst sufferer.
Railroad traffic suffered much delay
and the surface and elevated lines in
New York had difficulty in maintain
| ing any sort of adequate service.
The big Cunarder Lusitania and the
steamship Philadelphia and Graf Wal
dersee got away for Europe today. The
White Star liner Arabic got in from
| England with reports of heavy storms
all the way across. The steamers
| Coamo. Zulia, Proteas, Denver. Trent,
Ell Dia and San Juan left for south
| ern ports, but swung off their courses
when they met the gale near ROmer
| Shoal and put back into Sandy Hook
| bay, where they anchored for the
night
| Norfolk, Va, December 1.-THE
Z. northeast gale that swept up the coast
early this morning. while severe ard
| forcing all ships in shore to seek shelf
er Of land locked harbors so far As
reported was followed by no disasters.
The wind reached a velocity o. fifty
miles an hour off the Virginia capes
and sixty miles at Hatteras. a high
sea prevailed and a driving rain and
! mist added TO the perils Of navigation.
| Scores of vessels took refuge in Ham2-
ton Roads and the bay inlets.
Lynchburg, Va. Dec. 14.-Lynch-
burg experienced the worst hail storm
| in its history last night, heavy pre-
| cipitation freezing on trees and wires
was followed by a gale. which pros
! trated the telerhone service the street
railway and electric railway business
and put both telegraph companies
out of commission.
! For four hours one long distance
| circuit was the only wire working
out of the city.
The damage to trees Throughout
! the city cannot be estimated as the
| thousands of them are prostrated and
many of them ruined.
The street car service was demor-
allied and several of the divisions