Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-21
STORM AND FLOOD
CAUSE GREAT Loss
From $500, 900 to $1,000
600 Damage in Buffalo Gale.
TWO DEATHS ARE REPORTED
Much Havoc Wrought in All the
Lake Front Towns.
LASTED TWENTY-FOUR HOURS
Inland Places Also Suffered Severely
From the Tempest-Worse Than
in Twenty Years.
TWO DEATHS ARE REPORTED
LASTED TwENTY.FoUR HOURS

BUFFALO, January 21.-A gale which
blew ninety miles an hour at times swept
this city for twenty-four hours.
Five large lake liners wintering just In
side the breakwater wall were torn loose
from their moorings and driven aground.
The gale still RACES and no aid can be
given to the endangered vessels. They are
believed to be resting on soft bottom and
unless the gale becomes worse will prob
ably not suffer much damage.
The vessels aground are the Hurlburt
w. Smith, William Nottingham, ]. @. Rid
die, Monroe c. Smith and A. c. Brewer.
Most of them are owned in Cleveland. They
have cargoes.
For hours the gale swept the water
front. tearing up everything that stood in
it's path. Docks and wharves were wreck
their mornings and smashed against
bridges, doing serious damage; smoke
stacks and buildings of lighter construction
blown down like paper boxes. but so far
no casualties have been reported.
The water in Lake Erie rose three feet in
as many minutes. The inner-break walls
have been pounded until portions of them
have been carried away. Railroads with
tracks along sthe water fronts are holding
them down with strings of freight cars.
The city has had telephone and telegraph
communication with the principal cities
most of the day and much of the trouble Is
out of the city has been badly disarranged.
The gale brought with it a binding snow
storm.
The fleet that was anchored at the break
walls consists of about eighteen large lake
liners. When they started coming ashore
in the height of the storm about noon yes
terday vesselmen were prepared to see the
whole feet beached, but thirteen Of them
rode out the gale.
Old lake men say this is the severest
continued storm that has swept the lower
lake in the last twenty years.
Only Two Deaths.
So far as can be learned at an early hour
this morning only two deaths have been
reported as a direct result of the storm.
These occurred at Dunkihk, where an
eleven-year- girl was drowned and Mrs.
Henrietta Soldwick was killed by flying
debris from demolished ice house.
In Buffalo it is estimated that the storm
did from 81, 100000 to 100000 damage. At
Niagara Falls damage to the amount of
road, while in the heart of the city build
ings valued at about $4,000 were completely
demolished. From every city and town
along the lake front reports of great dam
age are received Inland towns also suf-
fered considerably, and it is estimated that
the damage done to property in Buffalo and
the immediate vicinity of this city will
aggregate 100000.
The storm lasted almost twenty-four
hours, during which time the velocity OF
the wind varied from forty-two to eighty
five miles an hour. The greatest losses
will be those sustained by marine interests.
OF the twenty-three vessels anchored
under the lee of the breakwater near the
harbor entrance, five took the beach at the
boats ashore are: Hurlburt w. Smith.
William Nottingham, ]. Q. Riddle, Monroe
c. Smith, A. G.. Brewer.
Modern Freighters.
All these vessels are modern freighters of
an average valuation of $4,000. AS most
of them are still laden with grain their
total valuation is not far from So, coo, 900.
The Hurlburt w. Smith and the Noting
ham, both high and dry on the beach. will
give the wreckers difficult job. They are
SO far out that it Is believed the only way
they can be released will be by digging
trenches around them and practically re-
launching the craft.
The Monroe c. Smith and the A. G.
Brewer, valued at $4,000 each, are on
sandy bottom about five feet out. They are
loaded with grain.
her stern just south of Michigan street.
She is worth about 100000. She was
light, and for that reason probably suf
fered very much.
when the gale was at its worst, but dragged
their anchors from the stress of the gale
and tossed and swung to and fro for
hours
Capt. ]. ]. H. Brown estimates the loss
to shipping in the port at 81, 100000. He
would not be surprised, he added, II 1t
should prove to be fully 81 10000 That does
not include the damage to the breakwater,
an estimate of which can only be made by
an engineer after the storm has abated.
Woman Decapitated.
Mrs. Garrison, mother Of the station
agent Of the Lake Shore railroad at Farm
ham, was killed during the night by a
building being blown over on her. She was
decapitated.
Over mile Of the roadbed Of the Great
Gorge route at Niagara Falls has been car
ried away by the high water. 1t will re-
quire several weeks to make repairs.