Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-23
WIND SMASHES
SPEED LIMIT
SUDDEN GUST BLOWS SIXTY
MILES AN HOUR
SEVERE DISTURBANCE PUZZLES
WEATHER MAKER
Local Forecaster Says He Was Not
Anticipating Storm, Which
Broke Without
Warning

Southern California experienced re-
markable rain and electric storm yesterday
and last night following the disturbance In
the afternoon. Sharp lightning and loud
peals of thunder frightened many who are
not accustomed to such things in California.
The rainfall was considerable and fear
was expressed that great damage has been
done the bean crop, much of which is yet to
be harvested.
At the beach towns the rainfall was
heavy and the electrical disturbance was
the most severe on record for many years.
For a few seconds yesterday after
noon during the sudden squall that
swept over Los Angeles without warn
ing the wind attained velocity of
sixty miles an hour. Had this velocity
continued many buildings would doubt
less have suffered, but the wind
dropped back almost at once to the
average of thirty-eight miles, which
is far ahead of the usual speed limit
permitted by Weatherman Wollaber
Within thirty minutes the wind in
creased from twelve miles to thirty
eight miles an hour, reaching that f1g-
ure at / 143 %. m. The squall was pre-
ceded by a cloud of sand and dust,
and was followed by precipitation or
rain During the height OF II WORK
men on several buildings in course of
erection, such as the federal at Main
and Temple streets, were forced to
quit work from fear of being blown
from their feet.
Although signs were torn down. TIM
bers blown from the roofs of build
ings and sections of tin roofing dropped
at the feet of pedestrians scurrying for
safety, but little real damage was
done.
In the outlying districts the force OF
the storm was greatest. A. twelve-toot
vine-covered fence surrounding the
grounds of the Hollywood high school
| was blown down and shortly afterWard
the f1agpole came crashing through the
window of one of the recitation rooms.
Tower Falls
A tall tower used for hoisting ma
terials for the new Second Church OF
Christ at Hoover and Adams street
was blown down and the scaffoldlng
scattered for a hundred yards.
| When the miniature tornado hrst
! struck Los Angeles there were fears
for the big circus tents of the Bar
mum & Bailey CIRCUS on Washington
street, but concerted action on the part
of the employees kept them from blow
| ing down. tnOuSn lHe pOlSo Wcic Hii'i'
ed from their sockets. A group OF
horses stampeded
The storm was not anticipated by
the local weather office Reports re-
ceived yesterday morning gave no indi-
| cation of unsettled weather. Ihe
shower of rain early in the morning
was the only precipitation west OF the
| Rockies.
Just before the storm broke, sald
Mr. Wollaber, 1.-The mercury dropped
from SS to 20 degrees. Owing to the
long period of dryness the wind natur-
ally carried a lot of dust with 1t, SO
that 1t resembled a sandstorm OF tne
desert Our agent at Redondo reports
that the wind kicked up quite sea.
Conditions are very unusual FOR tnls
time of year. and it is hard to say
lust what will follow Though l do not
look for any more rain, 1t may come.
A panic was caused in the down
town Office of the Home Telephone
company when a big skylight Ieli
crashing to the floor only short dis-
tance from the switchboard. The op-
orators stampeded and only with DIM
Guilty were they prevented from rush
/ ing into the street Miss Bessie Piper