Evening star., 1911-06-11
Trees Uprooted and Wires
Blown Down.
WIND, RAIN AND LIGHTNING
Car Traffic in City and to Suburban
Points Crippled.
FALLS CHURCH LINE DELAYED
Patrons Wait Four Hours for Res
toration of Service-Storm Ar
rived About 8 O'Clock.

tremendous wind. a deluge of rain
and a rapid play of vivid lightning con-
spired to make trouble for Washington
last night. Trees in many parts Of the
city were uprooted and blown down and
branches strewed the streets; electric
lights were extinguished in city and SUBJ
urbs, and some suburban lines were
crippled.
1t was at o'clock when the high wind
arose. followed soon by a heavy down.
pour and an electric display The wind
reached a velocity of thirty-eight miles
an hour by the weather bureau record
The Falls Church electric line suspend
ed operation for more than four hours
On the F street line OF the Washington
Railway and Electric Traction Company
the ears lost an hour or more on their
schcdule.
Out in Chevy Chase the lights went out
and were not available for long while
In parts of the northwest the electric
lights on the streets were out Of COM
mission for time.
River resorts suffered from the heavy
gale. No craft on the Potomac. however.
is reported to have failed to weather the
storm. Within the District of Columbia
there is no record of lightning having
struck.
Car Line Held Up.
AT Inc station Oh the ais 1HuTCH line,
18th street and Pennsylvania avenue. the
usual Saturday night crowd assembled.
As no trains put out over the route for
hours. the throng was augmented every
minute At midnight there were several
hundred people anxiously waiting for the
car that did not start
Women with small children in their
arms sat in IL e waiting room and on the
steps at the front and back doors await
ing the arrival of car from virginia
on the Washington. Arlington. Falls
Church and Fairfax line. Others had
come to the. city to patronize the stores
and markets and were burdened with
baskets or bundleA
There will be car here in about
patrons Of the road heard many times
during the long and patient vigil.
1t was exactly 1870 o'clock when the
first car reached the station. Not until
than was il known to the disappointed
across the tracks had caused the trouble.
The tree had fallen against two high
tension wires and snapped them. the
break having occurred between Syphax
ton and Fort Myer.
1t required q great amount Of work to
remove the obstruction force OF men
had To cut away the tree before the wires
could be repaired. Before the repair
work could be done 1t was necessary to
shut of the current from the power
house at Lacey.
Passengers Sit in Darkness.
The few persons who came to the city
accident happened told stores of how
many passengers homeward bound. had
been compelled to sit in the darkness
along the road to await the resumption
Of traffic.
Many residents of Alexandria and Fair
hnA <0A To do Ia ia
shopping in this city left the cars and
returned to their homes afoOt. Others re-
mained in the cars until the damage had
ooen repaired. when they boarded cars
Eoing in the direction of their homes and
returned without having had an oppOr-
tunity to do their shopping for today.
Several hundred members of the Chevy
Chase Club and their guests were seat
ed at tables, eating dinner. when the
storm broke. Suddenly all the electric
lights went out, and the crowd was
plunged in darkness
Nc one could see to eat. Walters
could not see to bring in the food or
to take away the dishes Some OF the
1,en lighted matches and took hurried
oites at the food before them
The crowd waited patiently for the
lights to come on again. Many min
Ites went by. Walters brought candles
and lamps, and the dinner was con-
tinued. 1t was three hours before the
electric lights were again In working
order.
Both the Western Union and Postal
Telegraph companies experienced trou-
bile with the wires Telegraph lines lead
ing west suffered most Wires between
here and Richmond were put out OF COM
mission.
Messages were received without reser-
vation By the Postal Telegraph Company.
What damage the storm had done would
soon be repaired. IL was expected, or
messages could be sent from point to
point over wires that were not affected.
Many messages were sent miles out OF
the way before they reached their desti-
nation The company assured It's patrons.
however, that the messages would be de-
ivered.
Reports were also received at police
Headquarters Of limbs OF trees blown
down at the following places: In front
of 3o2S Q street. 1922 and 1526 10Th street.
esOO and 2SO1 Dumbarton avenue. 291O p
street 14O7 3Oth street. 1874 and l34s 18th
street. 31st and NJ streets, 18th street and
Dumbarton avenue, 1OI4 JEFFERSON street,
scth and Canal streets, 23d street and
Dent place. 1928 Wisconsin avenue. 2ith
street and Virginia avenue, Pennsylvania
avenue between 21st and 22d streets. II
street between 2lst and odd streets O5
18th street. 1872 F street. 1902 street
1919 street. 1872 G street, 1872 II street,
nth and r streets, 2uh and F streets.
18th and II streets, 18th and n streets.
10th and X streets, 1000 18th street. sOI
24th street. 243I X street, 2sl4 II street
and 18th and p streets.
Lamps were placed on the danger spots
by the police department.
A live electric wire was blown
from pole n Cleveland Park. on New
ark street. between Wisconsin avenue ard
seth street A policeman was hurried
from the Tenleytown station To 2ualC
the wire until repairmen co'Ild -eturn q
to the pole.
In Georgetown a number OF trees were
llown down or broken. 40 houses 50 emct
TO have U.en disturbed.
No Accidents on the River.
Lieut.. Russell A. Dean, IN, command q
the harbor precinct, had his command OIL
hand ready for emergency work III,
feareo some small craft on the rive
might be overturned. 20 ruch casualtie
were reported
Occupants OF small boats on the rive
had ample warning of the approach o
the storm. They were able to guar,
against disaster.
From Anacostia and northeast section
the police reported that the. wind wa
not severe. No reports of damage wer
received.
The storm visited some of the river re
sorts. At Marshall Hall several tree
were uprooted.
At Friendship Heizhts Md across tn