The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-13
DEATH AND RUIN.
Wind, Rain, Hail and Electrical
Storm in the East
Extends From the Virginia Pen
insula Into Pennsylvania.
DAMAGE TO SHIPPING.
Houses UnrOOfed and Trees and
Poles Blown Down.
Towns in Storms Path Are Left
in Darkness.
DAMAGE TO SHIPPING

Newport News, Va. June ia wind
rain, hail and electrical storm struck
the lower end of the Virginia peninsUla
last night and left a trail of death ana
ruin. 1t is difficult even to estimate
the number Of dead, for many small
craft went down in the storm at vari-
GUS points along the James river aud
in hampton Roads. Conservative es-
Inmates placed the dead at not more
than Is.
None of the bodies has been recover
ed and nothing is known here Of the
identity of the missing persons, as most
Of them were fishermen from distant
counties.
Great havoc was wrought here.
houses being unroofed and trees. wires
and telegraph poles blown down.
Half a dozen vessels moored at piers
here broke away and nearly all were
damaged.
At the yard of the Newport News
Ship Building company the submarine
"SeaP' was struck by a schooner and
badly disabled and the schooner RAM
med hole in the old Dominion liner
jamestown.
So many live wires fell in the city
that it was necessary to cut off all
electric current and the entire penin-
sula. including Newport News, Hamp-
tor and Phoebus, were in total dark
ness.
Three Killed at Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, June 13.-Three per-
sons were killed, several were serious
trees uprooted and buildings damaged
by an electric storm which visited
this city and vicinity last night.
At Allentown the cyclonic wind
prostrated live wires which fell on a
frame house with corrugated iron lin
ing. AS David H. Gackenbach, aged
80 years, and Hannibal J. Dotterer,
aged "a years, were leaving the build
ing they touched the metal and were
instantly killed. John Wagner, aged
the men. Miss Carrie Allender was
badly burned.
The Colonial express on the Penn
sylvania railroad which left Washing
ton for Boston at 5:35 p. m, had a
narrow escape from being wrecked a
few miles north of Baltimore. Near
Magnolia, Md, where the storm had
been especially severe, the train was
engineer saw a tree lying across the
track. He applied the air brakes but
could not avoid crashing into the
obstruction. A section Of the fallen
tree was wedged so firmly between the
pilot and cylinder head of the engine
that the crew had to use axes to re-
move it.
Telegraph wires and poles were
blown down for miles. Near E1kton,
Md, the southbound Colonial express
nal tower. Investigation disclosed
that the operator had been struck by
lightning.
Much Damage at Baltimore.
Baltimore, June ia terrific cleo
trical storm with rain, hail and wind
broke over Baltimore last night, put
ting practically all telegraph and long
distance telephone wires to the north
out of commission and doing thous-
ands of dollars worth of damage to
property in the suburbs.
Tornado in New York.
Utica, N. Y, June 13.-A tornado viz
tied the town of SarvilIe, near here
last night. 1t unroofed the Riverside
hotel, lifted freight cars from the tracks
and hurled them many rods away into
the Chenago river. blew down 500 trees
and wiped out half dozen barns and
sheds. There was no loss of life.
The tornado, which lasted only few
seconds, swept path about mile
wide and four miles in length, the
greater part Of which, however, was
farm land which did not sustain heavy
damage.