The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-08-09
STORM STRIKES
WASH|NGTON,D.C.
DEATH FOLLOWS IN WAkE-cAPi-
ToL BEARS BRUNT-DEBRIs
lITTERS THE STREETS.
PRESIDENT WILSON UNHURT
Reach of Observation-Disclosures
Caused by Heat.

western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington.-Like a giant fail. 4
cyclonic storm of wind. rain and hail
whipped back and forth across the
nations capital leaving death and ruin
in its wake
Three dead, scores injured and hun
| dreds of thousands of dollars worth of
property destroyed was the toll record
ed in the hurried canvass made when
the city aroused itself from half an
hour of helplessness in the grasp OF
the elements.
Out of blazing sky, under which
the city was sweltering with the tenn
rerature at 100 degrees came the
storm roaring from the north driving
| mass of clouds that cast a mantle of
darkness over the rity. The gale,
reaching a velocity of almost 20 miles
an hour, swept the streets clear, un-
rCofed houses, tore detached small
| structures from their foundations,
wrecked one office building, overturn-
ed wagons and carriages in the streets
and swept Washington's hundred
parks, tearing huge branches from
trees and even uprooting sturdy old
elms, landmarks of a century.
AS the wind wreaked it's havoc. the
| rain came and in five minutes the tenn
perature dropped from the 100 mark to
between 60 and 20. Then the rain
turned to hail and hail stones battered
on roofs and crashed through skylights
and windows.
For a half hour the city covered
| under the beating of the storm, every
activity suspended. Trolley lines,
street traffic and telephone service
were halted and government depart
ments suspended operations.
The wind wrecked a three-story
trick office building occupied by the
| B. S. Saul company, real estate deal
ers, and Is persons were carried down
In the crash. w. E. Hilton, vice presi-
dent of the real estate company,
Thomas B. Fealey, 65 years old, and
an unidentified man who entered the
buildiag to try to rescue those caught
in the wreck, were taken from the
ruins dead. Many were taken to hos
pitals seriously injured.
The neatly kept lawns Of the White
House were devastated. Three huge
elm trees uprooted by the wind were
thrown bodily across the lawn and up
to the very portico of the building,
blocking the drives. President Wilson
was seated in the executive offices
when the wind crashed through sew
Ell al windows in the White House prop
Ell. Secretary Tumulty hurried the
president and Representative Korbley
OF Indiana, with whom he was con-
ferring, to a sheltered inner ROOM
away from the searching lightning
flashes.
The capitol, set high above the city
caught the brunt of the wind and rain
hail and lightning. The Senate was
in session when the hail swept down
with a deafening roar, beating on the
glass roof of the chamber. The tu-
riult made further business impossi.
Bile, and hurrying to the vice presi-
dents desk, Senator Kern, megaphon-
ed with his hands, motion to recess
The motion was put and although the
senator's could hear nothing, the Sen
ate quit work for Is minutes in con-
fusion.
Representive Flood of Virginia mar
rowly escaped death or serious injury
when, in the height Of the storm, he
was driving in an automobile through
the White House grounds. A huge up
rooted elm was thrown by the wird d.
rectly in the path, just missing the
machine.