Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-08-08
GALE HITS CAPITAL
STORM SWEEPS WASHINGTON
KILLING THREE AND MUIR
ING SCORES.
WILSON SAVED BY TUMULTY
White House Windows Crash In as
Presidents Secretary Rusbes Chief
Executive to safety-capitoI EN-.
pIoyea In Panic.

-
Washington. Aug. Three persons
and many small buildings were de-
molished and a large property loss
was caused by a terrific wind, rain
and hail storm which swept Washing
ton on Wednesday. The wind blew
seventy-two miles an hour and more
than one and one-half inches OF rain
fell In an hour. The din in the SEN
ate chamber was SO great that a re-
cess was ordered. The property loss
Is heavy.
For half an hour the city covered,
paralyzed, under the beating of the
storm, every activity suspended. Troll
ley and telephone service and street
traffic were halted and the govern
ment departments suspended opera
lions.
The wind wrecked a three-story
brick Office building occupied by the
B. 8. Saul company, real estate deal
ers, and fifteen persons were carried
Town in the crash. w. e. Hilton,
v~ice-president Of the real estate COM
pany: Thomas B. Fealey, sixty-ive
years old, a clerk and an unidentified
man who entered the building to try
to rescue those caught In the wreck,
were taken from the debris dead.
Half a dozen were taken to hospitals
seriously injured. Other bodies may
be recovered.
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
eral windows In the White House
proper. Secretary Tumulty hurried
the president and Representative Kor-
bly, of Indiana. with whom he was con-
fering, to a sheltered Interior room,
away from the searching lightning
flashes.
The capitol, set high above the city,
caught the brunt of the wind, 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
tumult made further business impos-
.sible. and the senate quit work in
confusion for fifteen minutes.
When the storm broke, 35 painters
were at work on the dome of the
capitol, swarming over the curving
surface or swinging high on shaky
William Reese, the fore
man, hurried to the dome and got most
of his men to shelter inside the big in.
verified bowl. But Jim Boyle. John
Ford. Noble Bailey and Bruce Jones
we're too late. When the storm was
over they crept. shaken and bruised, to
safety inside the dome.
In some OF the Off CT buildings and
the government departments disas-
trous panics were narrowly averted.
At the bureau of printing and engrav-
ing. where hundreds OF women are an
ployed. the wind. sweeping through q
huge window, sent a hail Of broken
plate glass crashing over the big press
room.
Eight or ten women were cut by
falling glass and one printer. John
Rhodes. received severe scalp wounds.
The crash Of glass swept panic
through the big room.
While the excitement was at it's
height the wind caught a bundle Of
1000 one dollar bills, half finished, and
1t through the broken window.
All but SIS worth of the bills were re-
covered.
Another panic threatened at the
pension office, where lightning ripped
a corner on the roof and wind crashed
In scores Of windows. Another light
ming bolt tore a hole in the ROOT OF the
.postoffice building and ripped open one
face OF the big clock in the tower.
The floor of the historic old Aque-
duct bridge and a horse and wagon
crossing the structure was blown into
the river. The driver escaped.