The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-05
LOSS OF MILLIONS
Great Damage Done by Storm
and Flood
Which Extended Along the
Coast of North Carolina.
THE WORST IN MANY YEARS
UncOnfirmed RumOrs of Great
Destruction of Life.
Crops Are Destroyed and
Bridges Swept Away.

Raleigh, Sept 5.-With reported
depredations from Wednesdays hurri-
cane over eastern North Carolina al
ready involving property damage run
ming into the millions and heavy loss
of life today meager dispatches from
the stricken district told additional
stories of havoc. Many small towns
along the coast reported severe dam
ages from wind and heavy rainfall
Several were flooded by swollen
streams. No confirmation was OBJ
tanned early today of the reported loss
of 500 lives at Ocracoke island off the
Carolina coast.
Unsubstantiated rumors continued
to be current today that all inhabi-
tants of the island had perished when
heavy waves swept their homes We'd
nesday. Efforts to reach even the
coast towns near Ocracoke failed,
wires being down over the adjacent
section and wireless stations, presum-
ably wrecked by the storm irrespon-
sfve to their calls.
Delayed messages from Washing
ton, Newburn and other towns near
the coast told of floods that surpassed
all previous records. Every stream
in the storm swept section was swOll-
en- by the tOrrential rains and incal-
result. Many bridges have been swept
away.
Schooner Goes to Pieces.
Norfolk, Sept. with telegraph
wires still down it was impossible to-
day to get detailed Information of the
havoc wrought by the storm on the
North Carolina coast between Cape
Hatteras and Ocracoke on the lower
coast.
The six masted schooner George
w. Wells, which went ashore south of
Hatteras has gone to pieces The 20
fxxro n info 1fS5r
cued from the schooner after great
difficulty by life savers are being tenn
porarily cared for in the vicinity of
the Ocracoke inlet and Durant life
saving stations.
The schooner reported ashore
three miles north of Ocracoke turns
out to have been a four-masted
schooner sighted in distress IL miles
off shore with her main topmast and
bowsprit gone. This vessel is be-
lieved to have been the schooner
Annie r. Heidritter, heretofore re-
ported drifting he1plessly eight miles
southwest of Diamond Shoals, with
her rudder broken and otherwise dis
abled. The revenue cutter Seminole
is proceeding to the schooner's as
sistance-
An unknown oil ship reported
ashore below Ocracoke was today still
unidentified The United States sea
coast telegraphic lines from Cape
as Hatteras and no information has
reached that point today which would
lead to the identity of the steamer.
The storm on the Carolina coast was
the most severe in many years and
the damage done was large.
The rivers, which flooded the coun-
try for many miles, have for the
most part subsidized and the wreck
age is being cleared as fast as possi-
BILE in order to restore railroad traf-
fic, which has been paralyzed
the extreme eastern sec
ton.
The Norfolk Southern is only able
to operate trains between Norfolk and
Pine Town, n. c., 2 miles north of
Washington, N. c., which was flood
ed by the storm. bridges and tracks
being carried away. Unless the Ocra-
coke disaster is confirmed, the loss of
life appears to have been very small.
No Lives Lost.
Raleigh, Sept. 5.-No lives were lost
on Ocracoke island in Wednesdays
storm, according to advices reaching
here from Hatteras this afternoon.