South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-31

giant fail, a cyclOnic storm Of wind,
rain and hail whipped back and forth
across the nations capital Wednes-
day. leaving death and ruin in its
wake. Three dead, scores injured and
hundreds Of thousand OF dollars worth
OF property ruined was the toll re-
corded in the hurried canvass made
when the city aroused itself from half
an hour Of helplessness in the grasp
OF the elements. out Of 2 blazing sky
under which the city was sweltering
with the temperature at the 100 point
came the storm roaring from the
north, driving a mass Of clouds that
cast a mantel Of total darkness over
the town. The gale, reaching a We
iocity Of nearly 20 miles an hour,
swept the streets clear, unrOOfed
houses. tore detached small structures
from their foundations wrecked one
office building, overturned wagons
and carriages in the street, and swept
Washingtons hundred parks, tearing
huge branches from trees, and even
uproOting sturdy old elms. the land
marks of a century.
Wednesday Washington's well kept
streets. with their wealth of trees,
were Uttered with broken foliage,
roofs. debris and dead birds as if a
playful giant had carelessly swished
his club up and down the city.
Temperature i'm Big Drop.
AS the v ind wreaked its havoc, the
rain came and in five minutes the
temperature from the 100 mark
dropped 70 between so and 20. Then
the rain turned into hail. and hail
stones battered on roofs and crashed
through skylights and windows.
For half an hour the city covered.
paralyzed, under the beating of the
fr~Ffr~ a
ley lines, telephone lines and street
traffic were halted, and the govern
ment departments suspended opera
tons
Building Wrecked.
The wind wrecked a three-story
office building occupied by the B. :.
Saul Co, real estate dealers, and 3
persons were carried down in the
crash. W. r. Hilton, vice president
of the real estate company, Thomas
T. Fealey. So years old, a clerk and
an unidentified man who entered the
building 10 try to rescue those caught
I'm the wreck. were taken from the
ruins dead. Half dozen were taken
TO hospitals severely injured, and half
a dozen more were treated for slight
injuries Wednesday night the police
were still digging in the ruins in the
fear that other bodies might be re-
covered.
house were devastated. Three huge
elm trees. uproooted by the wind, were
blown bodily across the lawn, and
up TO the very portiCo of the building.
blocking the drives. Pres. Wilson
was seated in the executive offices
when the wind crashed through sew
eral windows In the white house prop
er. Secy. Tumulty hurried the presi-
dent and Rep. KOrbley of Indiana,
with whom he was comforting, TO a
sheltered interior room. away from
the searching lightning flashes.
senate AdiOurns.
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 deafening roar beating on the
glass roof Of the chamber. The tu-
mutt made further business impOssi
BILE. and hurrying 10 the speaker
desk. Sen. Kern megaphoned with his
hands a motion TO recess. The motion
was put and although the senators
could hear nothing. the senate quit
work for 1 3 minutes in confusion.
Another panic threatened at the
pension office. where the lightning
ripped a corner off the roof, and
crashed in scores of windows. AnOth-
er bolt tore "A hole in the roof of the
postOftCe building and ripped open
one face OF the big clock in the tower
The wind ripped 15 heavy panels
from the floor Of the historic old
Acqueduct bridge. and horse and
wagon crossing the structure were
blown into the river. The driver es-
capped. Tonight the police rounded
up scores of stray horses and wagons
which had been deserted in the streets
or had run away.
on the Potomac river traffic was
demoralizcd The tug Edith Goddard
Winship sank in the blow, and hel
crew were taken of bv barge which
she was towing. The excursion steam
er Charles tt. Warner tonight Is
aground several miles down the riv-
or. with more than 100 excursionist:
aboard She is reported IN safe po-
sitiOn, however.
James Stoddard. a regular soldier
rescued three Washington physicians
from an overturned small boat in the
river. None OF the doctors could
swim. but Stoddard brought them al
in safely. towing the three of them at
one time Launches and small crat'
ali along the shores were swept from
their moOrings and carried away uowr
the river ahead of the gale.
All about the big buildings were lit
tered hundreds OF birds. killed by the
beating hail or blown 10 death
against the walls Of the buildings by
the terrific gale These acded 10 the
wrecked trees and debris OF wrecked
houses. made litter in the streets
that brought out the full force OF the
street cleaning department In the
residence section OF the city, hundreds
OF houses were damaged. roofs torn
off cellars flooded. windows smashed
aud fences demolished. All through
the night reports continued 10 come
i'm OF damage done in the suburbs and
of persons injured IN the path OF the
s.orm. For a circuit OF about four
miles about the city. the country side