The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-31
DEVASTATES THE
BEAUTY Of WHITE
HOUSE GROUNDS
Wind and Rain Play Havoc
For an Hour and Sem
ate Adjourns
WORKMEN CAUGHT
ON CAPITHL DOME
Eight Men Force Door Open
to Rescue Them---"It Is
a Sad Sight" Says
the President

WASHINGTON. July 30-An awe
inspiring rain and wind storm, which
resulted in the death of at least three
persons, and wrought more damage to
the beautiful parks and public buildi-
ngss of the capital than has been done
by nature in a decade ragged over
washington for an hour this after
noon. The White House grounds, re-
garded as the most attractive of all
the public grounds of the country,
were literally devastated The damage
TO the city is estimated at 100000
but marring of the capitals beautiful
park Is something that cannot be ex-
pressed in dollars.
The wind attained a velocity Of
IS miles an hour, according to the
weather bureau, and the rainfall for
an hour was a fraction more than two
inches. Oidtime residents of WASH
ington declared they never had wit
messed such a tsorm here, and
these statements were borne out by
the records of the weather bureau.
Rain and Wind Rage for Hour.
The rain fell for more than an hour.
The wind ragged around the center OF
the city in a way that indicated that
two storms one from the NORTH and
one from the northeast, were corNerg-
ing. The storm played many pranks,
both in the way it moved things
around the streets, and in the actions
! it inspired in persons who feared its
effects. For the time the city was in
deep twilight
When the storm settled upon the
capitol the senate was in the midst Of
a debate on the tariff. The rafting OF
the hailstones upon the skylight OF
the senate chamber deafened the pro-
ceedings. Vice President Marshall
raped on his desk for order. but the
elements refused to obey and finally
the senate had to take recess.
Eediam at Capitol
Senator Kern. the majority leader,
was forced to come to the steps Of the
the vice presidents rostrum and to
use his hands as megaphone in
order to make the motion for adj
journment. In the first five minutes
of the storm the mercury fell 40 de-
grees
Four workmen repairing the roof
of the capitol dome were barely able
to reach the protected side of tho
edifice in time to avoid being swept
to destruction on the pavement below.
They sought refuge beside door lead
ing to the interior of the dome. but
the strength of eight men was re-
CURED 10 force this door open against
the wind and thus give them place
of safety.
An employee of the senate. and wo-
the storm broke, sought safety in the
tunnel connecting the capitol with the
senate office building. Many of the
women were panicky. especially
when the corridors of the capitol be-
came so dark that 1t was almost i'm
possible to see. One capitol em-
ploye caught in the first ftful blast
had dollar bin thrust into his hand
by the wind. He Is stiil looking for
the owner.
Building Collapses, Two Killed
Two men were killed in the coll
lapse of a three story building in the
northwestern part of the city They
were Walter F. Hilton. an official OF
the b. f. Saul Real Estate company.
and Thomas Fealy, an aged employee
of this company. They were killed
in the collapse of the building In
which their offices were located
dozen other persons were injured,
more or less severely, in the collapse
of the building. Four are In the
Emergency hospital and Casualty hos
pital tonight The injuries of Miss
Catherine Breen. stenographer. and
Katherine MacMahon. a hookkeepers
are serious and may prove fatal.
The second and third stories OF tho
Saul building We're unoccuplsu, =.
number of persons who had sought 70
escape the storm were gathered in tn0
FIRST story 'w'tth' tho etnpset,Srs OF ssR ~
realty company when the bulluiHS khNc
way The collapse was due to the vino.
The building was old. Most OF the per-
sons in the building were carried into
the cellar by the debris. Hilton was nit
on the head by granite cornice.
An unidentified man was killed by q
mass Of falling lumber at the Amer
lean league baseball park
White House Grounds Devastated.
Washingtonians are mourning cnief-
~ tonight over the devastation OF tho
white House grounds. Numbers of tho
grand old trees which had been set out
TN recent years and hence were not NJ =
firmly rooted as those of natural q
growth fell as easy prey They were
torn up by the roots. The flag which 81
floats above the White House when the
president is here was blown down. The
cellars were flooded The grounds -
the front of the White House had the
appearance OF an uptorn jungle after
the storm had spent itself.
The giant trees lay across the paths h
their branches INTERVENING. In the
spaces between there We're scores 0xS
limbs measuring from a foot to an inch
in diameter. Twigs Uttered the en-a4
tire lawn The walls OF the WhttAsS
House were spotted on every side ~ &
leaves which had been slapped aEainsG On
them by the wind with such vei0cttA sEESS
that they had stuck. The president rNsg8S
marked after the storm. when ne NAME &
to the White House verandA to viz
the wreck of the one time beauttfu9
landscape: Sa4S
The president remained In hte 04je4NX
throughout the storm III cpnfeyenMa