The San Francisco call., 1913-07-31
WASHINGTON IS
PANIC STRICKEN
BY FIERCE GALE
Intense Heat Produces Local
Tornado, Which Causes
Deaths and Nurner-
Gus Injuries
Continued From Page I

beaten by the hail and soaked by the
ming trickled around the dome, down
from the platinum lightning points in
the head of the goddess of freedom
that surmounts the structure. When
the storm was over they crept bruised,
to safety inside the dome.
Here and there throughout the city
panic appeared. Horses driven frantic
by the wind and hail dashed through
. the streets in terror until they were
stopped by collision with some other
wind strewn object. In some of the
Office buildings and the government de-
partments disastrous panics were mar
rowly averted. At the bureau of print
ing and engraving, where hundreds OF
women are employed. the wind. sweep
ing through huge window, sent a
swarm of broken glass hurting
through the big pressroom.
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. hui .dred or more of
the girls working as printers assist
ants, tainted and fell to the floor, and
the others dashed terror stricken for
the exits. For two hours the Office
was in an uproar.
MONEY BLOWN AWAY
While the excitement was at it's
height the wind caught a bundle Of
1000 one dollar bills, half finished, and
swept it through the broken window.
The bundle was ripped to pieces and
the bills scattered far and wide. Di-
rector Ralph hurried out force of
scouts, and. after combing Potomac
park and the grounds of the Wash
ington monument for miles, and fishing
in the tidal basin near by. all but SIS
worth of the bills were recovered.
Another panic threa tened at the pen
corner off the roof and crashed in
scores of windows.
| Another lightning bolt tore hole in
| the roof of the postoffice building and
| ripped open one face OF the big clock in
| the tower.
HORSE BLOWN IN RIVER
The wind ripped 10 panels from the
| floor of the historic old aqueduct bridge
and horse and wagon crossing the
structure were blown into the river.
] The driver escaped.
On the Potomac river water traffic
was demoralized. The tug Edith. God
dard Winship sank and her crew was
| taken off by a barge which she was
| towing. The excursion steamer Charles
| H. Warner tonight is aground several
miles down the river with more than
100 excursionists aboard. She is re-
ported in a safe position. however.
James Stoddard. regular soldier,
rescued three Washington physicians
| from an overturned small boat in the
river.
All about the big buildings tonight
were Uttered hundreds of birds killed
| by the beating hail Or blown. to- death
against the walls of the building by the
| terrific gale. These. added to the
wrecked trees and debris OF wrecked
| that brought out the full force OF the
street cleaning department.
FOUR MILE CIRCLE
All through the night reports con-
| tinued to come in of damage done in
| the suburbs and of persons injured in
| the path of the storm. For q circle of
| about four miles about the city the
| countryside was devastated, truck
farms swept and crops ruined suburban
| residences wrecked and trolley lines
| damaged
Representative 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. huge up-
T! rooted elm was thrown by the wind
directly in the path, just missing the
I machine
The weather bureau tonight said that
| the storm was a purely local heat dis
turbance over the city and that its pa TIL
covered only few miles Two inches
! OF rain fell.