The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-12-31
SUNDAYS STORM
BREAKS RECORD
Was the Worst Since That OF
January, 1914
BUILDINGS BLOWN DOWN
Twelve Deaths, Seven in New York,
Two in Philadelphia and Three In
New Enqland-Wind Velocity
i'm New England 81 Miles.

gales in recent years. For several
hours a wind which reached as high
a velocity as 81 miles an hour in
some places, swept all before it.
Death and enormous property dam
age followed in the storms wake.
Transportation, telephone, telegraph
and lighting facilities in scores OF
cities and towns were well nigh para
lyZed.
Shipping along the entire eastern
seaboard was at standstill. Blow
Ing from the southwest, the storm
carried with it heavy rain, but,
as the wind backed into the north
west with a temperature that fell 2S
degrees in few hours, the precipi-
tation turned into sleet and snow.
One OF the disasters of the storm
was the wrecking of the British
schooner Mayfiower, which foundered
off Cape Ann
Her crew was rescued by the coast
guard men of the Delivers Neck
and Rockport Coast Guard station.
At midnight reports from the vessel
were TO the effect she was fast pound
ing to pieces in the breakers.
The storms death toll is: George
Marville, 81, home near Brockton;
overcome in the storm and died of
exhaustion. Miss Guilemene Rabeau,
b8, Pittsfeld. Mrs. Irene Brown, 80,
Pittsfield. Both these women were
walking VIXEN the snowfall was at it's
height They became exhausted fight
ing their way against the blizzard
and sank exhausted to the sidewalk,
dying shortly after assistance reach
ed them.
The property damage could not be
estimated
Chimneys, church steeples and
many of New England's finest old
shade trees were torn down. Tele-
phone and telegraph poles were brok
en- off and wires snapped and tangled.
In Barre, the Congregational church
steeple toppled over. Tall factory
chimney crashed to the earth in Mel
rose and Fitchburg, and in Lowell a
dwelling was demolished by tree
uprooted and hurled over by the
wind.
In Revere a scenic railway was
blown over by the gale. toppling over
on two houses and wrecking them.
Not a town in New England last
night but had streets strewn with
tangled branches, broken poles and
networks of wire.
Sundays storm was the worst since
that of January, 1914. and almost
equal to the great blizzard of
Christmas, 1909.
The heaviest force of the wind was
felt in southern New England. All
records for wind velocity were
broken in Providence, where the
government gauge registered 80
mills an hour. During the morning
the wind was from the southwest,
piling up the highest tide in years
into Narragansett bay. followed by
the lowest tide when the storm shift
ed to the northwest.
While the snow was barely enough
10 cover the sidewalks with slip
perry coating in Boston and southern
New England, from eight to nine
inches were recorded in Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine.
Tobacco Harvest Ruined.
Sweeping up from New York, the
gale was especially severe as It fol-
lowed the course of the Connecticut
valley and all throughout that dis
trict heavy snow was reported with
great wind damage. Many tobacco
barns were wrecked and their con-
tents-thousands of dollars worth of
tobacco grown by the Connecticut
valley farmers-ruined
Boston felt the full severity of the
storm about noon. A high wind
which had been raging all the morn
ing brought rain at that hour and
soon the city was In the grip of the
gale. The rain turned to snow and
was driven in huge, binding, swirl
ing sheets.
The great Pell Nell roller coaster
at Revere Beach crashed TO destruc-
tion at the height of the storm, in
juring one person and burying a
number of others In the mass of
twisted steel and splintered timber.
Vessels Blown Ashore.
Many vessels in the harbor were
dragged from their anchorages and
others blown up on the shore.
Railroads reported the greatest
trouble in the vicinity of New Ha-
ven and New York, Albany, western
Massachusetts and Maine. In all
parts of New England except Boston
the snow fall was heavy. but Boston
escaped with an inch OF snow. pre-
ceded and followed by rain. which
froze in a layer of treacherous ice as
the thermometer plunged downward
abruptly at the termination of the
blizzard late in the afternoon. A
drop from 60 to 80 degrees was re.
corded in Boston.
Many Hurt on Streets.
The police reported many slight
injuries due TO people being STRUCK
by falling branches, signs and glass
and also from falls on slippery side
walks.