Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-08-04
State Capital Swept Yester-
day Afternoon by Fifty,
Mile Gale
BUILDINGS WRECKED
Three Inches of Rain Falls in Four
Hours-Main Street Under Water
People Homeless.

Richmond, Aug. 4-Forty-eigh'
hours behind the storm which on Sun
day ravaged Richmond from ever!
corner of it's uneven square and made
of Shockoe Creek raging river, the
skies were sundered again yesterday
afternoon by a downpour' which ex-
ceeded the other in violence and In
tensity.
Again Main Street, between Fifth
teenth and Seventeenth was flooded
with from three to five feet OF Wa
ter; again Shockoe Creek walled up
and backed away from the fallen
ruins of the buildings which stood
above it's arch, and again Main Street
merchants watched the yellow tide
sweep into their Easements and
ground floors and roll around their
counters.
1t was necessary again last night
for men to risk their lives to save
negro families on North Fifteenth
Street, between Marshall and Brown,
Every family had been ordered out
by Building Inspector Butler after the
flood of Sunday, but few, when the
water had receded, crept back through
mud and slime to their whilom doml-
Giles and sought refuge beneath un-
stable roofs and on trembling base
ment joists. When the new danger
had become apparent, Major Wer-
ner, Captain Sowell and Policeman
Spur and Griffin went to the dam
ger zone, and saw three negro Wo-
men screaming from window for
help. One of them, overcome by her
terrible fear had discarded all her
clothing.
Mayor Ainslie has issued procla-
nation calling on the public to come
to the relief of the food sufferers.
AT Milford, on the Richmond, Fred
ericksburg and Potomac Railroad, the
depot. wasnturned over by the wind,
and twenty of,thirty wire poles were
blown down. At Keysville, on the
Southern Railway, it was reported
that $4,000 damage had been done.
Numbers of dwellings were over
turned or partially demolished. There
was no loss of life, so far as the in
formation came. At Stoney Creek,
on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad,
the steeple of the Methodist Church
was blown away, and several frame
houses were demolished: :;
ION the. Creighton Road, in Hen
rico County, two miles from; Rich
mond, half dozen houses were blown
down, and two people were injured.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone Company reported that 200
more phones had been put out of COM
mission, making total of 700 which
are not now in service.
The damage inflicted in Richmond
by the storm on Sunday was estl'
mated at quarter of million dol
lars. It will now be largely in en-
cess of that, and be probably beyond
accurate estimate.
Keysville, Va, Aug .>;4-The worst
cyclone ever experienced by the old
est inhabitant struck this place about
2:2O Yesterday afternoon, demolishne
many residences and at this writing
it IS impossible to estimate the dam
age.
The Episcopal Church was razed Il
the ground, the steeple was carried a
least 1000 yards, The Keysville Hote
was badly wrecked some of the gues
having hair breadth escapes.
Henry Osborne was struck by
piece of flying timber and knocked
senseless. The homes of Thomas LIE
Grande, w. A. May and Mrs. J. T
Carey were badly damaged.
The storehouse occupied by Han
ner Brothers and the warehouse own
ed by same parties was almost ruin
ed. -
A piece of timber blew on an auto
mobile driven by Vance Wilkersor
and the machine was a wreck Will
the driver escaped injury. The hand