The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1915-10-01
NEW ORLEANS ISOLATED
BY TROPICAL HURRICANE
Levees Below the City Broken
and Houses Washed
Away-Lives Lost.
WIND 80 MILES AN HOUR.
Lower Mississippi and Louisiana
Towns Flooded-New Orleans
Light Plant Out of Service

Mobile, Ala, Sept 29.-New Or
leans and the Mississippi Gulf coast
tonight were swept by a tropical hur-
ricane that demoralized communica
ton and led to fears Of heavy loss of
life and property. The Mississippi
River levees below New Orleans have
broken, houses have been washed
away. and at least two lives have
been lost in that section according
to wireless message late today from
the Morgan liner Creole, upward
bound for New Oorleans.
The business district OF Biloxi.
Miss, is under six feet OF water and
train service has been abandoned be-
cause OF washouts throughout a large
section about Bay st. Lours.
Last reports coming from New
orleans before all means of commu-
nication were lost said the city was
in darkness because Of the flooding
OF electric plants. Wind had driven
the water in Lake Ponchartrain
above the sea wall and Milnebury
and other New Orleans suburbs
along the lake we're partially under
water. The advices said automobiles
were bringing in the inha bitants of
that section, and that no loss of life
had been reported
The Creole. in a brief message re-
ceived here early tonight, said she
was encountering storm of such
fury that it was doubtful whether
her wireless apparatus would long
remain intact. The vessel reported
sighting two bodies near the section
where the levees had given away.
Aside from the fact that some houses
had been demolished by the flood
waters the Creole's message gave no
details.
Wireless communication with New
Orleans ceased before noon today.
and continued inability to re-estab-
lish communication with the power
full United Fruit station led to fears
that it might have suffered some
damage from wind. Flooding of the
electric power plant, however, was
thought by some wireless experts re-
sponsible for the wireless stations
silence. The wind reached a velocity
OF 80 miles an hour at New Orleans
and Bay st. Louis at O'Clock to-
night, according to reports reaching
here.
Wire communication was possible
tonight only as far as Bay ST. Louis,
and fragmertary reports from there
told OF extensive damage 10 prop.
erty but nos loss of life. \ long
trestle of the Louisville e Nashville
"HfrOal between Bay ST. louis and
New Orleans. was repoT. ed To have
Feer swept away. Fe# details o. the
damage. however, eith"- III that sec.
ton or at Biloxi we're u3taina5le.
Mobile escaped the worst of the
storm. but the wind here was smf-
ficient to drive the water over the
wharves at the river front and un-
roof several houses.
The coast guard cutter Tallapcosa
anchored here. made repeated unsuc-
cessfu' efforts tonight to reach BY
wireless the Southern Pacific liner
Proteus. believed to be i'm the center
of the storm off New Orleans bar.
No word has come from the Proteus
since she entered the storm area. and
shipping men here thought her wire
less might have been disabled.
Reports of high water in Biloxi
was discounted by the Louisville &
Nashville Railroad officials here, who
said their tracks in Biloxi were mot
inundated. They had no confrma-
tion of the reported destruction of
the trestle between New Orleans and
Bay st. Louis.
The barometer became stationary
here at 8 o'clock tonight and it was
believed the worst OF the storm had
passed.
Extent OF damage TO the cities
along the Mississippi coast was not
definitely stated in dispatches re-
ceived by railroad officials here. but
Information was to the effect that the
storm was the worst in the history
of that section.