New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-13
54-MILE GALE
CREATES HAVOC;
KILLS TWO MEN
Many Injured When Furi-
Gus Storm at Night
Wrecks Buildings.
SHOWER OF BRICKS
FALLS ON THEATRE
Big Wall Is Blown Over
Into Street-Steamship
Goes Aground.

Goes Aground.
Wind, fog and binding rain took
storm toll Of New York yesterday.
Riven buildings, storm-blinded traffic,
falling signs and shattered windows
we're land trophies Of the gale. Death
marked its trail
In New York Harbor a steamship
went ashore in the fog. In Brooklyn
the massive brick wall Of a grain ele-
yator fell into the street. In Manhat-
tan a falling derrick, which sent
shower of bricks to the roof OF mo-
tion picture show, caused a bomb
panic. A tifty-four-mile gale from the
northeast it was, according to the
weather man.
A gust OF wind blew two men over
hoard last night at the Long docks. in
Erie Basin. One was pulled on board
n dredge with a rope, but the other
man was drowned. Charles Smith was
the victim He hailed from Toledo.
Smith and Edward ferguson, Of $50
Hamilton av.. Brooklyn, both en-
ployed on the dredgc, were returning
about 10 o'clock, and had started
across a plank that spanned ten feet
OF water between the docks and the
dredgc. Smith was in advance when
the wind struck them. He lost his
balance, made a grab for his com
panion and both went over, after
frantic fourishes in an effort to stay
on the plank.
Fail to Revive Him.
Men on the dredge heard their cries
and rescued ferguson. In the darkness
they lost Smith. and when lanterns had
been obtained his body was seen just
coming to the surface. A doctor worked
for three-quarters of an hour, but
failed to revive the man.
The Weather Bureau sent out the
following storm warning at 1880 last
night:
Change to northwest storm warning.
II p. m. Storm central over Southern
New Jersey, moving north and north
cas-. with great intensity. North and
northwest gales Wednesday,"
Fer nearly fifty years Dow's Stores,
one of the enormous grain elevators
owned by the New York Dock Com
pany, has damned The east winds with
the blank brick wall which faces Co
lumbia st. at Pacific ST. Brooklyn. Last
night there came a groaning and a
sharp crack. Scattering bricks shat
tered on the pavement Of Columbia st.
Slowly the upper two-thirds Of the
sO-foot wall toppled, bending convexly
to the wind as it fell. Still intact, it
crashed to the street For blocks
around windows jumped in their frames
and dishes ratified on the shelves. Co
lumbia st. for more than 100 feet was
filed with brick From sidewalk to
sidewalk the jam extended.
Hurt by Falling Bricks.
John Sullivan, OF 100 Baltic St; John
Callahan, of 81 Columbia st, and his
son John, three years old, and Antonio
Tomaso. of p Columbia ST., were on
the opposite side of the street from
the totterng wall. They were cut and
bruised by bricks which flew beyond
the range of the massed masonry. After
being treated by an ambulance surgeon
they went home.
Policeman John Guthrie, OF the
Amity st. police station, was half
block from the building. \ northbOund
orosstown car had just passed him. Its
momentum would carry it into the bar
ricade. although trolley wires, like
cables and poles for half block lay
buried beneath tons of brick. Guthrie
sprinted after the car, while its passen-
gers craned their necks to grin. Within
a few PAGES he had grappled for foot
ing and snatched at the bell cord. Inc
car stopped within a score OF 1eet OF
the fallen wall.
John Snackenberg. Inspector from the
Bureau of Buildings, said that he be
lieved the wall had buckled in the wind.
II was possible, but not so likely. he
thought, that the years accumulation
of grain dust in the space between the
brick wall and the wooden retaining
wall of the grain bins had become
moist and had swelled, bulglng the
wall 20 the falling point.
II was estimated that 900 tons or
hrick choked Columbia st. IL Will be
several DAYS before it can be cleared
and the tangle of wires replaced. Inc
crosstown cars are being run through
Hicks ST.
Audience Frightened.
Thirty feet of a big derrick on the
roof OF a recently completed seven
story loft building at sol Third ay.
was snapped off by the wind. In iall,
ING il ripped the cornice and seFeral
feet of the wall from the northeast
wall of the building, hurting the debris
across the elevated tracks and 70 the
roof Of a two story building adjoining. .
In the smaller building Is the Gaiety
motion picture house. Al the crash the
audience. numbering more than 2vo.
leaned 10 its feet. Cries OF boinD.
"EXplosioni" rose from all sides.
stunning the entrance whence mad
come the crash, men. women ana emil
oren strove to reach the small exit 4
door on the 49th st. side. Hats ana coats
were discarded and forgotten. Women /
fairly hurled infants through the AR
in passing them forward through the
crush to some acquaintance. Johh .
Connors. the special policeman on duty
lot a IN