The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-11
BABY CYCLONE STRIKES
RICHMOND Justify

Taking Richmond almost COM
Iietely by surprise. one Of the worst
transforms of recent years swept
over Richmond between and 8
O'clock last night, tearing. down trees
as if they we're Sc many footh picks.
throwing charged wires into the
streets and leaving other disaster In
lis wake. Though one of the shortest
transforms ON record, 1t was the hard
est rain seen here in years.
Without warning 1t started down in
torrents at a gait calculated to break
lsll speed records. 1t came up so
quickly that pedestrians hardly had
time TO seek shelter before they were
drenched to the skin and those who
managed to get their umbrellas hoist
eo, In some instances, had them torn
from their grasp.
Telephone communication in Bar
ton Heights and in some sections OF
the West and East Ends was put out
OF comm ission and wires were torn
down in some seotions of the city. A
live wire was reported down at First
and Hull streets and on Meadow, be-
tween Cary and Chaffin streets. a pole
W as blown down throwing several
charged wires into the street. An
electric wire was also reported down
en- Moore street, between Gilmore and
Brook avenue.
Street car traffic over the Marshall
street viaduct was halted when
tree at Twelfth and Marshall streets.
en- the side of the Retreat for the
Sick hospital. broke in half and fell
across the tracks This tree was cut
up and pulled from the tracks but an
o,her one was discovered broken and
about to fall and ropes were stretch
ed across the street and Thirteenth
and Twelfth. ana not even automo-
t!ie traffic was permitted on this sec
ton of Marshall. One car that was
caught on the viaduce in the storm
and narrowly escaped the falling
tree maintained fifteen- minute
schedule across tire bridge until a late
hour last night. The tree will be pull
Cd down and traffic up Marshall will
be resumed this morning, it was
stated
Triffic was also blocked for while
Oil Eleventh street, between Clay and
Marshall when a tree fell and sew
eral trees were also reported down in
the East End.
One of the trees near Stuart Circle
hospital was blown down in the
etorm. but at a late hour last night
fierce OF men were busily engaged cut
ting IT up and carting the pieces away
In several sections of Jackson Ward
"A number of trees were reported down
and this section of the city possibly
suffered more from the storm than
any other-A number OF large trees
round Brook avenue and Gilmore
streets were broken and thrown into
the streets
AT an early hour last night the sup
iy of red lanterns at the police
stations was exhausted and the desk
|Gergeants were sending out s. O, S.
CT lis for more OF them. There were
So many trees down in various sec
tons of the city. that number of
them had to be left without the dan
ser signals
Although there were some reports
regarding broken glass. there was an
ufuaily small number demolished by
the storm Very few of the Broad
street merchants suffered in this re-
snect, though the storm seemed to be
a. its worst on this thoroughfare.
Little or no damage was done to
South Richmond. according to reports.
| one or two trees were torn down but
the damage was comparatively small