The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-21
FEAR BIG STORM
Gulf Coast Warned of Tropical
Hurricane en- Route.
All Ships at Sea Being Warned
in Advance.
TO HIT U. S. AT MIDNIGHT
Now Only 200 Miles on and
Coming Fast.
Tide Is Rising and Barometer
Falling Rapidly.
TO hit U. S. AT MIDNIGHT

! New Orleans. Sept. 21. Speed
boats were rushing to isolated Gulf
coast points today with urgent warn
ings of the approach of tropical
! hurricane, now ESQ miles off the
mouth of the Mississippi river.
The storm was expected to strike
! Morgan City. La. and Corpus Christi,
/ Tex, according to weather bureau re-
ports. All points along the Louisiana
and Texas coast with telephone and
! telegraph connections have been
warned. Others were advised by
wireless and boats.
! Warning was sent from the New
/ Orleans weather bureau to all steam
ship companies and all ships within
reach of the seriousness of the storm.
i The hurricane is one of great inten-
sity, according to reports here. The
. steamship Yoro, believed to have been
! on the outskirts of the blow, reported
a 64mile gale.
Tide Rising Rapidly.
The barometer was four degrees
lower at Burrwood. La, this morning,
and the tide .06 above normal. With
a two degree drop from last nights
barometer reading at Galveston. the
tide was reported los above normal
The rising tide indicates approach
of the storm, weather officials said,
and that the heaviest storm may be
expected to accompany the heaviest
tide.
Only 200 Miles Away.
Houston. Tex. Sept. 21.-TropicaI
storms raging off the coast of Mexico
from off the Yucatan peninsula, and
! inward from the Gulf of Mexico, were
| believed about 200 miles off the Texas
coast early today.
The entire Gulf coast from Louis
lana to Brownsville was reported
nervous. Storm warnings were fly
ing. Several people were reported to
have left Corpus Christi.
The Galveston weather bureau fig
ured five vessels outbound from Hous-
ton, three inbound to Houston and
possibly a half dozen in and out of
Galveston may not escape the hurri-
canes. Sailing times show some of
these will find it impossible to escape,
it was said.
Hit Q. S. at Midnight.
Wireless from a steamer off the
Gulf of Mexico last midnight said the
ship ran into what appeared to be the
advance of the storm which consisted
of S5-mile wind and a heavy rain.
Little information could be obtained
here as to just where the storm would
hit or how violent. Most authorities
forecasts were it would strike some
where along the coast near midnight.
Coast Guard Busy.
Washington, Sept. 21.-The weather
bureau coast guard service and. ship
ping board today were cooperating
to prevent damage from hurricane
that is sweeping northwestward across
the Gulf of Mexico.
Despite the precautions taken, 1t was
feared shipped and water front prop
! erty along the Texas and Louisiana
coasts may be damaged because of the
/ swift approach of the storm.
! Announcement by the weather bu-
reau said: The tropical storm over
the Gulf of Mexico is advancing north
westward toward the west Gulf coast
attended by dangerous winds. Hur-
, ricane warnings We're ordered raised
T at 10 o'clock this morning on the
western Louisiana coast and on the
Texas coast southwark to Corpus
Christi All interests have been or
dered warned of the dangerous char
acter of this storm. Storm warnings
/ are also displayed at Brownsville
Tex, and on the eastern Louisiana
coast"
All Ships Warned.
At the coast guard service, It was
+ said all Gulf stations and ships had
! been notified of the approach of the
storm and had been ordered to be
ready for immediate service.
= The shipping board has also advised
: all its vessels of the approach of the
: storm, and those now in port will be
: held there until danger is over.
At 1915 p. m. Weather ForecasteI
= Bowie said rains. increasing winds
2 and heavy swells were reported along
l the Gulf coast and that the hurricane
? seemed to be advancing more rapidly
t Wireless messages from the steam
er Yarrow reported she had encoun-
tered a IS mile gale in the Gulf.
! Reports reaching here from the Gull
, told of hurried efforts to get all prop
erty possible out of the danger zone
At Corpus Christi. the tide wa:
= above normal and still raising. ac
Z cording to reports here. Rains are
: falling in manY nlaceS near the Gulf