The New York herald., 1921-12-19
FIERCE wind Whips
BUFFALO DISTRICT
Damage on Waterfront and
i'm City Runs Into Hun
dreds of Thousands.
MAN KILLED IN MOTOR
Dredge Set Free Digs In in
Time to Keep From Co.
ing Over Falls.
HUGE WAVES ON LAKES
Boats, Houses, Lumber Carried
Away-Buildings Heay-
lily Damaged.
HUGE WAVES ON LAKES

ISOFuhi<OS DCCs 10 N<aSSOCldIeu ITeSSJ.
"A ninety-f1ve mile an hour wind
storm swept the city to-day, uprooting
trees, tearing down chimneys and
signs from the tops Of buildings,
smashing plate glass windows and
piling up the water in the harbor to
an unprecedented stage. One man
was killed.
The damage through the city was
great. but heaviest losses occurred
along the waterfront, where a 800 foot
wireless tower was demolished, boat
houses and small dorys were swept
away and several hundred pleasure
craft were smashed or carried down
the river. No accurate estimate of
the loss can be made, but it will run
into the hundreds of thousands.
window hatch torn from the top
of business block fell on a passing
automobile, killing Frank E. Keifer, one
Of the occupants, and injuring another
seriously. The flying piece of debris
went through the windshield and pinned
kfefer to the seat. The automobile, with
the occupants, both unconscious contin-
ued along the street for block before
1t swerved over the sidewalk and
crashed into a store front. Kiefer died
before he could be extricated from the
wreckage
TWO women were caught under a fall
Ing tree in Porter avenue, near the
water front. One Of them, Miss Mar
garet Cochrane, suffered fractures in
both legs. Her sister, Katherine. was
injured internally. Firemen had to be
called to cut away part of the tree trunk
before Margaret Cochrane could be re-
leased and sent to hospital
Hits Island Breakwater.
The terrific force of the wind. blowing
from the southwest directly down Lake
Erie had the effect of a huge tidal wave
When the water was at its highest level
Bird Island pier and Squaw Island,
narrow strips of land and water barriers
between Niagara River and the barge
canal. were almost completely SUBJ
merged
Nearly 100 squatters' shanties along
the strip were smashed by the rush OF
water and the wind and carried out
into the river. Occupants of the shan
ties had some thrilling experiences be-
fore they were rescued by the police,
fremen and the coast guard crew which
worked from the canal side of the pier
and island.
The pier was cut in half dozen
places when the river began to recede
and the weight of water in the canal re-
inforced the retaining walls of stone and
concrete
Three ferryboats used in the service
between Buffalo and Port Erie were
piled up on the rocks between the river
and canal and scores of small boat
houses in which pleasure craft were in
winter storage were swept away.
Street car service was Intermittent
during the morning, but by midafternoon
practically all lines had resumed normal
running schedules. Power from Niagara
Falls was cut Off at times and the
electric company was compelled to start
its steam plant near the city line. Suf-
ficient power was thus made available
to move city and interurban cars and
to provide lighting for homes tonight.
Repair gangs are at work on the main
power lines and it is expected that
industrial plants in the northern and
youthern sections of the city will have
sufficient power for normal operations
by morning.
At Tonawanda the water rose from
seven to eight feet above normal stage,
flooding large lumber yards there, over
turning lumber piles and carrying
thousands of feet of timber out into the
river and over Niagara Falls.
A dredge belonging to the Sullivan
Dunbar Company, anchored off the
shore OF Grand Island, sent up signals
OF distress when anchors began to slip
and the cumbersome craft began to
move down toward the falls Tugs were
sent to the rescue, but they were unable
to hold the craft against the rush of
water and the sweep of wind. The
captain Of the dredge finally saved his
craft by dropping the big steel dipper
and digging It into the mud on the
river bed.
large number OF lighthouses along
the river front in both North Tonawanda
and Tonawanda were swept away. In
two of the principal business streets
water was above the first floor level,
flooding cellars and causing heavy
damage to stored merchandise.
Between the Tonawandas and Nj
agara Falls the chief damage was to
lighthouses. 1t is estimated that 900
pleasure craft and the small frame
structures in which they were housed
were lost.
Niagara Volume Greater.
Seldom has such a volume of water
poured over the brink OF the Niagara
cataract as did to-day. The waters of
Lake Erie crowded into the Niagara
River by the tremendous gale caused
such a food that miles from the source
OF the river the wator was swirling deep
where usually only few scant inches
race along.
Such floods poured over the precipice
that the pool at the bottom quickly
showed the results and the dock of the
Maid of the Mist was submerged. The
flood surged out through the rapids and
the whirlpool and made itself felt even
in the broad reaches of the lower river
at Lewiston.
Many islands just above the Falls
were submerged for the FIRST time in
years. The water was deep under the
Goat Island bridge. Great property
damage was done on the upper river
between La Sale and Niagara Falls to
riverside lighthouses and motor boats.
One estimate of the property loss there
is 100000.
No loss OF life was reported, but sew
eral families living in houses on the
river. bank were rescued with difficulty
The storm did not do as much damage
TO the trees on the reservation as have
former winter storms. Little damage is
reported on the Canadian side of the
river at the falls.