New-York tribune., 1921-03-29
Many Buildings Blown
Down, Others Unroofed
BY High Wind Accompa-
MED by Drop in Mercury
Child Buried i'm
Theater's Collapse
Staten Island Suffers
Heavy Damage; Light
ing Service Crippled

A terrific gale that swept over
greater New York and northern New
Jersey yesterday afternoon caused the
collapse of numerous buildings, un-
rooted many others, moved down hun
dreds of trees, ripped huge signs from
their fastenings and demolished scores
Of chimneys. A child was buried be-
meath the debris and killed when an un-
occupied motion picture theater in
Brooklyn collapsed. A score of persons
in Manhattan and Brooklyn were in
iured, several seriously.
The high wind, accompanied by
sharp drop in temperature, showed that
winter still had kick left. Staten
Island and Plainfeld. N. j.. were par
tcularly hard hit. At Staten Island
the storm was pronounced the worst
in twenty-five years, all sections of the
island being damaged. The gale tore
through the business section of Plain
field and was described by residents
there as an old-fashioned Kansas
cyclone.
Unoccupied Theater Collapses
Cabria Lecci, six years old, of 6S04
New Utrecht Avenue, Brooklyn, was
Killed in the collapse of the BROOKLYN
fin theater. This theatera known as
the New Strand, had been unoccupied
for some time. The Lecci girl, with
several other children, had been seen
playing in front of the building a short
time before the cave-in. Her body was
recovered by fremcn from Hook and
Ladder Company 149. 1t had been
pinned beneath a heavy beam. Her
school books lay beside her.
The roof of the theater was torn off
xhen the gale was at its height. The
supports OF the structure were loosened
snd the collapse followed.
Valdasara Mensi, thirteen years old,
@ 700 Thirty-ninth Street, Brooklyn.
vas knocked down and injured while
sasaFing Public School 1875, at Fortieth
ssreet and Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn.
far, OF the iron fence of the school
Mfd Tell on him. He suffered numer-
Gus cuts and bruises. Winifred Kerd-
aeny, aged four, suffered possible
fracture Of the shoulder when flower
pos M was blown from a window sill at
Wv west Fifty-seventh Street and
Baby Blown from Carriage
Peter McDermott, forty-two, of a81
e&ihgton Avenue, was struck on the
aead by box blown from an upper
Mory window of the Hotel Buckingham.
~ flftleth Street and Fifth Avenue.
ars. Anna Lyons, fifty-one, of 551O
seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, was thrown
lace forward to the sidewalk as she
vas about to enter her home. She
ni, sunered severe decorations. Mrs. Louise
gr.u.i.oorandsen, y. thirty seven, of 49l8
'lith Avenue, suffered lacerated left
eye wnen an awning was ripped from
Us hinges and struck her,
Mrs. Elizabeth Gillard, of 1417 Fact
ninth Street, Brooklyn, was pushing
her ve-months-old daughter in a car.
mage on Coney Island Avenue, Brook
yn, when the gale swept the carriage
INTO the street and hurled the infant
out. Charles Pileck, of 453 East
SSeventy-elghth Street, was hit on the
mead aea by jar blown from a window at
aoS East Seventy-eighth Street. Har-
lUid Kuppecht, thirty years old, of GIL
struck by sheet Of tin while walking
IN Seventh Avenue.
The roofs of the houses at 1853. 1855
and 1851 Seventy-ffth Street, BROOKLYN.
were carried away about 4:3O o'clock
me wind swept the collected mass Of
nmber against the house of Joseph
t1 brien at 1861 Seventy-fourth Street, a
block away. The impact tore the Brien
porch off. The walls of synagogue
the course of construction at Forty
elghth Street and Fifteenth Avenue,
brooklyn, were blown down, several
persons narrowly escaping injury.
Bungalows Blown Down
The wind tore down numerous tele-
graph wires on Staten Island, with the
result that several sections of the Bor-
ough of Richmond were without cleo
Tlc lights last night. Ten unoccupied
Ssungalows between South Beach and
Midland Beach were blown down. The
1901 on the Office building occupied by
me Richmond Light and Power Com
psny at Livingston, S. L., was ripped
o. q, and swept into Staten Island Sound.
Inc municipal boats plying between
sae Battery and st. George were rocked
" the gale and the anchor chains of
Continued on paee five)