Evening star., 1933-08-23
STORM SWEEPS WASHINGTON.
TAKING HEAVY DAMAGE TOLL

CONTINUED From First Page.l
Third street southwest On H street be-
tween Ninth and Tenth q number OF
young trees were toppled.
Damage Sets Record.
Damage became general over the
Potomac Electric Power Co. system In
Washington and nearby Maryland as
the day progressed. Officials OF the
company said the storm was the most
troublesome they had ever experienced.
Linemen on night and day tricks
were called to emergency duty as wires
| fell under falling trees and branches.
| The power was interrupted in CheVy
| Chase, Potomac Heights and other sec
tions and numerous street cars were
stalled.
Workmen were trying to restore serv-
ice ON the Rockville street car line. on
the TenleytoWn line on Wisconsin ave-
nue. and on the street car lines serV-
ing the Bureau OF Engraving and De-
partment Of Agriculture. An overflow
In the streets at Fourteenth and Water
stalled the latter cars.
Street car crews toiled shoulder TO
shoulder with policemen and District
limbs and trees in order to keep the
cars moving wherever possible.
Of1cials of the power company said
everything possible was peing done to
restore normal service, although they
could not predict when this would be
accomplished.
Emergency Crews Busy.
Emergency crews with axes and
cranes turned out shortly after O'Clock
to clear the streets as complaints began
to pour into the police precincts. par
ticularly those in the Southeast section,
and to the District Department OF Trees
and Parkings.
The parks of the city were Uttered
with limbs and branches to an ex-
tent almost unprecedented here, al
though there were comparatively lew
windfalls.
The local forecast issued this morn
ing said:
Heavy rain this afternoon and
probably early tonight. Tomorrow partly
cloudy and not quite SO cool Strong
northeast shifting to northwest WINDS.
Storm Warning Issued.
At the same time. this storm warm
ing was issued from the Weather
Bureau
Advisory 9 am.-Northeast storm
| warnings ordered 10 am. north OF Bos-
ton to Eastport; northeast storm warn
ings continued Boston to Delaware
Breakwater and warnings changed to
northwest south of Delaware Break
water to Wilmington, N. c. Disturbance
of unusually great intensity central
near Virginia Capes moving northward
will cause dangerous northeast gales
this afternoon. shifting to northwest
| tonight Virginia Capes to Delaware
| Breakwater; strong northwest WINDS
and gales this afternoon and tonight
south of Virginia Capes to Wilmington;
| dangerous northeast gales this after
noon and tonight Delaware Break
water to Boston and increasing north
winds this afternoon, probably reach
ing gale force tonight north OF Boston
| to Eastport."
High winds and rain flattened the
corn crops and damaged peach or
chards in Loudoun County, Va, accord
ing to reports received at Leesburg
| Electric and telephone service in the
town was disrupted because Of fallen
poles.
Town Street Blocked.
A large tree in the court house
grounds at Leesburg was uprooted this
morning. blocking traffic on the towns
main thoroughfare.
| Several pleasure craft were reported
driven ashore at Galesville. on the
West River, where the high tide topped
the seawall.
Scores of telephone lines to South
ern Maryland we're also out of order.
The storm took heavy toll in St
Marys County, causing damage to corn
and tobacco crops, paralyzing tele-
phone communication in the rural areas
of three exchanges flooding Summer
cottages along the beaches, inundating
highways and blowing down trees.
Farmers were optimistic over the
fate of the corn and tobacco crops
however. and said that both might sur
vive the driving wind and rain with
only slight loss, despite the fact that
they had been blown over. The to-
bacco crop was one of the best the
county has ever produced, they de-
clared.
The disturbance first was reported to
the Weather Bureau last Thursday. 1t
was then in the vicinity of the West
Indies and was labelled as another of
! the series of tropical storms which
begin there or in other South Sea areas
| in the late Summer and early Fall
months.
| Track Of Storm Lost.
Lack Of communication from vessels
near its center has hampered the bu-
reau in keeping track of it.
The heavy toll of trees claimed by
the storm was blamed by experts here
to the soaked condition of the soil and
the top-heaviness of rain n-drenched
Summer foliage. The roots OF many
trees also had been cut or weakened
by paving operations or other street
| improvements, 1t was said.
At least 100 windfalls were reported
during the morning to Clifford Lanham
superintendent of trees and parkings.
| Upward of 200 calls were received at
his Office before noon.
The Potomac Electric Power Co. has
every available repairmafl at work on
overhead lines damaged by falling trees
| and branches. There was relatively
little damage to street lights, and only
one power pole was reported down at
noon.
Many Phone Lines Out.
Forty-two trunk lines of the chesa-
peake & Potomac Telephone Co. to
neishboring cities. such as Marlboro
Frederick, Winchester and Annapolis
were knocked out by falling trees and
branches. as well as about 100 tele-
| phones IN the District ana some 5U
others in nearby Maryland and Vir-
ginia.
The worst litter of trees and branches
in the memory of veteran employees has
resulted in Rock Greek, Potomac and
other city parks. At the office of Frank
T. Gartside, acting superintendent of
National Capital parks, 1t was said that
the regular maintenance crews REIN
forced by some 400 helpers on made
jobs from the District Emergency Re-
lief Agency will have the parks clear
| within day after the storm abates.
| Five English elms were reported down
| beside the Lincoln Memorial Rejecting
Pool, and five willows along the Speed
way near Haines Point. In addition an
| American elm In the Monument
! Grounds and a willow in West Potomac
golf course gave way to the wind
Trees also were reported down on the