Evening star., 1933-08-24
CAPITAL DIGS OUT
Of GALE WRECKAGE
Potomac Rising, but Flood
Damage Is Unlikely.
Driver, Hurt, Dies.
Continued From First Page.)


r. H. Weightman. forecaster at the
Weather Bureau. who said it had de-
creased somewhat in intensity from its
force here. A gale was blowing along
the Atlantic Coast, but had subsided
considerably. Heavy rains continued
from Virginia northward to New York.
he said
The wind yesterday, which whipped
umbrellas inside out, blew over 500
trees and did considerable other prop
erty damage, had a sustained velocity
of about 40 miles an hour, Weightman
said 1t impeded traffic and. together
with the rain, caused the greatest in
convenience to thousands Of Washing
tonianS who had to be out OF doors
during the storm.
At times the wind reached a We
locity of 81 miles an hour. This speed,
however Is not by any means record.
according to the Weather Bureau. The
storm generally was said to have been
one of the worst tropical disturbances
since 1898, although the Weather Bu-
reau shows there was somewhat SIM
liar storm here in August 1928. when
there was a rainfall of 7.3l inches in
"a hours, as compared to the downfall
Of 642 inches during the SO hours Of
the recent storm.
Many Slightly Hurt.
A number of persons received slight
injuries, but only few Of the total in
jured were treated in hospitals.
Vincent Tolson. l9 years old, Of 1869
was taken to Georgetown Hospital with
a fractured arm and decorations.
Francis Baxter. ~, of 6l512 Newton
place was treated at Georgetown Hos
pital for severe lacerations received
when his automobile was crowded of
the road in West Washington.
Edward Davis. 81, of $500 Wisconsin
avenue was treated at Emergency Hos
pital for a fracture in the toe of his
left foot, sustained when a log fell on it
Albert Bond. 27. colored. of 1lO8
TWenty-third street was treated at
Emergency Hospital for cuts received
when window broke.
Utilities Plants Crippled.
Public utilities were partly crippled,
although emergency service crews swung
into immediate action, causing various
kinds of delay in parts of the city. Water
overflowed the AnacoStia River into the
Benning power plant Of the Washington
Railway g. Electric Co., causing a
switch over to power from Baltimore
until local service could be restored
Lights were of for different periods in
different parts of the city.
The telephone company today re-
ported some Of its out town service
still was out by broken lines. but Wash
ington service had been kept going
| with some exceptions. even during time
when regular local power was cut of
because Of emergency power the tele-
phone company has to take care OF
such contingencies.
At 8 O'Clock this morning 573 lines
were still out of commission here In
Washington and 13s in nearby Mary
land. These we're due almost entirely
to broken lines or cables, it was said
Sixty-nine trunk lines were out OF
service. Communication with the
Eastern Shore, Salisbury and Leonard
town was cut off, and lines to Danville
and Charlottesville, Va, were also out
of commission. Service was cripple
to Norfolk, Roanoke and Charleston.
Service Being Resumed.
The entire outside force Of the COM
pany was at work on repairs, and 1t was
expected service rapidly would be re-
Sumed
An unauthorized report Of q hurri-
cane supposed to be coming into Wash
1ngton late yesterday afternoon threw
tremendous load on the telephone
company and sent people scurrying for
offices, homes and in some cases the
cellars Just before the erroneous hurri-
cane report the telephone service wa
only about per cent above normal, Of
hcials said, but when the afternoon pa
perS came on the street with stories OF
the storm, and when the unfounded
hurricane report was spread by radio
and by rumor about the town, the teIe-
phone company had to put on $50 addi-
tional telephone operators to handle the
rush
Roads leading from Washington tc
nearby shore resorts were jammed with
stalled automobiles this morning which
mad been left by persons en- route to
the resorts to see If their families were
SAFE. or by vacationists trying to get
back to the city.
One party en- route to Cedarhurst
Md, was halted by a large tree fallen
across the road Just beyond Galesville
and by live wire dangling over the
tree. A man had to be sent all the way
to Annapolis to turn of the current
so the tree could be removed.
Party Has Narrow Escape.
One party of three young men and
q young woman had q narrow escape
on Chillum road just beyond the Dis
trict line when the closed car in which
they were riding dropped into q de-
preston on the roadway so deep that
flood waters almost covered the car.
Motorists nearby rescued Miss Ruth
Rice of 141O Parkwood place, and
James Ferry Of 610 Rock Greek Church
road. The other two occupants, Joseph
McGarvey of 6l0 Rock Greek Church
road and Hugh Ferry of the same ad-
dress, managed to get to tree. where
they held on, marooned for about hall
an hour Today they went back to look
for their car and found the waters had
receded only partially, leaving most Of
it still submerged.
Fallen trees provided the most promi-
nent evidence of the storm today, as
they Uttered streets and lawns through
out the city. The entire force Of Cliff
ford Lanham, superintendent Of trees
and parking, was at work clearing away
debris. They were aided by workmen
from other parts Of the District gov
ernment, particularly the Highways De-
partment.
Stationed at Mount Vernon to warn
motorists from Richmond to take an
other road into Washington, two park
policemen were marooned last night
when the Richmond road became SUBJ
merged. The officers were j. E. Shaw
han and w. K. Snider.
Park Roads Under Water.
Many roads in Rock Greek Park were
under water today. Beech drive be-
tween Broad Branch road and Military
road was completely submerged as the
waters of Rock Creek rose over its
banks. This morning the water was
reported still rising. The lodge house
of the park police at Military road and
Beech drive was flooded last night. To-
day the policemen, fearing that 1t would
be washed away, moved out all the fur
niture. Rock Creek and Potomac Park
way was also closed to trafhc because