The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-09-18
VACATI0NISTS
QUIT COAST
RESORTS
High Winds and Heavy
Seas Peril Shipping;
S. S Calls Flashed
Continued from Page u

NNUhIAuucu from rage ~
at sea, where ships are awaiting
aid of Coast Guard cutters.
At noon the undiminiShing tenn
pest was reported by meteorolo
giStS to be centered a few miles
east 70 Cape Henry, Va, and
headed north and north-north
east. Earlier it was centered
southeast Of Cape Henry. Still
estimated at 500 miles in diam
eter, the disturbance is moving
northward between 10 and Is
miles per hour.
Gale For Maryland
The Weather Bureau issued the
following bulletin at noon:
Severe tropical disturbance
conferred short distance east of
Cape Henry and moving north
and nOrth-nOrtheaSt, attended
by dangerous northeast winds.
Gale today along Maryland,
Delaware and New Jersey
Coast"
Another advisory is expected to
be issued at 3 o'clock when
observers estimate that the NOV
ing center will encounter west
erly wind blowing in from the
ocean over the Maryland coast
line. What effect this encounter
will have on the path of the dis
turbance is problematical, the
weather experts said.
For Washington the bureau
forecasts rain this afternoon and
tonight, with strong northerly
winds veering to northeast tonight.
The wind reached a 40-mile veloc-
ity in gusts here this morning, but
averaged only % miles per hour.
The barometer here was still drop
ping at o'clock when it was 1928.
Virginia Beach Hit
Communication with Norfolk
and Virginia Beach was being par
TALLY maintained this morning by
the Coast Guard and the Weather
Bureau. Flooded streets we're re-
ported there and tides were re-
ported exceedingly high at all
coastal points. However, no esti-
mate could be made OF damage
in either city.
In Virginia Beach, vacationiSts
and residents were still fearful OF
venturing from the barricaded
Cavalier Hotel and other buildings
to survey the storm damage. Al
though no official word Of the wind
velocity could be obtained in Vir-
ginia Beach, it was reported by
amateur radio operators to have
reached IS miles per hour. Heavy
rain accompanied the winds all
along the coast.
Both Norfolk and Virginia
Beach are still being dashed by
heavy winds but the storm has
apparently passed there.
Ships in Distress
At least four ships and three
ocean going barges were in dis
tress in the churning Atlantic off
the coasts of Virginia, Maryland
and Delaware.
Latest of the ships to ask aid
was the 10,000-ton oil tanker
Gulfhawk, having engine trouble
and unable to hold it's course
against the. heavy seas five miles
south of Barnegat Light.
Forty men are aboard the Gulf
hawk.
The Chesapeake lightship, an
chored off the Virginia coast near
cape Henry, was torn from its
moorings early this morning dur
ing the storm and is in great
danger of being driven into
shoal waters. About a dozen
men are on the vessel.
In Chesapeake Bay near Cam
bridge, Md, boats are searching
for an open launch with a man
and a boy aboard. They left
Cambridge yesterday afternoon
for Tilghman's Island and have
not been heard from. The choppy
waters of the bay are reported
extremely dangerous for such
small craft.
Nine men are adrift on barge
off Lewes, Del, and four others
are on a helpless barge off Cape
Henry.
Coast Guardsmen are also try.
ing to secure a tow line on the
American freighter Ell Mirante,
disabled with SO members of the
crew abroad, so miles east of Cape
Hatteras.
Steamer in Distress
Feeling the advance winds of
the storm in the Delaware area
was the 2,500ton steamer Ida Hay
Atwater. With a crew of %
aboard the steamer was adrift in
the Delaware River after her
anchors were pulled up by the boil
ing waves. The master of the yes.
sci asked Coast Guardsmen to
send aid.
Another barge was reported in
desperate need of aid in the CheSa-
peake Bay near Hooper's Island
and the cutter Apache was rush
ing to it's aid from Baltimore.
At Cape May, N. j., wind
velocity of 10 miles per hour was
reported at noon and the barome'
ter was reported dropping rapidly,
heralding approach Of the hurri
cane in that area.
At Norfolk, the Monticello Hotel
lobby, in the downtown district
was covered with water and the
cities power plant was shut down
at noon because of high water.
All ferries were stopped in Nor