The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-02
Hurricane Strikes
Reaches Hard Blow

Chief c. H. Casteen said As po-
licemen were on duty. Headquar-
tiers lost report of the number OF
high tension wires stringing IN the
streets, but reported lover one
hundred calls concerning exposed
wires. Patrol cars were operating
without benefit of radios. One lamp
lighted the station.
Twn ElectrOcuted
Dallie Jacobs, Negro. was burned
severely on his right leg and both
arms by a fallen wire at 18th and
Orange streets. Another unidenti-
fled Negro was seriously burned
near the same corner; artificial
respiration was administered, and
he was removed to the hospital
where his condition was termed
serious.
Many large plate glass windows
were broken in every part of the
city, but there were no records OF
looting late last night. Three au-
tomobile accidents were reported,
and it was believed that many went
unreported.
The worst of the storm had veer-
ed in another direction when W. B.
Bryan, manager of the local office
OF the Southern Bell Telephone COM
pfny, declared that the office had
done exceptionally well in hand
ling the tremendously heavy traf.
fic." He said Wilmington was moi
isolated at all during the storm
At 1920, some 400 telephones were
out of order but the broken Wrights.
vile circuit had been repaired, al
though Carolina Beach lines were
still not functioning. Camp Davis
telephone traffic was handled on an
alternate route.
Hospital Park
Nurses at James Walker Memo
rial, when. the institution was Wis
tied by reporters, were cropping
their way along dark corridors. In
the dispensary, doctors and nurses
were patching storm victims by
the glow of candlelight. No report
of the number Of emergency treat
ments was available. Mrs. Mary
Lee Galloway, owner of the Allan
tic Beach cottage at Carolina, was
one of the injured, having sustain
ed head laceration and left7arm
injury: She was one Of two persons
hurt when a cottages roof fell
across the Army staff car being
boarded.
Red Cross headquarters in the
Customs House were besieged by
calls from wives. husbands, and
children, seeking to learn the
whereabouts of their kin. J. ]. Sta
ley, Red Cross field representa-
tive of this southeastern division,
contended that no registration of
evacuees need be taken tomorrow
because it would not be feasible for
a majority of the persons to reach
a central location to register.
damned hotels made their faci-
hties available at minimum rates.
The Army trucks leaving Whining
ton for Camp Davis where ample
facilities awaited, did not appear
to be packed on the last trip, about
10 p. m.
USO clubs cheerfully dispensed
sandwiches, doughnuts and coffee
to the puzzled who wandered in the
Hobbies awaiting word of the
storm. Some 500 to 800 persons
were directed to clubs. Breakfast
will be given to the victims.
No authenticated records could
attest to the record fury of the dis
astrous blow in this section. but the
Star-News files produced this COM
ment on tropical storms, publish
ed in the latest industrial survey
of Wilmington and New Hanover
county: There has never been a
wind of destructive force In the Will
mington area in over 200 years, &C
cording to official and historical
records of the community. The
records of tropical storms shows
that they have struck the South At
lantic' coast at practically all 9TH
er points. This is probably due to
the location of Wilmington in the
blight of Onslow Bay; destructive
storms passing outside and striking
tho oooSt ia rther rorfh -
Paul Hess, meteorologist in
charge of the U. S. Weather Bureau
was quoted in the booklet as say
ing: $50 far as have been able
to learn. there is no record of a de-
structive windstorm l.: the vicinity
of Wilmington since the settlement
of this section"
From 1871, year the bureau was
esta blished, on to the present time,
the highest recorded velocity was