Evening star., 1952-09-01

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CoroIinions Dig Out Of Hurricane
Wreekoee. Pose AZ
Full Pose Of Pictures, Poee 81
spots in the District area were
spared by the wind and rain.
High gusts of the storm. which
had moved up from the Carolina
coasts, buffeted the Potomac (Md.)
area, damaging the homes Of Mr..
and Mrs. Willmott Lewis on Glen
road, and of Paul Griffith on River
road.
Fire Lieutenant Injured.
A column supporting a front
porch of the handsome Colonial
home of Mr.. Griffith was snapped
off and part of the roof was blown
off. Furniture stored on a porch
was scattered over the yard, some
blowing as far as 100 yards. The
chimney also was snapped and
large trees uprooted.
A fireman, 1t. Norman Gettings.
fell 20 feet from the front porch
and suffered bruises.
Striking shortly, before mid
night. the big blow was accom-
panied by torrential rain meas
uring 259 inches in less than six
hours and raising to BAT inches
the total for "a hours ending at
Z am.
The result was a flooding of
lowlands and parks, forcing res
cues of stranded persons at sew
eral points. One 16-year-old girl.
swept down. ravine in North
east Washington, was rescued by
f1remen.
Firemen Resort to Boats.
Many sections of suburban
Prince Georges County were under
water, and f1remen were evacuat-
ing marooned residents in boats.
Hardest hit were Bladensburg and
Brentwood. some places being
under S feet of water. Residents
called it the worst food in 20
years.
Potomac Electric Power Co. had
Is of its own crews and six others
under contract repairing 80 or 40
wires knocked down by smashed
trees. Forty or so trees were re-
ported down in Washington.
Most of the power failures were
in the vicinity of Rockville and
Bethesda. Md. Lights and radio
communications were knocked out
at the sixth precinct station house
and much of that residential dis
trict was in the dark for several
hours.
Girl Swept Down Creek.
Firemen of Engine Co. No. ~
were called at 5:24 am. to save
Miss Mary Holmes. 18. colored.
of los 41st street NE. who was
swept into a ravine and down a
creek toward the Anacostia River.
The accident occurred at Forty
second and Clay place NE. Miss
Holmes grabbed a tree and was
holding on there when firemen
arrived and placed a 20-foot lad-
der from the bank to the tree.
Using life lines, Pvts. L. E.
Cartr, 36, and I. r. Elmore, %.
waded out in water armpit deep
and brought the girl to shore.
She was treated at Emergency
Hospital and released.
When the firemen returned to
their station in the 1900 block Of
Minnesota avenue NE, they
found flood waters pouring into
the building, and had another job
on their hands. ..
Moves Northwest.
The hurricane had followed an
path from Charlotte to
Greensboro, N. c., then moved in
a northwesterly direction near
Lynchburg.
At the time the storms center
was at Gordonsville, Va. about
100 miles southwest of Washing
ton, it kicked up its freak tornado
at Franconia.
Weather Bureau officials de-
scribed it as a real twister, and
estimated its velocity from dam
age at between 10 and 100 miles
per hour.
They pointed out that in WASH
ington, at 3:17 am. gusts OF 63
n. phi. were registered with COM
paratively minor damage.
Combination Is Unusual.
The tornado was described as q
rare thing in connection with
but such disturbances
nave been reported.
It cut a swath about so yards
vide and 2 miles long before blow
ng itself out.
The hurricane itself continued
% move on to the northwest, at
! rate of about 20 miles an hour.
It caused considerable damage in
and around Harrisburg, Pa. mostly
rom a heavy rainfall.
The storm damage was wide
pread, and another freak ac-
ident was reported at Arlington.
drs. Charles Tyson, 43. Of 4639
Jorth Fourteenth street, was