Evening star., 1954-10-17
Review of The Week:
Hurricane, Is Years
'EorIy,' Kills Two,
Does Heavy Domoge

In The Sunday Star OF September
7, 1852. Staff Writer Richard Fryk-
lund wrote hurricane story which
was headlined Last Weeks Wind
Was Districts Quota for Next is
Years"
Mr.. Fryklund's story was related
to a small hurricane-or the rem
nants thereof-that struck the
Washington area after doing some
damage farther South. Much of his
information came from the United
States Weather Bureau. whose
records indicated that only once in
a decade and a half on the average,
does hurricane get to the Capitol. j.
But Hazel. born and bred in the
Caribbean, obviously hadn't read
The Star and was out of touch with
the Weather Bureau. On Friday-13
years ahead of Observation-Disclosures
cane Hazel came charging up the
Atlantic Coast, roared inland near
Myrtle Beach. s. c., and gave Wash
ington its toughest buffeting in his
tory. Gusts up to SO miles an hour
were recorded at National Airport.
Old and Tired
Hazel was old and tired when she
hit Washington, which gives some
indication of what she must have
been at her prime. She developed
in the southern Caribbean, near the
Dutch "A-B-C" islands Of Aruba,
Bonaire and Curacao. Then she
took q Cooks tour Of the West In
dies, first threatening Jamaica, then
swerving north and battering the
little Haitian port of AUX Cages
pronounced ok. Then she
charged into the Bahamas and
picked up speed on her northwesterly
run toward the United States coast.
She hit South Carolina about dawn
Friday.
After 400 miles of overland travel
between Myrtle Beach and the Dis
trict, Hazel had lost about 40 miles
an hour from the speed Of her
counterclockwise winds, and was
distorted almost beyond recognition.
But there was enough left of her
to give area residents real "hur-
ricane experience" First-in early
afternoon, as school students and
Government workers scurried for
home-there were ever-increasing
winds. blowing from the Southeast.
Two inches of rain fell. Next the
wind force built up, knocking over
trees, damaging houses, shattering
show windows in stores and caus-
ing about 80 casualties, including
two deaths.
HozeIs Eye
Then came the "eye." Winds dice
down completely in the District and.
surrounding country. AS near as
weathermen can determine, the CEN
ter OF what was left of Hazel passed
midway between Washington and
Leesburg, Va. But a dead calm was
experienced as far east as Forest
vile and Lanham. Md, and as far
north as Silver Spring.
In an orthodox hurricane the
winds after the eye are as great as
those that precede it. Hazel was
different. The after-blow was mild
by comparison. BY midnight the
air was calm, the clouds broken up,
the stars were out. Saturday was
sunny and cool. Hazel had passed
on, wearing herself out in the noun
tains and forests of the North.
There was left for Washington
only the job Of cleaning up the mess.
Electrical Disruption
One of the most notable effects of
Hazel's visit was the widespread
damage done to the District power
system. Unless repair work takes
an unexpected squirt, many readers
of this page still will be without
electricity this morning. Grocers in
many sections of the area were do
ing business yesterday under erner-
gency conditions, with candles stuck
in makeshift holders fashioned from