Richmond Times-Dispatch from Richmond, Virginia • 7

Richmond Tim es-Dis patch Friday Sept 15 1944 9 and Virginia Beach Hit Hardest as Hurricane pLashes Capes Veers to North Ferry Riders Share Sole Wish In To Be Elsewhere his father transacted business at First Market Attracted by a red box on a pole at Eighteenth and Franklin Streets the lad studied it for a moment or two and then overcome with curiosity pulled the lever The thrill of fire and police sirens clearing a path through the bustling market place was dip polled when the boy who police that he had never seen a fire alarm box before realized he had inadvertently caused the peninsula The waves slashed across the causeway connecting the town with the mainland in at least five places An unidentified freighter went aground near Lynnhaven during the storm but naval salvage crews were attempting to float her late today and she was reported to be in nc dancer A strong gust of wind blew the smokestack off the steamer Hampton Roads as she attempted to make her berth on the Newport News-Norfolk run Headquarters of Brigadier-General Don Scott in Richmond reported that preliminary surveys indicated that only minor damage w-as caused to army installations under the Third Service Command in the affected area Camp Pendleton reported minor damage to six service buildings Numerous trees and several smokestacks on the reservation were blown down Camp Ashby lost two barracks Dean Modlin to Speak 1 Dr George Modlin dean of business administration at the University of Richmond will address the Richmond Inter-Club Council at a meeting at 12:43 today in Hotel John Marshall Dr Modlin who is chairman of the Richmond Committee lor Service to Armed Forces Veterans will describe the work of the group aft passenger salox turned to skating rinks and female passengers rather green about the gills started skidding One woman who had sought refreshments returned to her seat just as the Wauketa gave a heave that would have put a bucking bronco to shame and the woman sat -down head first Helped to her feet by several navy enlisted men she took one bite cf her sandwich and the Waukeia rolled to starboard The sandwich still is not eaten Becomes Terrified A young navy wife from Pennsylvania visiting Norfolk for the first time became terrified as the first ground swell hit the vessel and between sobs averred "I ish had stayed in The elderly ladv from the Midwest reiterated her question as to whether the Wauketa would sink and even the assurance of some veteran salts aboard could not reliever her fears When the craft docked at Norfolk the woman safe ashore remarked in a positive tone "No more boat crossing for me I am going home by land if I have to NORFOLK Sent I ever get out of this Fm going to stay inland where I The speaker was an elderly woman from a Midwestern State visiting her son in the navy here and the remark was engendered bv the bucking and pitching of the Chesapeake and Ohio Ferry steamer Wauketa as she rode into the teeth of the hurricane this morning on her run across Hampton Roads from Newport News to Norfolk The Wauketa was substituting on the run foi the veteran Virginia now in drvdock and her perform a rce would have pleased the Ladv of Hampton Bear Brunt Unhurt She came through the brunt of the storm and was none the worse from her we) ting But with some of her passengers particularly the feminine it was a different story The glass-housed former excursion steamer has seen bad weather in her day but hardlv any worse than that which struck her and she pulled out of her dock at Newport New after loading train passenger from Richmond and points west 1 Ax she rounded Boat Harbor Point the worst of the hurricane then roaring down Hampton Roads smacked her and then the fun began depending upon which wav vnu look at it With the wind and rain striking her full force on the port side roiling ground swells whipped into a cross chop by the blow smacked the former pleasure boat under her port counter and from then on it was little pleasure for the majority of the passengers Linoleum-covered decks in the Masonic Election Masonic Washington Royal Arch Chapter No 9 will hold its annual officers election at a meetirz at 6:30 today in Masonic Temple Adams and Broad Streets Also scheduled foi the meeting are a general business session and reports of the trustees and the awLt ing committee Advertisement Easier Breathing For Asthma IVwTt jort rht fr Imtl it atsfcf Hfk rtkaf (m Mime wlwtiiti nt MlUri with pkjmnu fiwn bmh Or Hitt's CAL-BINEX lul taata-lm npnica Ukrt iwrra3r I'w4 Mi-Mctii MiTfwiiilr ffirtira fa Mail ta ta biaatbia aa4 bnaa waifin Sa aaa refill it it aa awa tr hark (wrutM KM Dr rian Cat-mart mSay At twr Irvirttt II fa twtlr kanra aa UXU TVind-BIown Sand Removed Car Paint NORFOLK Sept Tatem advertising manager of the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot who was driving has car at Virginia Beach during today's hurricane said his engine was in second gear and he had the accelerator jammed to the floor but was able to advance at only 10 miles per hour During his ride north on Atlantic AvcnUe sand was flung at the automobile so constantly and with such tremendous force that all the paint was removed from the rear of the car and most of the paint from the right front (or northeast) fender A tropical hurricane of unusual violence clawed furiously at coastal areaa yesterday as It swished un from the South Atlantic veered slightly eastward and headed for the Southern tip of New England last night Norfolk and the Virginia Beach area apparently were the hardest hit points on the mairland although damaged communications prevented anything like an accurate check of the damage The storm the center of which raw'd offshore some 50 to 60 miles east of the Hampton Roads area brought winds to Norfolk which attained a maximum velocity of more than miles an hour The highest "sustained'" v-loritv however was 70 to 75 miles Considerable Damaga Considerable damage w-as reported in the Norfolk area late yesterday as the hurricane passed gaining momentum steadily as It progressed UP the coast but It was for the most part confined to broken windows damaged homes end disrupted telephone and pow-er facilities Offlrials of the Virginia Eec-ftir and Power Company said that apparently their installations in the affected area had not sf-fred severe rif mee Hthnrgh the suhafatinn at Suffolk knocked by short circuits end I tie main power line from Norfolk to Virginia Beach was nut out of commission The mmnenv also lost a lrnnmlinn line from Norfolk south to North Carolina Ixmis of the power lire to Virginia Beach cut commun'ration with that area for a short time hut Guthrie Kennard Richmond manager of the Chesapeake A Potomac Telephone Company seid the service was restored onlcklv bv use of the Virginia Beach plant's emereencv muipmcnt Transmission Tower Felled A 1100-foot transmission tower of Radio Station WSAP In Portsmouth w-as toppled bv the wind soon after it struck the Virginia roast at that point and the station was off the air the remainder nt the The FCC granted permission however for the station to use an emergency antennae Reports from Virginia Reach indicated that the roofs of hotel and many cottages ware damaged and the radio tower of the navy and police installations were leveled Fifty families were evacuated from their oceanside homes and quartered in the town hall and other substantial buildings in the business district Business houses suffered severely from shattered windows and damaged roofs Hundreds of trees were blown down and heavy seas sent hpge breakers pounding over the promenade Curiosity of Boy 8 -Calls Out Fire Trucks An R-ycar-old hoy from Kins and Queen Countv prohahlv will give strange-looking boxes- attached to poles a wide berth in the future particularly if the boxes are red and are equipped with levers The boy who accompanied his father to Richmond yesterday on a produce-selling trip found time hanging heavy on his hands while Fall Fashion Parade AP Norfolk Traffic Paralyzed Windows Smashed (top) During Hurricane Granby and City Hall Streets (bottom) Flooded at Peak of Storm velocity of 22 miles per hone ho mainland Only' a half dozen of subsided shortly after noon and them were needed when the storm buildings and a number of trees while drainage ditches and trenches on the post were floored Fort Story reported only that few windows were smashed and the Norfolk Army Base reported one officer's car smashed and other minor damage The hurricane struck the Hampton Roads area during the recession of the ocean tide and reached the height of its fury there at low tide It had passed well to the north hours before the high tide at 8 o'clock last night Weather Bureau authorities and Ocean City were out and electric lines between Salisbury am the lower shores of Maryland and Virginia were down Heavy rains were reported throughout this area but Maryland State police reported only slight property damage Residents of Ocean City were reported to be leaving as a result of a Weather Bureau warning of tidal waves in the area One-Way Traffic Established One-way passage was established from the resort city The only vehicles permitted to enter were evacuation buses School buses coaches from motor lines ambulances and station wagons were sent from Salisbury as State police called on the OCD and the Red Cross for transportation rescue shelter and canteen units It was planned to quarter the evacuees in the Salisbury armory and in various schools Disaster relief workers of the Red Cross were ordered to the Salisbury area for any emergency which might arise Seventy-five families evacuated from storm-ravaged Ocean City Md were being fed and sheltered last night by the Red Cross in the armory at Salisbury Addition-al evacuees are expected Damage to property at Ocean City could not be determined because power and communication lines were down A breakdown in the power lines for a time threatened Norfolk with a serious water and health problem stopping the electrically driven pumps which supply the two systems As the fringe of the hurricane swept northward a fishing craft captained by James Marshall of Hampton with a crew of five raced into port at Wildwood just ahead of the storm Captain Marshall said he and his crew were fishing 75 miles off shore when the 110-foot vessel began to toss around like a cork and set out for port 100 Virgin Wool FUR-TRIMMED WINTER COATS li'mirpvter Reports Damages Minor damage from the storm will reported in Gloucester and Mathews Counties but high tides last night drove many residents of the low lying areas along the at 4 the Weauier reported that the velocity had dropped to a mere 15 miles The wpstern edge of the storm estimated to cover an area of approximately 500 square miles struck the coast early yesterday in the vicinity of Beaufort and ripped viciously up the coast line through the capes but apparently veered slightly to the east after striking Norfolk and the peninsula counties of Virginia Relief forces were mobilized throughout Eastern Virginia as the storm approached the Old Dominion The Office of Civilian Defense alerted its units in Richmond Petersburg and Hampton and the Red Cross held all its units east of Brunswick ready for emergency duty General James A Anderson and Ellison of the State Highway Department went to the Hampton Roads area yesterday to be on hand in the event of major damage to roads and bridges They will remain their offices said until all roads in the area are cleared of obstructing debris Telephone officials said yester passed by Norfolk with far less damage to telephone installations than had been anticipated Mr Kennard said approximately 1000 "trouble were reported in Norfolk yesterday afternoon but that virtually all of them were due to uprooted trees and broken limbs smashing local lines Trees blown across the wires were blamed for the loss of approximately 50 trunk telephone circuits between Richmond and Newport News and approximately 35 lines leading into the storm area of North Carolina Jack Holzclaw president of Virginia Electric and Power Company reported that his lines in Norfolk carried only about half their normal load during the few hours the storm was over that area He explained the decreased load by pointing out that the naval base shipyard installations and many business houses shut up shop before the storm struck Reports last night from Salisbury Md said that city was plunged into semidarkness as trees were blown across roads and power lines as the storm moved rapidly up the coast All normal communications between Salisbury waterfront of Gloucester to higher sajd this fact probably saved the ground Some Gloucester County residents w'ere moved to Gloucester Courthouse where the Red Cross had made arrangements to house them temporarily In school buildings Newport News was without lights but telephone service was not interrupted as trees were uprooted windows smashed roofs damaged and highways flooded and the walla of a church under construction blown out a house area from far more severe damage minimizing the threat of flooded streets and stores from high tides As the epicenter of the storm passed the area it was explained the wind at Norfolk changed from northeast to northwest serving as a brake against the roaring tides churned up at sea The full force of the hurricane failed to strike the mainland at any point yesterday It was feared however that it might drive in Sasie Stfcecf 20 Tei Fabrics of suede finished wools and wool crepes with fine quality linings of rayon satins and rayon crepes Wide range of lovely colors and styles wrecked and two automobiles land into New England last night damaged by the wind I and new warnings were issued to Drnite the manv in'tanrv of hat arra hv hc Weather Bureau day they had recruited repairmen Despite the many instance of in advbory warnins: yesterday from numerous towns and cities caused by the for use in the coastal areas if and when the storm struck Virginia's Furs: Baum Marten-Dyed Opossum Skunk-Dyed Opossum and Natural Opossum Mouton Lamb and Ombre Beaver-Dyed Coney 25 tWFW damage stormy monetary damage is believed to have been slight Elementary schools in Newport News closed at 1 but high schools were nor affected Moving northward at a speed of 40 to 50 miles an hour the hurricane pounded viciously at the Eastern Shore area later in the day wrecking power and communications systems and lashing the two-rountv peninsula lying between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with large tidal waves The towns of Onancock and Ac-comae were both without power and the angry winds swept huge waves into the streets and stores of the fishing village of Chinco-eague off the east coast of the afternoon Four-Inch Rainfall A heavy downpour of rain accompanied the storm at Norfolk Eie recorded fail was four inches tween 7 A and 2:30 Scattered rains fell in many sections of the State during the day but the effect of the storm was negligible save in the coastal areas Richmond anticipating heavy rains during the day as a backlash from the swirling winds passing up the coast had only a trace of rain and about the time the wind was at its height in the Norfolk area the skies here began to clear The sun shone all afternoon Stiff winds blew throughout the morning attaining a maximum Magnificent! Si a You Are Invited Stack it up Pack if up Save Your si New Arrivals in 2-Pc FALL SUITS TO SEE (rcfllcctiev Of Rare and Unusual ev Ur jewels September 18 through 28 An exciting lineup of suits to put on right how and wear under your winter coat later! 3-button tailored classics 3-button softer classics I -button favorites The fabrics include yarn-dyes monotones herringbones smoky wool and rayon tweeds a flannels Fall colors Sizes 12 to 20 IMS Waste paper is so vital to the war effort that every loyal American should be on the job saving every single scrap of waste paper that he has Our boys fighting overseas depend on it just as they depend on their ammunition it is just as necessary to them! So show that we can do it! Save every bit of scrap paper and turn it in at the next collection drive! ha Next City-Wide Paper Collection Will Be Sunday September 24! Your Waste Paper Will Be Collected by THE AMERICAN LEGION ssi fad fey THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA la ca-agarafiaa vM RICHMOND SALVAGE FOR VICTORY COMMITTEE Other Suits $7295 $7495 $7695 THALHIMERS Jewelry and Silver Store Sixth Street 312 EAST BROAD DIAL 3-3411.