HURRICANE, FLOODS SWEEP NEW ENGLAND.

296 WERE KILLED IN STORM ALONG ATLANTIC COAST; PROPERTY DAMAGE ENORMOUS.

LONG ISLAND, AND COSTAL STATES RECEIVE FULL FORCE OF TROPICAL STORM THAT STRUCK LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

Restored communications in storm-lashed New England disclosed today a major disaster resulting from yesterday's unprecedented hurricane and tidal waves.
By mid-afternoon the number of known dead in New England was 261. Another 35 were added in New York, New Jersey and Quebec, making the total 296.
With flood waters rising toward record breaking heights in the populous, three state Connecticut river valley, authorities feared the death toll would mount even higher before the waters receded.
Death totals by states at 2 P.M.:
Rhode Island -- 138.
Massachusetts -- 72.
Connecticut -- 42.
New Hampshire -- 9.
New York -- 32.
New Jersey -- 1.
Quebec (Montreal) -- 2.
The full horror of the storm as it swept northward over Long Island and New England did not become apparent until telephone communications were reestablished between Boston and Rhode Island, the state hardest hit by the worst disaster of the region's history.
The New England toll had been recorded at 134, but the figure rose to 250 within a few minutes after reports started pouring in from Rhode Island and a short time later to 261.
Huge tides piled up by the 100-mile-an-hour hurricane accounted for most of the destruction. Walls of water descended upon Providence and other coast towns and rolled inland as far as one-fifth of a mile.
Federal weather experts in Washington were surprised by reports from the storm regions.
Forcaster CHARLES L. MITCHELL said "there was nothing in the behavior of the storm as it progressed northward to lead us to believe that such winds would be experienced in New England."
The speed with which the Connecticut river rose gave inhabitants along it and tributary valleys in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut little time to survey the damage caused by the wind. National guardsmen made haste to evacuate families from threatened lowlands.
The death toll in the hurricane which smashed across Long Island, New England and parts of New York, New Jersey and Quebec mounted hourly today with the known dead, reaching 296 shortly before noon.
Upwards of 150 persons persons were missing in New England and Long Island. As rescuers searched wreckage over the six-state area it appeared likely that the death toll would soar.

Damage Placed at $100,000,000.
Damage to homes, shipping, crops, highways, communications and parks was estimated in excess of $100,000,000.
The American Red Cross, coast guard and WPA mobilized its forces to combat threats of disease in scores of communities whose utilities services were disrupted.
To expedite movement of supplies the Interstate Commerce commission suspended all railroad car and freight service regulations in New England.
The coast guard assigned 2,500 men to rescue and relief work and WPA authorities sent workers out to clear away debris and help to get highway traffic moving.
Washington headquarters of the three agencies received scores of emergency requests from communities where conditions were described as "acute" or "desperate."
The hurricane struck first on Long Island, ripping south shore resort communities to pieces. Fifteen of the island's dead were killed at Westhampton, where luxurious homes built upon sand dunes were blown into the sea. Bodies were found for miles along the beach.

Wind Reached 90 Miles an Hour.
The 90 mile an hour wind piled up a 40 foot tidal wave which demolished everything in its path.
The hurricane swept across the island and struck Port Jefferson with full force. The "Park City," a steam ferry operating between Port Jefferson and Bridgeport, Conn., was blown off its course and was unreported for more than six hours with 20 passengers and a crew of five. The vessel was found nine miles off Stratford shoals and was taken in tow by the coast guard harbor tug Manhattan. All aboard were reported safe.
The storm, accompanied by torrents of rain, ripped across the Sound, kicking up raging surf which pounded the Connecticut coast. The hurricane, followed by flood and fire, wreaked upon Connecticut the worst disaster in that state's history.

Highest Water On Record.
The Connecticut river and tributary streams rose to levels higher than those of the disastrous 1936 flood, the worst on record. The state estimated its damage at more than $30,000,000.
In New York state the Hudson river was rising toward 1936 flood levels. U. S. Weather Observer GUSTAV LINDGREN at Albany said the stream would reach a crest at 2 p.m. today.
Tidal waves, floods and wind created similar havoc in Massachusetts, isolating Cape Cod from the rest of the state and leaving scores of communities desolated.

Providence Struck By Tidal Wave.
Providence was one of the chief sufferers in Rhode Island, tremendous tides sweeping 1,000 feet into the city and flooding streets eight to 25 feet deep.
The storm roared through New Hampshire and struck as far north as Montreal.
Throughout the stricken region at least 5,000 were homeless and more than half that number were sent to hospitals for treatment of injuries.
Militiamen went on 24-hour duty in dozens of towns, evacuating inhabitants of lowlands along the Connecticut river and tributary streams in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The death toll in the tropical hurricane which swept Long Island and New England approached 150 today with 120 known dead and hundreds of others missing and believed dead.
New England's toll was stepped up to 104 when belated reports from stricken Cape Cod disclosed that eight bodies had been recovered there.
Twelve persons were known to have been killed on Long Island, whose South shore was devastated, and Fire Island, smashed by a 40-foot tidal wave, reported two dead. The toll in New Jersey and New York city was one each.
Fire followed the storm in several Connecticut cities, and damage throughout the ravished area was estimated at more than $100,000,000. The missing at West Hampton, Long Island -- where the mansions of the rich, built upon sand dunes were swept into the sea -- totaled 50, half of whom were children. All were feared dead.

The toll was certain to mount because a number of New England towns -- particularly New London, Conn., Pawtucket, R.I., Petersboro, N. H. -- had been so wrecked that communications still were out and there were no reports. Beyond fragmentary ones by short wave radio, from them.
Fires were raging in New London and Petersboro.
In Massachusetts, Gov. CHARLES F. HURLEY proclaimed "a state of emergency" called out the national guard and appointed food and fuel administrators to act with military powers.
In Rhode Island, Gov. ROBERT E. QUINN took comparable emergency measures, appealed to Massachusetts for serums for the homeless.
In Connecticut, police patroled devastated areas enforcing order sternly.

In New Hampshire Today.
The hurricane raged on through the New England states yesterday afternoon and last night and early today in was centered in the New Hampshire hills headed, greatly diminished in force, toward the St. Lawrence valley where it was expected to blow itself out.
Accompanied by torrential rain, it raised the already swollen Merrimac and Connecticut rivers in Connecticut and smaller rivers in Massachusetts which were threatening to leave their banks, causing disastrous floods.
Tremendous tides pounded the coast and a tidal wave swept 1,000 feet into Providence, R.I., flooding streets eight to 25 feet deep. Providence is New England's second largest city.
Among the missing were the 20 passengers and crew of a ferry boat which plies between Port Jefferson, N.Y. (Long Island) and Bridgeport, Conn. It left Bridgeport yesterday afternoon and has not been heard of since.

Isolated Towns Devastated.
Rescue workers, organized by the national Red Cross and the coast guard, which were in full charge of succoring the survivors, feared that the isolated New England villages and towns would prove to be scenes of great devastation. They were frantically trying to reach them early today.
Countless thousands were crowded into refugee camps, many of them ill. Whole towns were evacuated. The 3,000 residents of Hadley, Mass., imperiled by the rising Connecticut river, were moved to Amherst by national guardsmen.
Red Cross workers were innoculating refugees with typhoid serum and supplies were dwindling fast. Gov. Robert E. Quinn of Rhode Island appealed to Massachusetts authorities for serum, saying the situation was desperate.
The center of the hurricane, with pounding, 90-mile an hour winds, passed inland just 50 miles from New York city. It left the beaches strewn with wrecked boats, cottages and trees, tore down power lines and left numerous towns in darkness.

Earlier Estimates.
Early estimates were that the damage would exceed $50,000,000. Gov. QUINN said Rhode Island's loss would be $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. Whole summer colonies on Long Island were destroyed. In some places the contour of the coast was changed by great washouts.
The entire coast guard personnel of 2,500 officers and men was assigned to rescue work. Coast guard headquarters in Washington ordered the Norfolk, Va., division to be ready to send reinforcements north. The coast guard estimated that 600 small boats in the New York area had been sunk or pounded to pieces. The coast guard station at Fire Island was washed out to sea. The station at Moriches was abandoned, the crew escaping in boats but losing their belongings when the building "just disappeared," according to official reports.
The remaining coast guard stations were swamped with urgent calls for help. It was reported that an officer and two men of the Woods Hole, Mass. station were among the dead.

Guardsmen In 39 Towns.
National guardsmen were out in 39 towns in Massachusetts. The Boston Edison Electric company, which serves 40 towns with power, reported wires were down to 17 of them.
Gov. CHARLES F. HURLEY of Massachusetts declared a "state of emergency" and appointed emergency food and fuel administrators.
The staff of the Providence, R. I., Journal-Bulletin, driven from the plant, went to Boston, 50 miles away, to publish yesterday's evening edition. The tidal wave had caused havoc. Legionnaires and volunteers joined national guardsmen in rescue and patrol work. Many were armed to prevent looting. Thousands were marooned in office buildings. At the height of the storm, a tank car, containing 3,000 cubic feet of illuminating gas, exploded. It was not learned if there had been any casualties. Roofs were blown from the central police station, public library and union station.

Five Women Drowned.
Five women were drowned in the Piscatoquog river when a bridge collapsed at Ware, N.H.
At Hampden, Mass., 200 inmates of the county jail rioted when water rose in the streets. Riot squads from Springfield subdued them.
At Springfield, the grandstand at the Eastern States exposition ground collapsed, injuring four and when 10,000 spectators stampeded in panic, scores were trampled.
Failure of power and telephone service left doctors to perform emergency operations by search light and cut residents of many towns off from communication with their police.
Looting was reported in a few areas.
Officials of the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Steamboat company had grave fears for the fate of the "Park City." It had been reported missing yesterday afternoon, but during the night a coast guard boat reported that it was safely anchored four miles off Port Jefferson. Later, when the storm subsided, it could not be found.
One of the first towns struck was West Hampton, Long Island. Eight were dead and 30 missing there.
Wrecked houses were swept as much as a mile inland. Police Chief Stephen Teller and Sgt. Timothy Robinson used a floating roof for a raft and pulled 40 persons from the water. All 42 of them floated four hours before they were rescued.
The town's water supply was shut off during the night on orders of the board of health. Throughout the night searchers sloshed through the debris hunting bodies, with lanterns and candles providing their only light.
At Long Beach, on the south shore of Nassau county, DR. GEORGE REISS, chief surgeon at the hospital, performed an emergency appendectomy on PHYLLIS GORDEN, 13, under the searchlights of a fire truck.

New York City Drenched.
New York city's 7,000,000 inhabitants, who barely escaped the worst of the storm, were drenched with a 4 1/2 inch rain. The wind blew 75 miles an hour. Lights failed for two hours last night in two sections of the city. Subway service was halted for a time and thousands were stranded. Two of the four Manhattan-Hudson tubes were closed by water. Commuters were unable to reach Long Island.
The Queen Mary was held at her dock all night with 868 passengers. The Ile de France arrived shortly before the worst of the wind, listing as the gale lashed its port side. The Staten island ferryboat Knickerbocker, loaded with 200 passengers, tipped at its dock on the battery and almost overturned.
Suburban Westchester county was hard hit. Roads were blocked, bridges washed out, an estimated 10,000 trees uprooted. More than 100 homes were flooded in New Rochelle. Fifty persons were evacuated from Williston Park.
At Ossining, N.Y., parts of Sing Sing prison were without lights.
Gov. HERBERT H. LEHMAN'S home at Purchase, N. Y., was struck by a tree. The governor was at home at the time but reported that he and his family were safe.

Dunkirk Evening Observer New York 1938-09-22
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!