75 DEATHS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23150, 23 September 1938, Page 12

75 DEATHS

HURRICANE'S TOLL HAVOC 30 people' missing £20,000,000 DAMAGE By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received September 2Q, 6.35 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 21 A West Indian hurricane struck the Atlantic seaboard of the United States to-day. It swept from the State of New Jersey in the north to the Connecticut Valley in the south, leaving in its wake 75 people dead, and doing £20,000,000 worth of damage. Thirty people oil the Long Island Sound ferry are missing. Hundreds were injured by collapsing buildings, by objects blown about, by falling trees and in numerous fires. The film actress Miss Mary Pickford is reported to have narrowly escaped death or injury when a tree fell on her motor-car while she was on her way to Westchester County. A 70 mile an hour wind and torrential rains combined to flood New York, placing many populous communities in. danger. The worst flooding occurred at Long Island. The electric supply lines in New York were broken and the central part of the city was without light all night. The East River inundated power stations and the underground railway service was cut off. Many radio stations are out of commission and shipping has been forced to shelter. The Queen Mary has delayed her sailing day. Five days of rain have brought high flood conditions in Ccftinecticut, where the rivers are reaching the highest level in 75 years. Tn the State of Massachusetts, the flood conditions are reported to be exceeding in gravity those of 1936, while in New Hampshire and New Jersey all the streams are rapidly rising to flood level. Roads have been destroyed and communications interrupted, and power lines are down. Tidal waves struck Providence and Boston, sweeping 1000 ft. inland and doing great damage.