GALE LASHES NEW YORK

Chronicle (Levin), 6 July 1949, Page 5

GALE LASHES NEW YORK

- Reute ±

Six Killed; Much Property Damage Done

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ixeceived Tuesday, 7.d0 p.m. , NEW YOEIC, July 4. A- suddeu viojeiit storm lashed the, New York area this ev'ening; with winds to 58 miles hourly, kilfing at led'st ,|is; persons,A 'eapsizing hundreds ;oi small .boats and eausing mnchtproperty , damage. The Coastguurd reeelved about 300 distress calls from upr turned, sinking'pr otherwise disabled small craft. Jt dispatched all its vessels and planes " in the area to aid rescue . efforts. The Coastguard station at Sandy Hook, New Jebsey, reported that at least 1000 small boats in the lower New York Bay and in the upper Shrewstjtiry River, were in some sort of distress. Tempera.tures of = 96.7 degrees have caused-.thonsands of New Yorkers to seek relief sailing and Nbw York waters were dotted with sails when the gale suddenly sprang np,' whipping up tnrbulent seas. In Manliattan 's Central . Park, the gale blew a nine-year-old" boy into a lake. He. was drowned before park attendants could rescue him. • > ....... , • Violent gusts sucked up dust I'rom the dry city stre'ets, whirling it into the sky and. blotting skyserapers from sight. Signs were blown down, branches stripped from trees, shrubbery uprooted and power lines felled. Seyeral store fronts were blown in and small planes forced down or overtu'rned on airfields. In less than an hour the temperature dropped 15 degrees.