"At the moment, Elhode Island is crippled in 

 its communications, its lighting, its transporta- 

 tion and much of its business. 



"The town of 'Westerly apparently stiffered 

 the greatest blov: in the form of deaths. Twenty- 

 nine persons were known to have died, mostly from 

 drowning, and 52 were known to be missing. In 

 the town of Barrington twelve bodies were recovered. 

 Five himdred were said to be homeless in Bay Spring 

 and the s^'jmmer colony of Annawamscutt in West 

 Barrington was reported wiped out. Two bodies were 

 recovered at Sakonnet toint. At least five others 

 are believed to have been lost there. Fifty cottages 

 and summer shacks were swept away by waves which 

 rose more than 20 feet over the breakwater. Two 

 bodies were recovered at Somerset, Massachusetts. 

 Three persons were reported to have been drovmedj, 

 nine others were believed missing in East Providence. 



"A span of Stone Bridge in Somerset, i^ssa- 

 chusetts was swept out. White Church Bridge in 

 Barrington collapsed. Reports were coming in 

 from all over the state of bridges washed away 7 

 and sections of highways completely destroyed. 



"The high water mark on the old Chamber of 

 Commerce building was almost three feet higher than 

 the bronze line placed there to mark the spot 

 where the water rose in 1815, the year of the 'big 

 wind' when the harbor water was driven 11 feet 

 nine and a quarter inches above mean high water. 



"Warnings that the tropical storm was on its 

 way up the coast and was headed for the State began 

 to indicate in the middle of the afternoon that 

 this vicinity was in for a blow, but no one appeared 

 to have any idea that the city was about to be 

 literally torn up by the roots in spots and that 

 Narragansett Bay was to roll vf the streets of 

 downtown Providence. 



"There was an incoming tide yesterday afternoon, 

 and the terrific wind pressure building up behind 

 the rising waters literally began to drive Narragan- 

 sett Bay into Providence harbor and then into the 



A-21 



