Beaufort Hotel Wrecked, Record Floods, Tornado in Area, Oct. 1, 1924

Hotel is Wrecked. . . Beaufort Hotel Is Wrecked by Storm Yesterday Morning. . . Roof of Building Swept Away and Porches Crushed In—Guests Have Narrow Escapes—Entire Eastern Section of the State Suffers Heavy Damage by Rainfall of Past Two Weeks—Train Service Hampered Badly—Highway Commission Suspends Activities to Assist Traffic on Highway—New Flood Records Break Those of Quarter Century

Beaufort, Sept. 30—A southeast wind of high velocity arouse at 8 o’clock this morning, bringing in a high tide that washed over the sea wall in several places at a depth sufficient to float a rowboat. The storm reached its climax at about 8:30, when a miniature tornado swept in form the sea over the west end of the town.

The Davis House, a local hostelry, is almost a total wreck as a result of the storm. The gale ripped off the roofs of the building and crushed in the porches. No one was hurt, however. One guest was awakened when a heavy timber fell across his bed. An infant, whose mother was at breakfast, was rescued without a scratch from a room literally covered with glass from the shattered windows.

Automobiles Are Demolished

Two automobiles, which were parked in front of the building, were demolished. Windmills, garages and woodhouses in the rear of the hotel were a mass of debris.

The guests were moved to adjoining houses—all escaping uninjured.

The path of the tornado extended to Ann street, but with the exception of uprooting a few tree sand wrecking several garages, the damage was limited to the description of the Davis House property.

It was reported here that a four-masted schooner was ashore on Bogue Banks. When last seen the crew was in a yawl boat tied to the schooner. No report of a rescue had been received here this afternoon.

From the front page of New Bernian, Oct. 1, 1924

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn96086034/1924-10-01/ed-1/seq-1/