From the archives: A hurricane of 'incredible violence'

Here are the opening paragraphs of the story the Globe ran the day after the powerful and destructive hurricane of 1938:

A tropical hurricane of incredible violence swept Massachusetts and the rest of New England last night for the first time in the history of this area.

In its swath -- over which it raced at times as fast as 100 miles per hour -- it left a steadily mounting toll of deaths which reached 95 at an early hour this morning.

Two of the crew of five of the tug Mildred Olsen were believed drowned when it was capsized in Boston harbor.

Among the others dead were four women who were washed away when a bridge fell into the flood-swollen Piscataquog River, New Hampshire. Three Coast Guardsmen were reported lost off Woods Hole.

More than 2,000 persons, struck by falling trees, flying glass or collapsing structures, were being hospitalized at an early hour this morning.

Damage was estimated in excess of $100,000,000 as reports continued to pour in. Damage and havoc in some communities could not be determined because of the breakdown in communications. Scores of small communities were isolated.

A state of emergency was declared by the Governor and Council early this evening. It applies to food and fuel in certain badly stricken areas.

Thousands of families were reported homeless.

Additional thousands have been thrown out of employment because of damage to mills and factories.

Scores of Massachusetts communities at an early hour this morning were still plunged in darkness.

Fires were reported burning fiercely at New London, Conn., and Peterboro, N.H.

Fall River, Marlboro and Northampton were reported placed under martial law, as storm and flood conditions there grew worse, as were the towns of Milford and Hudson.