The Nation - News from Sept. 11, 1989

Silent, windless surges from Hurricane Gabrielle far out in the Atlantic whipped up huge waves, sweeping beach goers out to sea and capsizing boats from Maine to New York. But by late in the day, Gabrielle’s winds had weakened to 65 m.p.h. and it was downgraded to a tropical storm. Gabrielle was located 350 miles south-southwest of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, the National Hurricane Center in Florida said. Earlier, at least six people were reported missing and three people apparently drowned in mishaps officials said were related to the sea swells, undertow and waves up to 15 feet high, even on some rivers. “People shouldn’t be out there,” said Jarred Randall, a Narragansett, R.I., police sergeant who rescued two teen-agers from the water.