 Intense wave action churned the Chesapeake Bay , while storm @-@ heightened tides up to 6 ft ( 1 @.@ 8 m ) above normal flooded wharves and coastal communities . The Baltimore area endured persistent gale @-@ force winds accompanied by torrential rainfall . As streams and rivers swelled above their banks , cellars and streets became inundated by floodwaters . Many trees were blown down and numerous poorly built or unfinished buildings were destroyed . The storm cut telegraph communications between Baltimore and surrounding areas . In the countryside , low @-@ lying hay fields were flooded and most of the corn crop was decimated . At Bladensburg , Maryland , a train station and locomotive were washed into an adjacent flooded waterway . Arrivals of ships into port were delayed by the storm , which one captain held to be the worst he had ever observed , and some vessels incurred extensive damage . 
