The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-02 00:00:00

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GREAT STORM IN AMERICA.

The New York papers contain full accounts of a great
storm which visited the New England States on the 16th
Inst. The following is an extract therefrom :

"Boston, July 17.—Reports received to-day and to-
night show that the havoc by yesterday's storm and
tornado was almost unprecedented. The pilots Bay
that no such storm has occurred here for more than
twenty years, and the signal-service people say that
no storm of equal violence has occurred since the es-
tablishment of the office here. The fatalities have
been many, and the damage to property immense.
It travelled through the length of the State. at
the average rate of at least 70 miles an hour. In its
course down from the Berkshire Hills to the sea coast
it took several swinging eurves, and the whole breadth
of New England, in varying degree, was included in
its sweep. In the rural regions its path is marked by
ruined crops, torn and twisted fruit and shade trees ;
in the towns and cities by demolished houses, shattered
chimneys, broken church-steeples, mangled roofs, and
broken glass; and along the coast by the wrecks
of yachts and other small craft, and shattered
summer houses and buildings. The greatest loss of
life was on the water. The story of the loss of the
yacht Myrtle, of the Bunker-hill Yacht Club, with an
entire family, only one, the father, being saved, was
supposed to be the most melancholy loss, but during to-
day several other casualties as sad have been reported,
and it is feared that more are yet to be told. The loss
of two gentlemen well known in business circles was
reported thin morning. Their bodies were cast
ashore at and for some time they lay un-
recognised, They were Charles F. Bacon and
Augustus Churchill. The two were spending the
summer with their families at Hingham, and had
hired a yacht there for an afternoon fishing excursion.
Seeing the storm approaching, they took every possible
precaution, brought their craft inside of Hull Point,
took in her sail, and anchored her there. Everything
wan snug about her, but the rush of water before the
blast swept over and drove her down, throwing the
two men into the sea. Both tried to swim ashore.
Bacon had almost reached dry land when he was seen
to throw up his arms and sink. The loss of the yacht
Dream occurred while she lay at anchor off the west
head of Long Island with seven people on board. Her
commander was Coolidge Barnard, jun., an ex-council-
man. The boat was safely at anchor when the squall
struck her, carrying away her masts. When the wind
shifted about it careened her over, and in this condition
she was run into by the steamer Stamford. The seven
passengers clung to her while she passed entirely under
the steamer from the starboard, coming out on the
other side. Only one of the passengers—Charles
Brigham, a boy of 11 years—was drowned. A small
sail-boat containing four persons' and belonging to
Neponset, was capsized between Long and Rainsford
Islands. Two of the party—Carzilla Bent, 21 years,
and Charles Barter, 20 years—were drowned. One,
named Goorge Kinkaid, swam ashore, and the other,
Ezra Leonard, was saved by one Thomas Hamilton,
who, seeing the disaster from Long Island, put off in a
small boat. Lower down the coast a yacht owned by
Thomas Haines, was capsized off High Beach, about
a mile north of Scituate and all on board were
drowned. In the city the Laster which attracted the
most attention was that on Wareham-street, where
the huge chimney on the planing mill of Cressey and
Noyes struck by lightning, fell, burying a fireman
named Barry. The full list of deaths in this city and
vicinity thus far reported is as follows :—[Here a
list of twenty names is given.]
"One of the most pitiful stories is that of the loss of
John Francis Barry, a son of ex-Councilman Barry,
and the experience of his companions. He started
from City Point in the yacht Crest, with James L.
Kelly, intending to go to Downer's Landing. When
off Paddock's Island the squall struck the boat. They
stripped off their clothing preparatory to jumping
overboard, but a sudden swell swamped the boat and
left them floundering in the water. They clung to the
spars for over an hour. Young Barry first showed signs
of exhaustion and the severe pelting of the hailstones
appeared to be killing him. Kelly observed this, and
being an expert swimmer, took hold of him and clung
to him with a desperate determination to save him,
but the powerful wash of the waves rendered his
efforts unavailing. Barry expired in his arms without
a murmur. The weight of the body was too much for
Kelly, and to save his own life he allowed it to sink
out of sight. A short time after he was picked up by
a young boy in a sailing boat from Rough's Neck,
Quincy Point. When taken aboard he became un-
conscious and was attended to when landed on Sheep
Island.

"One of the most melancholy incidents of yester-
day's storm is the sad fate of the Dundon family of
Charlestown. The party, numbering six persons, and
consisting of Mr. Thomas Dundon, engineer on board
of the lightship at Wood's Hole, his wife, two sisters,
Misses Mary Ann and Susan Dundon, his niece, Miss
Lizzie Dundon, and Master Arthur Ream, left Charles-
town about 8.30 o'clock in the yacht Myrtle, and
passed the early portion of the day below. Seeing
the approaching storm, Mr. Dundon made sail for
the city, and was met by a squall on Bird's Island
Flats, off East Boston Point. Finding it impossible to
reach the city, Mr. Dundon placed his wife, two sisters,
and niece in the yacht's tender, and before the boy and
himself could get on board the tender was blown
away from the yacht and swamped, the yacht meeting
the same fate. Mr. Dundon was forward when the
yacht went down, and he clung to the mast as long as
it was out of the water, and then he drifted towards
the shore and was picked up in an exhausted condi-
tion by the tug Vim, which had a brig in tow.
"Pittsfield, Mass., July 17.—The money loss occa-
sioned by yesterday's storm will be as great as was
estimated, but in shade and fruit trees demolished,
buildings shaken, fences levelled, shrubbery destroyed,
and other similar harm done, money can hardly be a
compensation. At the glass works in Berkshire one
stack was blown down and another struck by lightning,
and at West Stockbridge a son of William R. Spencer,
12 years old, was fatally injured by a falling tree.
"Northampton, Mass., July 17.—The town is almost
despoiled of its beautiful shade trees, mostly large
elms, for which it is noted, there being some fifteen
uprooted on Elm-street alone. The horse cars to
Florence cannot run for some days, there being many
great trees across the track,
"Providence, RI., July 17.—The tents of a circus
were partly prostrated at Phenix yesterday by the
storm, causing some personal injuries. Mr. Matteson,
of Coventry, had both legs broken. John Howland's
house at Jamestown, and Lewis Carr's barn, in
Warren, were struck by lightning last night. The
former was badly damaged, and the latter was entirely
burned, involving a considerable loss."