The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-06-08
TERRIFIC Hail STORM IN rExAs.
Great Destruction of PrOperty-EIght
Pound HRIIstones.
GRAND CELESTIAL BOmbardment.

i
The San Antonio Herald and Express
of May %. contain the details of Sc.
we're tempest of wind, rain and hail at
that place. The tornado was one of the
severest ever known, and the hail sur
passed any before witnessed in Texas.
The storm only lasted half an hour,
but the damage was immense. The
Express gives the following particu-
lars .
Our city is n perfect wreck; every
| house in 1t has received some damage
many are in complete ruins, with only
| fragments of walls standing. The
hail stones penetrated the best roofs,
going through tin roofs like cannon
balls. All the windows facing to the
north have been smashed in; even win
dow shutters and doors were broken
down. The appearance of the city
| could not have been worse under a Sc
| we're bombardment. Trees are stripped
| of their leaves and branches, which lie
| piled up in the yards and streets-the
sides of houses exposed to the hail
have the appearance OF having with
stood a Thousand discharges of grape
and canister. The roofing OF the entire
city is perforated like n sieve. The hail
stones were of irregular shape and all
sizes, as If u mass OF ice had broken
above our devoted heads, and driven
by IL tornado TO the earth. One hail
stone was found weighing five pounds,
while great many as large rs II mans
| fist were picked up.
| Many of the families whose houses
| were beaten down took shelter under
beds and tables, and thus escaped bod
| lily harm. We have only heard of one
death, u negro boy; several had limbs
broken aud were severely bruised,
while the whole population was fright
ened almost TO death.
The damage is of every character,
and 100000 Will not cover it all; roofs
were universally destroyed and win
| dows broken in, household furniture
was entirely demolished in some
houses, and in many stores the damage
was great. The Menger House was
almost a wreck, and the Convent build
ings are terribly cut up. All the blinds
and window glass on the northern side
are destroyed. French's building suf-
fered greatly, and in fact all buildings
having windows to the north. Gen,
Mason's residence WAS uuroofed and
his family exposed to the Indictment
storm. But the most distressing pic
ture of all are t he habitations of the
poor people, their houses battered In,
household goods destroyed, and their
little gardens ruined. The corn patches
anu EHEueuS are uaILeueu To Tue BEOuuui
and have the appearance of having
passed through "A chopping mill. All
the fruit crop is destroyed.
The storm resembled n terrific bat
tie, the lighting i'll fearful vividness
the thunder crashing like a thousand
cannon and the hail falling like shot;
so fearful was The noise that no one
could hear unless they screamed in
ench others ears. Never in the histo-
ry Of this city, was just such IA storm
experienced.
We learn that the hail-storm COM
menced eight miles this side New
Brauniel, reached only a short distance
below our city, and extended from five
to twenty-five miles III width-destroy.
ing everything over region thirty
miles from north to south and ten &c
twenty miles from east TO west"
The Indiana Bulletin says the hail and
rain storm was very severe at Helena
Karnes county. Timber und houses
were ruined. Every house except one
was filled with water. Hailstones fell
weighing from three 10 eight pounds
They beat the roofs OF the houses like
falling cannon-balls. The crops as Il
general thing, in that vicinity were
ruined past remedy. The slaughter
among the fowls and sheep was i'm
mense. The same paper says the storm
extended northeast from San Antonio
about three miles, for which distance
the telegraph wire was entirelyl de-
stroyed.