The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-07-21
GREAT DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
A PORTION OF SEABROOK'S WAREHOUSE
DEMOLISHED.
G. & @. CAR-sHops BLOWN DOWN.
Dickerson & Bros Saddley Destroyed
THE TOBACCO FACTORIES DAMAGED.
Casualties, Sc, &c.

oul ClpS was VII ySoeSA>s~- -
OF the most violent wind, hail, and light
ning-storms that has visited this locality for
wears, During the afternoon the atmos-
phere was close and sultry, and had every
symptom Of being charged with electricity.
Man and beast seemed painting for breath,
and the atmosphere had suspended feel
ing. Not breath Of air stirred, and to-
wards S O'Clock slight cloud appeared over
the city, and the lightning flashed brilliantly
across the skies. Soon the food-gates OF
heaven seemed opened, and the grateful
waters poured down alike upon the drunk
and the dry.
THE GENERAL SCARE.
The scene was grand beyond description
to those of not over-delicate nerves. The
forks OF lightning seemed to radiate from
centres in the sky to the four different quar-
tiers OF the earth, and Immediately following
there would be the rcverberating reports OF
the thunder, which were very much alike
unto the reports OF artillery. The inhabit-
ants OF our city were generally very much
alarmed as the reports, loud and sharp, fol-
lowed each other in quick succession and
from every direction. An old old lady ON
Shockoe Hill raised her umbrella in
her parlor, and sang in plaintive tones
~ would not live alway"; and the ordi-
nary run OF men would have agreed with
her from the promiscuous manner in which
the electric fluid ran all around her house.
4 Young lady on Franklin street buried
herself under feathcr-bed in a great hurry,
and ruined a bran-new pull-back and q
check silk polonaise. A quiet merchant OF
Broad street was caught in prominent
beer saloon, and in the back-room was
party of hilarious young men. Every now
and then, as the thunder's crash would
come, they would sing out, "Shoot, Luke,
and gi' me the gun! D. 1t,
give us another crack Of the same kind"
The merchant-who is OF true Christian
turn Of mind-got under one OF the tables,
and on his al-fours, as he expressed it, ne
"prayed, and he prayed, and he prayed -
that lie might not be included in the wicked
crowd which seemed to him so blasphe-
nous.
The alarm seemed general, and strong
men quailed before the lightning's terrors
as we'll as weak women and little children.
THE STORMS FORCE. -".
The force Of the storm seemed mainly
spent down the Valley, and its strongest
range seemed between Fifteenth and Twen-
ty-ffth streets. The singular part about it
was that it came with so little noise that
people were surprised at the serious results
that followed. One gentleman who was in
the thickest of it reports that he heard dull
noise, but did not dream Of its cause until
looking out in the direction OF Church Hill
he saw trees bending like reeds and large
limbs swapping Off like pipe-stems. He
then heard 'rumbling sound above him,
the building seemed shaken from its foun-
dation. and he saw his tin roof being car
ried into a neighbor's front yard, nearly
square distant.
on THE HILL. ....
In the upper part OF the city the light
ming and hail-Storm was also quite severe,
and while the wind-storn was by no means
as disastrous in its results as in the lower
part, vet nearly all of our beautiful and
fashionable thoroughfares were strewn and
blocked with the limbs of valuable trees
whose gateful shade had been so much aI-
preciatcd during the heated term. On al
most every street could be seen the branches
of trees, and many beautiful trees were
stripped OF their most comely limbs anC
| ample foliage. 1t was indeed sad to see sc
many valuable elms, mulberries, and ma
pies dismantled; but the clerk Of the
Weather seemed bent OH having his way.
and dickens of a way it was.
THE HAIL.
The hail seems to have been more severe
on Church Hill, in the neighborhood OF
Broad and Twenty-fifth streets, than in any
other locality we have heard from. Some oi
its effects seem really marvellous. There is
scarcely a house on the hill which has not
suffered more or less from windows broken
by the hail, thus letting in rain. which, by
the great force OF the wiad, was blown in
many instances entirely across the rooms,
wetting everything III them. The hail
stones were of the largest size-some even
larger than hen eggs. Three geese on
Broad street were killed by them and one
had leg broken.
Flowers, being tender and delicate, show
very plainly the great severity and violence
OF the hail. Many ladies are grieving oyer
the loss OF favorite plants and the destrue-
work of many days's labor in watering du-
ring the recent dry weather. We saw ONE
garden, which had been very much ad.
mired, that presented sad appearance i'm
deed. A fine lot Of balsa1ns lay flat on the
ground, cut and broken to pieces. Rose.
bushes and other plants were blown down
and mutilated by the storm
EXTENT OF THE STORM.
The storm did not extend four miles above
the city. It was not felt along the line OF
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, except
to the extent indicated in the following tel.
eoram from Gordonsville last evening:
"Heavy cloud from the west this evening.
Passed around us towards Richmond.
Lightning severe, but no rain here"
It came from the northeast first, and
then seemed to react, and return with
considerable force from the southwest.
Tn Manchester it did some damage,
which Will be noticed under the Manchester
items.
THE CASUALTIES.
The casualties were numerous as to pro-
perty, but we are thankful to Providence
that there was no loss OF life reported. The
tobacco factories were the greatest sufferers,
for great number of them were unroofed,
and the stock OF tobacco was much injured
Nearly every house on Franklin street be-
tween Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets was
injured more or less. Window glass suf-
fered greatly, Snd there was scarcely o
house on the street that did not have either
a pane or more Of glass broken out or seve-
raj shutters unhinged. We append list OF
such as it was possible to gather out OF, the
general DEBRIS.
AT sEASRo0K's.
At Seabroek's there was scene OF dlsas-
ter that would have indicated q perfect hur-
ricane. The entire southern section OF the
warehouse had been lifted BODILY and de-
posted outside of the sidewalk. About
midway Of the square were the remains OF
valuable bay horse who had been buried as
he was hitched to the wagon. His neck was
broken by talling timber, and he was borne
down by the weight OF bricks and timber