The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-08-17

AN AAaohEA III bAtAuAt4E t0EIG AIOul
this cloud that was more like smoke than
vapor in its Gghtness. necessarily the flash
cs lighted up the surrounding country with
lurid, purple light, while the thunder ratified
and doomed with interminable and deafening
loudness. 1t was about 6:15 that a second
mass of of clouds was noticed approaching on
a different current of wind from the north
ward, and some say there was also counter
current setting in from the southwark, bring
ing heavy black clouds that seemed to touch
the tops of the trees. A few drops of rain
fell gently. Men and women hurried to the
windows to close them, and home-going la
borers began to run.
Before cry could be raised, or prepare
tons made to escape, death dealing blast
fell upon the homes of the DOOR, The heavy
clouds over Windermere Lake seemed sud
denly to descend, TO drop upon the lake.
and the waters were churned into foam.
With q great whirling and whistling the
winds from opposite quarters seemed TO
meet. great volume of water was lifted
from the lake, and went swirling up and up
into the air. Lightning is not quicker than
was the advance from west to east of this
column of water, and the clouds that seemed
to mingle with it. In n second it started on
a forward course. Before it lay the Sand
Plains, on which about fifty poor families,
mostly Irish, have bought lots and establish
ed their dwellings.
The plains are nearly fiat for a distance
west TO east of ebout a third of mile. Then
the land rises rapidly to the ridge on which
Main street is laid out. Corn and tobacco
grew on this hillside, and at the top are pretty
country houses, spacious barns and a country
road lined with elm trees. The Walingford
Community had a water wheel on the shore of
Windermere Lake. The whirlwind caught it,
and it was crumbled as if it had been built of
straw. 4 few hundred yards from the lake,
to the east of it, was poor cottage, in which
lived Michael Twohey, his wife Mary, and
their sons Daniel and Michael. Michael was
in the village. With the first puff of wind the
woman attempted to shut the windows. The
boys assisted her. Before they knew what
happened the house was leveled to the earth.
A power that seemed irresistible carried the
building, twisted into fragments, flying through
the air. Mrs. Twohey was caught up and
hurled along through branches of trees and
over telegraph wires, beyond the railroad,
across two lanes, distance of nearly a quar-
ter of mile, when she was flung down latter
ed, and gashed, and bloody. The boys were
blown through windows along with bricks,
and pots aud pans. Michael was carried into
the branches of Frustrated apple tree.
Daniel was whirled away on the gale one
hundred and fifty yards, when he was flung
down so violently as to have his arm broken,
while his face was q mass of livid blue spots
and deep scratches.
The wooden houses were carried clear of
their foundations from few feet to an eighth
of a mile. In the line of the tornado nothing
was left standing, and on each side of its track
| lesser damage was done, chimneys especially
| suffering. The Catholic church, (woOden,
I o,.A IL br.n bsrl, e,Ln.l
/ demolished. The top of the brick factory OF
| the Wallingford Community was carried away.
/ Fires were communicated to the ruins IN
many cases by lamps and stoves, and but for
| the rain the horror ofthe affair would have
been greatly increased.
Therewer many incidents. A youth, Mat
| thew Mooney, was standing on q railroad track
when struck by the full force of the tornado
| He was picked up fifty feet away, almost be
headed. Mrs. Hubby had her child in hel
arms; when picked up both were dead anC
almost scalped. Fred. Littlewood was killed
/ by flying timber as he was coming home
from work. Four female relatives of JohI
| Munson were buried in the cellar of the house
when blown down, and it took Icing while
/ to get them out. Ii was reported they were
| killed, but when found two were injured
/ slightly, the other two escaping. Dwelling
! houses were swept out of existence and barns
/ lifted clear off the hay contained therein, the
latter being left standing, and the roofs o
/ innumerable houses taken of. The railroad
/ tracks we're not disturbed, and trains are run.
/ ming as usual.
As the wind sped on it whipped the top:
/ off the corn, cut the clover as if it had been
moved, tore up telegraph poles and tossed
| them into the air as if they had been feathers
| The wind swirled and gyrated more swiftly
and its power seemed to develop as the cy.
/ clone advanced.
The deadly blast needed not the pretty gar.
dens, or the little children whose faces were
pressed against the window panes to watch
/ the storm, against which they felt so secure
Ii the twinkling of an eye everything was
| crushed, and then the fragments of what were
but moment before houses were carried alofl
/ in the consuming gale, to mingle with masses
of trees, trunks and branches, potato vines,
chairs, clothing, and all manner of things in
/ the craziest confusion. In one of the houses
lived Mrs. Downes, middle-aged lady. She
was whirled away six hundred feet, and was
| picked up dead and almost naked.
/ The path of the storm makes plain win.
row, half mile in width in its widest part
and in that dreadful lane only two or three
houses still cling together at all, and these
| are so badly twisted, tilted and defaced that
D
! On Sunday impressive funeral services were
held for those who lost their lives by the ter.
rible tornado on Friday. Fully ten thousand
/ people were in attendance.
The tornado did considerable damage to
property at and about Meriden, Connecticut.
but no lives were lost. $4,000 we're raised
here Sunday for the sufferers at Wallingford.
At Rye Beach, V. T., the shower at noon
is reported as having been terrific, and ac-
companied by hail and a violent wind, the
| latter being quite wide in its path. and blow
| ing down whole sections of woodland. The
doors of the postoiiice were blown down and
the building was flooded with water The
bridge at the bathing beach was demolished
and several OF the buildings were more or less
injured. small boarding house on the
beach, occupied by about twenty people, was
split in two, but fortunately the inmates es.
capped injury. Whole acres of woodland are
blown over, and nearly all the chimneys in
tho track of the storm are blown down. No
lives were lost.
portion Of Anne Arundel county, Nd,
was devasted by storm about two o'clock on
Saturday afternoon last 1t struck Queen
Anne and went on in a northwest direction
toward West River. The number Of barns
and buildings destroyed is not less than fifty,
many contained she crops gathered this year.
which were scattered or ruined. and the loss
is estimated at 100000.
A colored camp was located near Mount
/ Zion Crossroads, and a crowd were there
when 1t struck the meeting The wind lifted
the tents as leaves, and some were found in
Mr. William Halls field, fully a mile distant.
There was little thunder or lightning, but the
rain and hail we're heavy The hailstones
were as large as black walnuts, but the fall