Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-08-26
The storm Of Monday.

The Storm Of Monday.
1.-THE storm which visited our city
Monday was unprecedented in its fury.
The memory of the Oldest 1nhabitant
supplies no parallel to its vehemence
and violence.
The loss to our people will in all pro.
liability exceed 100000. All over the
city houses were unroofed and in many
places buildings in process of erection
were completely demolished. The whar-
YES and shipping suffered very conside-
rable damage, and some of our mer-
chants below Wide Water street were
damaged by the very high tide, being
unable to move their goods before the
water overlook them. These are mate
rial damages, which will fall chiefly or
altogether upon the individual sufferers
but in addition to them the general APP
pearance of the whole city has been
greatly defaced by the wholesale des-
truction of shade trees on the streets and
public..squares. The courthouse square
is completely covered with the wreck
of fallen trees that have heretofore beau
titled the spot, and all of our streets were
yesterday blocked with the trunks and
debris of our most ornamental trees.
The fall of the Baptist Church steeple
was catastrophe not unmixed with the
miraculous. It could not have fallen IN
any other direction than that in which
it did fall without doing geeat destruc-
ton to some of the neigh boring houses,
with probable loss of life, but its des-
cent was guided as 1t seemed providen-
TALLY in the only direction in which no
injury could be inflicted on the vicinl-
ty. Fortunately we have no loss of
life to record, and the material damage
done will be soon repaired. Had this
storm occurred in the night, we might
have had much more serious and
cord.-Nortolk Virginian.
The Virginia State debt question is
up again, and there is lively time be-
tween the repudiationists and the honest
men. The division seems not to be on
any party lines but just now it is the
great question in the State. The pre-,
sumption is that the honest party will
triumph in the end. The honest pay
ment of the debt will be worth hundreds
of millions to the State of Virginia and
her people. The old State has great ad
vantages as to location and vast bodies
of the finest land in America. In some
parts of the State, at least, there is dis
position on the part of large land n
ers to sub divide the farms and thus give
small proprietary farmers chance
When this becomes general, and when
her mines and manufacturing facilities
are developed, Virginia will rise again
to the position of first class State in
the Union. She is capable Ofsustaining
q greater population than New York OF
Pennsylvania, but before she can rival
those States she must encourage the i'm.
portation of New York and Pennsyl.
vania ideas and institutions, modified
of course, by the conservatism of the ma
tive sons of the Old Dominion. AS to
the matter Of the debt. we do not think
that our brethren of West Virginia are
disposed to do the just thing. Their
claim that they ought not to pay any Of
the debt of Virginia, contracted before
the division of the State, is untenable.
They may not have received their full
proportion of the benefits of the ole
loans, but they did-receive part; and
in equity, good faith, and honesty, they
should assume and pay that part.-Co
zunabus (Ohio) State Journal
DEATH ON THE MATTERHORN-
| PERILS OF THE PENNINE ALPS-AN
AMERICAN PHYSICIAN KILLED.-Lon
don, Aug. 19.-Regarding the accident
to William o. Moseley, Jr., young
physician of Boston, Mass, whose death
while descending the Matterhorn, was
announced by telegraph from Zermatt,
Switzerland, on the 18th instant, the
Geneva correspondent of the Times
writes as follows: "Dr. Moseley hao
safely accomplished the ascent Of the
Matterhorn. On returning, and when
near the cabin which is used as resting
place. he loosen himself from the rope
uniting him to his companion. He had
hardly doue SO when he made FALSE
step, lost his footing and gilded rapidly
down the steep ice slope, making frantic
efforts to stop himself by grasping al
projecting rocks. The next moment he
disappeared over the precipice, falling
| on the glacier opposite Rifel, between
HoezenIi and the st. Theodoli Pass
where the body lies completely stripped
of clothing by the rapidiIy ofits descent
The body can be distinctly seen from
below lying on projecting ledge of ice
An expedition for the recovery Of thu
| body was to start on Saturday morning
The Canonchet farm, now occupied BY
the discordant Spragues. stands on the
books of the bankrupt firm of A. & w
Sprague, valued at S450,000 Mrs
| Sprague refuses to make any further
statements, but is determined to resist
any attempt to deprive her of the custo
dy of her children, while Governo
Sprague has become silent, and the law
yers are hoping to patch up some sort o
compromise by which the breakup o
the family may be avoided. To his i'm
mediate friends the Governor speaks O.
his wife as INFATUATED" term which
it is urged, docs not necessarily imply
a belief in her guilt. Mrs. Sprague wa!
allowed by her husband, for her house
hold expenses in Washington, So, 500
year, which was in addition to the pro
perty she enjoyed in her own right
Since the failure both the Spragues hav,
drawn about 81, 900 apiece from the es
tate, although Mrs. Sprague says sh
has repeatedly urged him to accept ,
larger and more regular allowance. Mr.
Sprague, who is very proud. has Away
refused to do this, saying that he woul,
never be "salaried man in a firm wher
he was once chief"
i SPLITTING THE PARTY The Rich
( mond State says the question which
every true son of the State must asl
himself is, whether he proposes to wea
the livery of these masters who. for tn,
most selfish and purely personal aims
4 and for no public propose that deserve
mention, desire to dissolve the party
which the wisest and best of Virginian
! founded for the rescue and regeneration