Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-07-16

was driven in, breaking through the
floor, into the stores of Weakly,
and Pennell, who each had valuable
assortment of goods in the building
on the first floor Irwin Dimm and
David Hamilton were the clerks that
were in the Pennell store when the
west end of the upper story cane
crashing through into the store room.
It was no discredit to the young men
that they were scared when the crash
came, and when the water, hail, wind,
brick and flying timbers broke
through, and caused them to run into
what was thought to be a secure
place. They escaped to the cellar of
the building. Israel Weakly was in
their store when the crash came. but,
like the clerks in the Pennell store,
escaped without injury.
The northwest chimney On the Court
House was blown down, and the elon-
gated pipe that was put on the chin
ney of the Prorhouotary's office to
carry of the gas from the winter stove
was swept from its place, and suLdry
other minor damages we're done to the
building.
The tin Of the roof of the Belford
house was worked up into rolls aud
huge piles and dropped into Main aud
! Bridge streets, while the tin Of the
/ Weakly house was torn into strips and
left hanging down over the face of the
/ building. The fence around the Sol
diers' Monument was broken in one
corner.
The same downward wave struck
the Methodist Church, tore off it's
roof, and did other severe damage to
the building. The membership, or
the young men part of it, speedily
lifted the carpets after the storm and
took them to the river and washed
them. A portion of the roof of the
church was delivered in Graybill's
yard, after it had almost overturned
his stable, and showed a couple of
outhouses quite up to his house.
The lot was almost entirely covered
with broken shingles, rafters and
roof lath. He will have enough
kindling wood to last him ten years.
A large piece of the roof struck
the house of James w Hamilton,
breaking several windows, and if
the house had not been a substan-
tial one, it would have been demol-
ished; but with all the destruction of
property around and about the Meth
odist church no part of it was sent
upon a messacs of death.
The shops of Showers & Scholl,
carriage manufacturers, We're struck,
one of which WIS ieveled to the
ground, and such carriages as it con-
5ained We're broken to pieces. The
main shop was moved out of perpen-
dicular, and the roof of the south
side was blown off. A portion of the
school house roof was blown off |
The foundry boiler house was IN
rooted, and the brick smoke stuck !
was blown over.
The Lutheran Church is the only |
building devoted TO religious worship |
that was not so damaged as to unfit |
it for use. The Odd Fellows Hall /.
shows the work of the storm. Lyons
house was touched in such Il way that |
it bears evidence to the work of de |
vastation.
OF course so great storm must /
needs have side sweep, right and |
left of the tornado, which could not |
fail of being quite destructive in its
character. The side sweeps, or
right and left wings, covered the
whole town, and blew down chin /
news and fences, uprOoted trees and J.
upset outhouses. 1t will take many I
thousand dollars to replace the prop I
erty destroyed
As far as knowD, the only person in
iown, who was on the street when the /
storm ragged, was Henry MOIST, of
Walker township. He was in Pennell's
store when the storm struck and broke |
the west end of the building in. He /
says the building quivered and trem-
bled, and the fiyirg plaster, and crash
of timbers, and rain splash, aud hail
stores induced him to run out of the |
house on to the pavement. A sheet OF
water seemed to be coming down on the
sidewalk tree-tops, boards, pieces OF
tin, bricks, aud other indescribable ma
terial filled the air, and how he escaped |
death be does not know. He was
struck on the thigh by some object, but
was not knocked down. He speedily
realized that the pavement was no
place to be on when destruction had
come to dash abroad in the town. He
vaulted the railing at the edge Of the
pavement, and ran into the street. He
was bare headed ; bis hat had gone sky
ward and was riding on the wind his
clothes were soaked with water = the
street was just as full of flying. broken
material as the pavement that he had
left. The street was no place to be on
how it comes that be was not killed Oh
it he does not know. Realizing that
the street was not place OF refuge, be
ran into the Weakly store TO witness just
such crash as that from which he ran
out of the Pennell store. He had per-
Feet control of himself, and believed
that the destruction Of the whole block
of houses facing the Court House from
Main street was certain, he determined
to get out of the way, and escape to
Water street, and with that object in
view he ran to the alley leading from
Main to Water street, between the X.
f. Parker building and the Stambaugh
hotel building, intending to escape
through it to a place of safety bat
when be reached the alley he found that
1t was more dangerous place than
either street or pavement, for there was
thick stream of broken and demolIsh-
ed material being driven through it on
to Main street He felt as if be could
not live second III its current OF de
struction. Quickly he turned about
and sprarg into the first opening, which
was the hall way TO the Arcade Giuh