The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-29
A TERRIFIC HAIL STORM.

AGE IN A SMALL WAY TO PROPERTY AND
COMES NEAR SENDING A HUMAN SOUL TO
THE BLUE BEYOND.
THE BULLETIN is not IN the habit Of
telling its readers what the weather
has been, because the weather
is usually very stale subject
but yesterdays storm demands notice be-
cause of its character, and the damage it
did in various parts of the city and suburbs.
The day opened with bright sunshine,
which gave promise of very fine weather.
But the clouds were visible,
mostly toward the west. These were being
swept slowly over the city by a gentle
breeze, which acted coolingly upon the
heated brow of the hasty pedestrian. But
shortly after noon the sky assumed Il leaden
color all along the western aud northern
horizon and the wind became stronger.
The lightninss began to flash little and
the deep sound of the thunder was heard
in the distance. About three o'clock the
1
sun disappeared and the clouds now sunk
lower and changed to darker hue and came
rapidly over the city, while the wind blew
with considerable force, the lightning
flashed more frequently and the earth shook
with tie conclusion made by it.
Rain began to fall lightly little after
three, but it did not fall lightly long. The
| sky had already assumed that muddy
color, which always betokens more than an
ordinary charge of water or something else
and the wind had become so strong that
1t would have been dangerous even to the
most celebrated storm proof umbrella. The
rain gradually increased in volume and the
wind in force until the former came down
in torrents and the latter blew perfect
hurricane. But it did not stop
here In the midst of all the
spashing of water and whstling of wind
and creaking of signs and rafting of
shingles and windows and doors and slam
ing of gates, there came a CHATTER upon the
pavement and windows and roofs like
beans falling upon them, and everybody
who had, until now, paid no attention to the
eommotion in the elements without stop
ped to listen and 70 look. The rattle con
tinued aud increased in power, the rain |
increased in volume, the wind Increased in |
velocity; it seemed as though each were
engaged in a combat with the other,
or it seemed as though some heather god
had turned loose upon the city, not only the
musketry and heavy artillery of the armies
of the earth, but also the fiends of the bot.
tomless pit with the elements of wind and
water. For about fifteen minutes the
sight without was interesting, but |
aweinspiring and the noise was
deafening. Sign boards scampered along
the streets and sidewalks, water stood sew
eral inches deep all over the streets and
tore deep ruts wherever it found an opening
to lower ground and large balls of solid ice
came down in a thick shower making it
unpleasant, not to say unsafe, for
any living thing to be out. This storm
lasted for about twenty minutes and then,
after little more rain, ceased entirely
Not less than ten minutes after it began
the sidewalks and streets were perfectly
white with nuggets of ice, which soon
disappeared from the latter, however, by
the action of the water, which swept them
of into the sewers or low places; but along
the sidewalks, close by the houses, they
lay from two to four inches deep and per-
sons found considerable interest in picking
out the largest, many of which measured
fully one inch in diameter.
Had it not been for the bracing air, the
smooth, beaten and wet streets,
the water running swiftly through
cutters and other more serious
signs, a person who had Just been
awakened from a sound slumber, would not
have known that there had been any ele-
mcntary disturbance, 50 quiet was all above
and around. But walk around town, even
these signs, would soon have salts
fed him that a destroyer had paid Cairo
visit, for he you'd have seen the foot prints
at every step. A number of signs were
blown down, window panes were broken,
fences were laid low, the limbs of trees
were broken and those which withstood
the force of the wind, were stripped al
most completely, by the hail, Of their
green foliage, which was carried by the
wind through every street, covering the
sidewalks as with green tapestry that was
rather pleasant to the eye.
The damage to property was widespread
but not very serious in any one case. In a
hurried walk around the city we learned