Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-04-03
SUNDAYS GALE.
TRAGEDY IN BElsKS CUUNTY.
Water Tower Blown Uown-Three Persons
Crushed to Death aud -Four Others
WOunded-BOy Killed Near

"
Crushed to Death aud Four Others
Wounded-Boy Killed Near
Conshohocken.
About two o'clock yesterday Reading
and vicinity were visited by a terrible
wind storm, accompanied with heavy rain,
lasting for about one hour, during which
time there was great destruction of life
and property. The greatest force Of the
storm was In the country, the only damage
in the city being the blowing down Of
signs, &c. and the wrecking of the cornice
at the Grand opera house. The day being
fine large number Of citizens were out
with their teams on the drives adjacent to
the city. These parties, when the storm
came up SO suddenly, were compelled to
seek shelter from the rain, and, while
doing 80, an accident, terrible in it's result,
occurred at the Angelica farm, owned by
George r. Frill, prominent coal dealer
of the city, The farm is about two miles
distant from Reading. About the time
the storm began George Shelthorn, aged
As years Mary, aged 40, his wife, and
two children, Rosa and Charles, aged re-
spectively 0 and IA years of age, residents
Of Reading, were driving along the road in
a carriage drawn by two ponies, and,
when opposite the barn on that farm,
Isaac Berg, the farmer who was at the
farm, asked Shelthorn to drive the team
under the shedding and remain until after
the storm had been spent. This Shelthorn
did, along with several other parties who
were about at the time.
The Angelica land improvement COM
pany had built large tank for holding
water with which to supply the surround
ing territory. This tank rested on high
wall of heavy masonry and girlers, held in
position by large iron rods. Such was the
force of the wind that this tank, together
with the wall and heavy girders, was top
pied over on to the shed under wnich the
people were, number Of whom, however
hearing the creaking of timbers, rushed
from under and escaped. Shelthorn and
his family, being in the carriage, were
caught under the ruins. Word was i'm
mediately sent for physicians, and soon
thereafter crowds of people tiocked to the
place. The shed being partly filled with
hay and straw, it required some time to
clear this and the other debris away
in order to get the people out. George
| Shelthorn was the first person taken out.
He was dead, having been suffocated
under the straw. He was much bruised
about tho body. His little daugh-
ter Rosa was next taken out dead,
being badly mangled by a heavy
girder, which had pinioned her down.
Charles Shelthorn escaped with his life,
but is badly cut about tho head, and has a
deep cash over the left eye. Mrs. Shell
thorn was taken from the debris alive,
but SO badly injured that she cannot re.
cover. About an hour later the body of
John Cruise was found and taken from the
ruins. He was badly mangled, his face
being almost unrccognizable. George r.
Frill was badly injured. besides being cut
about the head and face. He had three
ribs broken, and he is in a dangerous con-
ditiOn. Fred. r. Frill and Isaac Berg
escaped with few slight injuries. One
of the ponies attached to the carriage was
| killed, and the other was SO badly injured
that it was killed with all axe
The storm was very severe in some of
the bordering counties, fences being lev
clled and trees uprooted. The milk sta.
tiOn at AckwOrth, on the Chester Valley
railroad, was blown down and fell across
the tracks. A passenger train, due 1T thar
time, was stopped and the obstruction re-
moved. A number of barns in the track
Of the storm were also blown down. No
other lives than those mentioned above
are reported lost.
| The Storm at COHshOhOcken-A Falling
| Roof Kills a boy.
In Conshohocken, during the prevalence
OF severe rain storm, accompanied by
thunder and lightning, the roof of ].
Wood & Co.'s rolling mill was blown of
and considerable other damage was done.
| The roof of the wicket house at the canal
locks was also blown away. 1t struck the
son of Captain Brown, of the boat Kedron,
and killed him instantly. He lived at
| Schuylkill Haven.