Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-05-21
A Great Hail storm.-Last Sat-


urday afternoon about three o'clock a
heavy greenish-black cloud arose in the
West and spread with great rapidity
over the heavens. Before it reached
Shepherdstown, however, it split, and
the heaviest portion moved to the south
east. That was a lucky split for Shep-
herd stown. We folks here escaped
with heavy rain, but the part that left
US carried ruin and destruction with It,
With terrific wind and an appalling
sheet of hail it descended on Charles
town ard leveled fences, blew down
trees, wrecked buildings and ruined
crops, inflicting damages to the amount
of many thousand dollars. The hail fell
in a wall of ice, the hsilstones ranging
from three inches in circumference to
the size of marbles. The wheat, which
was ready to head, that was in the track
of the storm was utterly destroyed, and
vineyards, gardens and fruits were an
initiated. From the Charlestown
SPIRIT we get list of the losers by the
storm in that vicinity. Ir. Joseph L.
Grantbam has sixty acres of wheat de-
stroyed and loses heavily. Maj. Jas.
Law. Hooff has one hundred acres OF
wheat and large amount ofgrass COM
pletely moved of, his corn and some OF
his finest trees and garden destroyed,
and all his rail fencing running north
and south blown away. He is pastur-
ing his wheat, and says $4,000 would
not make him whole again. Mr.. Geo.
II. Beckwith loses twelve or fifteen
acres of wheat, Mrs. Anna Brown and
John A. Washington thirty-fve or for
ty acres, Mr.. Robert Earl about twenty
five acres Of wheat and forty-five trees
of his best timber, Mr.. WIN. Ramey
twelve or fifteen acres Of wheat, the
BAYLOR farm much damaged, and Maj
R. V. Shirley loses large quantity Of
timber. The crops of Mr.. w. +. Hemp
and Messrs. Jacob Starry Qandlord)
and Joseph Grandstaff (tenant) are a
complete loss, and their fencing is near
ly all destroyed. The new barn of Mr..
Hemp, not quite completed, was slight
~ moved by the storm. Mr.. Starry's
timber also suffered heavily, and that
the storm at this point was terrific may
be imagined from the fact that heavy
farm wagon was swept clear across the
barn-yard by the furious wind.
At Flowing Spring five little girls
had barely escaped from the storm into
the house of Mr.. Otty, when large
willow was torn up by the roots and
blown across the spot where they were
playing, but Il moment previous.
Mr.. Samuel j. Boyd estimates that at
least half OF his wheat crop is gone.
Mrs. Hannah Buffers orchard is very
much damaged ard wheat crop serious.
lv injured. Mr.. Jno. L. Colston's
wheat upon the lands of Mrs. Hunter
and Judge Green is very much dam
aged. Messrs. Thomas Frazier, S. w.
Wysong, VIM. d. Briscoe, Mrs. Mar
garet E. Crane, James M. Ransom, Jas.
NJ. Browns heirs, Col. A. Boyd, John
Ii. Hall, John w. Gardner, Craven
Trussell and probably a good many
others, lose heavily.
All the early gardens in Charlestown
were pretty well destroyed and now pre-
sent sorry aspect. Hundreds of panes
of glass were broken, among them
twenty large ones in the Sadler build
ing, twenty-nine (also large ones) in
Mr.. Geo. w. Armentrout's new dwell
ing, thirty. three at the Baptist church,
forty-eight at Mrs. Rebecca Hunters,
seventeen in Mr.. NimrOd Trussell'S
new house, twenty-siX at Mr.. John
Meningitis, large number at the
Shenandoah Valley depot, Mr.. A. ID.
Miley's and Mrs. Howard's, and lesser
numbers Cor perhaps as many and even
greater) in various houses all over town.
1t takes nearly two boxes of glass to
replace Messrs. Weirick & Weller's loss
in their different buildings, and in the
Spirit office eleven glass were smashed
in less than minute. Mr.. John L.
Colston had about twenty-five young
goslings on his pond, and they were all
killed by the hail.
We are informed that great damage
was done in Harper's Ferry and vicin-
ity and the neighborhood of Halltown.
At Harper's Ferry Mr.. Rudolph Rau
suffered considerable; loss his vineyard
of several thousand vines was almost
entirely beaten to the earth. All the
gardens were destroyed, the fruit
knocked from the trees and other in
juries sustained.
At Middleway the storm was also