St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-07-19

banks the Mfssfonarfes' Friend.
Dear Caledonian I'm bringing us
the news of the terrible storms in
America you seemed to bring the
storms along with you, for we were
Immediately visited by a storm of the
real blizzard stamp, though in the
month of May, and in the heat of In
dia- Between five and six o'clock in
the afternoon it suddenly became so
dark that lamps were lighted, and
soon a terrific storm of bail driven by
cyclone of wind burst upon us. PeO-
pie fled for shelter, trees were torn
down or bad their branches twisted of,
roofs were removed as though they
were but feathers, and every thing
green was beaten to fragments by the
hail. In rooms exposed, where there
were no shutters to the doors or win
dows and though protected by veran-
das ten feet wide, every light of glass
was broken and the floor of the rooms
covered with hail stones. After break
ing every light in my study the stones
wide and broke the glass in my book
case standing against the opposite
wall. Cattle were killed by the hun
dreds and sheep and goats stood no
chance whatever of life if in exposed
places. A boy ran out to get some hail
stones, boy like, and was killed in
stantly. In about twenty minutes the
4. Il Il 20
look around. In our beautiful yard
and mango and guava orchard there is
not an unbrOken tree left and nearly
One-half are quite destroyed. The
green mangOes covered the trees, a
full crop, but not one solitary mango
is left. The trees were beautiful in
their foliage, as in April our trees put
out their new leaves, but now no
leaves are left and the tender bark on
the small branches is all beaten and
stripped off leaving the tops quite
white ; and now after few days. sun
the standing trees have the appear
ance of having been burned over. The
roofs of thousands of houses are par
italy or entirely destroyed. One of
the government barracks for the SOL
diers is quite blown down, ten soldiers
were hurt but none killed. Another
barrack is unrOOfed and yet another
much injured. Half of the houses for
Europeans in the station are very
much damaged having some portion
of the roof torn away, and there is
scarcely a stable left standing except
our own which was protected by anotl
er house. Our own mission houses
are built with fiat roofs and are unin-
Jured, except that the glass is broken
and the plaster on the north and west
side is picked off leaving the brick bare
as though men had worked for days
picking the walls. | have never be-
fore heard of solid brick walls being
blown down by the wind, but the wall
of the racket court here, built with
lime very thick with strong abutments,
which has stood for years, was blown
down. Other walls went in the same
way.
The government report gives about
300 persons killed in the city, with a
large number severely injured. No
estimate can be made Of the country
around. The hospitals are full. More
of those killed were killed by the hail
than by falling buildings. Among
those killed by falling wall were the
wife and child of one of the Christian
English teachers in our high school, a
woman much beloved in our cOmmuni
ty. 1t is remarkable that while so
many stables were unrOofed in the sta
ton only one horse was killed. Many
were supposed to be killed but when
the rubbish was removed they came out
unhurt. A similar storm visited three
cities in Northern India, but each storm
seems to have been quite separate and
distinct.
1t is a year of storms, famine and
floods. America and India suffer from
storms, China from terrible flood and
Turkey from n destructive famine.
"What desOlatiOn He hath made in the
earth" Is the Almighty One showing
us a little of his power to teach us that
by His mercy we have the blessings of
life 2 How slow are we to give honor
and worship to Him "whO hath gath
cred the winds in his fists, who hath
bound the waters in a garment, and
who hath established all the ends of
the earth. What is His name, and
what is His Sons name if thou cans't
tell"
We were made sad by the news of
the death of our hOnOred tOwnsman
and friend, Governor Fairbanks. ST.
JOhnsbury will not soon forget such
friend as he was to the town. Nor will
the churches, or the missionary sOcie-
ties, or the missionaries soon forget one
who was large hearted enough to take
an interest in every good cause
throughout the world. Few business
men have minds and hearts to take in
and help arrange for the wants of the
world, while at the same time making
a success of business. He was one of
Gods nOblemen. What a demand
there is in our world today for just
such men. When one such falls all are
afflicted. E. w. PARKER.