The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-07-18
The Stormy Week.

The first of the storms that swept the
country last week were reported from the
Ohio valley. Two destructive tempests-
combining wind, rain, hail and lightning
ragged in that region Sunday and Monday
Buildings were unroofed, trees and fences
blown down, streams raised and bridges
swept away, crops left in deplorable con-
dition, buildings struck and burned and
people killed. The freshet continued farms
and towns were flooded, railroads washed
out. millions of feet of timber swept away.
In Champagne county, Illinois, the damage
was estimated at 100000 In western
Pennsylvania and West Virginia the loss
was 81 100000. One account from the latter
state says: "A cloud-burst near Berea,
Monday evening, raised the water of the
Hughes river to an unprecedented height,
doing 100000 damage in Richie and Dodd-
ridge counties. Terra Alta, Preston county,
was visited Wednesday by cyclone, which
twisted houses from the foundations and
carried roofs hundreds of feet from the
buildings"
The storm of Wednesday night had its
rise in the region about the great lakes and
was especially violent in the New England
States and along the coast of Massachusetts,.
Much damage was done to property on shore
and to shipping. An indication of the dis
turbance was experienced on Lake Superior
AT seven o'clock Wednesday evening the
water in the harbor at Marquette, Michigan,
fell twenty-six inches in a few minutes
The fall was so rapid that vessels at anchor
were seen to sink. The wind was light off
shore at the time and the lake calm. A
dense cloud swept out and over the lake a
short time before, and is believed to have
been a gigantic water-spout or tornado,
which drove the water before it in such
quantities as to cause the strange phe-
nomenon. Besides the general havoc
caused along the coast, special instances
were reported. The "Lady of the Lake "
foundered on a reef at Georgeville, on Lake
Memphremagog last Thursday during the
storm. No lives were lost.
A gale of wind, accompanied by heavy
rainfall and rapid decline of temperature,
ragged in the White Mountains for twenty
four hours Mount Washington in the
region of the Summit House was covered
with snow, nearly five inches having fallen.
The temperature was eight degrees below
the freezing point and hurricane blowing
nearly one hundred miles an hour. The
Mount Washington railway was compelled
! to suspend operations, owing to the severity
! of the storm.
A party camping on Cancels Hump in this
state was broken up by the storm. Other
effects were felt in northern New England
but nothing serious is reported But the de
structive force Of the storm in New York
was terrific and, as reported, was fell
chiefly in he vicinity of Malone, Chateaugay
and Canaan. The storm followed the course
of the Au Sable river. On the hill near Fer
roma station two small buildings, used by
workmen employed by the Arnold Hill Ore
Company, were swept up and carried away
Not vestige remained. A heavy stove IL
one Of the buildings was also carried away
and not so much as griddle-hole was lief
to tell the route which the stove travelled
In Franklin county the loss of building
and crops Is estimated at $780, 600. Man,
families lost their entire property.