Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-08-31

I
Virginia.
THE STILL POND HORRoR-THE
GREAT HAVOC wRO GIT IN
AND AROUND WHEELING.
Baltimore Sun.
AS soon as the news Of the dis
aster at Still Pond was received IN
this city the Sun chartered the tug
Maggie j. Jory, Capt. Orr, who,
with a reporter, left the city at
$3.50 o'clock yesterday morning and
followed in the wake of the lorna
do. The first stop was made at
POOLS Island, over which 1t was
thought the water-spout h a d
passed.
A TERRIBLE SUSPENSE.
Mrs. j. j. Masheter, whose hus'
band owns the island, gave the fol-
lowing description of the course OF
the water.spout: "We watched the
black cloud hanging over North
Point, and suddenly we saw 1t
start in this direction, bringing
with it an immense body Of water.
The sight was terrible, for we ex'
pected it to strike here, but, tortu-
nately, it diverged from its course
and passed over the extreme east
ern side of the island. AS 1t pass
ed the shore the sand was sent fly
ing in great clouds. The route of
the spout could be plainly discern
ed by the dark, toggy trail it left.
We watched it go up the bay, where
it was lost to sight. Following the
spout was what feared would be a
flood. The rain fell in torrents, as
if the heayens had opened. have
never seen such a storm before."--
No damage was done on POOLS
Island.
DESTRUCTION OF TREES.
Steamlng away from POOLS Is
land the tug was steered for Wor-
toms point. BY hugging the East
ern Shore the track of the storm
could be easily seen. Trees which
had stood the storms OF many
years were uprooted or broken
down and lying in every direction
Fruit orchards were completely
destroyed, and in many places
whole panels of fencing we're float
Ing in the bay.
WITH THE DEAD AND DYING.
At Barnard's wharf a landing
was made, and, procuring a team
the Sun reporter drove to Black 4
Krebb's canning factory. The fac
tory was a frame building, 80 by
80 feet, two stories high, and stood
on the farm of Mrs. Eliza Posey
three.fourths Of a mile from the lit
tie village of Still Pond. Mr.
Thomas Cockr i'll, who is manager
Tor Mr.. Krebs, says of the storm
Wt was about 3 o'clock in the at
ternoon when the storm was frs
noticed. There were so person'
engaged in the pairing room.
looked out of the door and remark
ed that the cloud would not STRIKE
US. Hardly had | cotton th'
words ont of my mouth when ther'
was a peculiar solemn stiffness
| A sensation of danger took posses
sion of me Immediately. TheI
came a terrific tornado.
"I was thrown down and helC
PROSTATE by a heavy sleeper falling
across me. The whole building
was demolished. The boiler anC
engine we're tossed upside down
and the large quantity of can
which were packed for shipmen
on the second floor we're scattered
hundreds OF feet about the field
The groans of those who we're pin
ned down by the falling timber
were awful. The dead and wound
ed we're on all sides. soon extrl
Gated myself and hastened to az
slst those who we're imprisoned
The work was slow, owing to tn
great excitement which prevailed
Those who had escaped injnr,
we're running about as if they wer
poss essed by the evil one. To adj
to the confusion the escaping steau
drowned all attempts to talk.
"After vainly trying to reaso
with the panic-stricken employe
several OF us set to work to fin'
those who were missing, and thl
was a job 1 shall never forget
Here and there we would uncove
some poor soul who was stricke
as he or she sat at work. Other
we're pinned to the floor just a
, they were reaching an egresi
while one family, consisting of hut
. band, wife and two small boys
we're found huddled in a group
They looked as though they ha'
determined to face death togethe
rather than separate. We wer
compelled to saw the rafters ava,
before we could get them out.
, "After all the bodies had bee
/ removed from the ruins they wer
taken to the warehouse, and o
} hastily constructed biers were lai
) side by side. The distorted cour
tenances plainly told of the agon
| they had suffered. A mother wa
} found holding the arm Of her chill
} as il TO shield it from its fate.