Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-08-22
DEATH IN A CLOUD.
TcoNrINrrD FnoM rInsr PAGE.

storm passed between the house and |
barn. No damage was done
On the eastern side OF the road at 525
o'clock last evening, few hundred yards
from the houses Of the two neighbors,
stood the house Of Robert Fisher. Ten
minutes later there was nothing left Of it
except broken bits Of plaster and lathing
and demolished furniture. In the house
we're Maggie Wilson, niece Of Fisher,
who was seriously injured about the hips
Harry Fisher. 4-year-old son, internally
injured George +. West was IN the
barn when il was struck. but was not in
jured, with the exception Of receiving
slight scratch. Fisher himself was not At
home, having como to town to draw his
pny at the Harlan and Hollingsworth
Company. where he works as caulker
| The ghirlwind took a half peck measure
| from the feed box in the barn, carried it
into the parlor of the Fisher house and
taking the articles of the mantelpiece
and packed them in the measure. COW
and n horse belonging to Fisher were
| killed outright Another horse was al
most disembowelled
After the storm had demolished the
/ buildings on these three properties, II
veered to the southeast in a whirlwind
manner and struck the blacksmith shop
Of John Pugh, hurting it about 1000
yards, and completely smashing his car
riape house and contents The storm
was then going towards his house, and
had it continued, would have struck it
and Harris's near by. It again changed,
and getting into It's original course,
started on direct limo for the Christiana
rolling mill.
A Ball Of Fire seen.
It then struck n corn field. forty acres,
owned by Alfred Brown who lives at the
Eden Park, the property Of the Lob
dells. The forty acres Of corn were
completely DESTROYED with the excep.
ton of four acres The corn was unripc,
SO that the damage cannot be repaired.
John uackett. a cOlorcd farm hand at
Browns saw the storm coming. He was
out in the field with another farm hand
/ named J. Williams. It became fearfully
black and the clouds rolled u pitchec
with thunder roar Directly ahead o.
the cloud was a ball Of fire. apparently
four feet in diameter The two men
r were about 200 yards out Of the line il
which the cloud was travelling, but thel
! rushed for their homes.
E The cloud went swiftly by. carrying
everything in its path On the roa,
4 passing Hazel Dell Park pieces of joists
s scantling and sashes were i'll the fields
i About a half mile from the three wrecke'
6 houses was the upper part Of q barn dooi
/ with the hinge on i'll A heavy piec
4 Of ioist was near by. a roy
/ III trees running down the Old Powde
3 Mill road We're stripped of their branche
and twisted and broken il every dirct
ton The site of tine exhibition building
/ Of the Fair Association was almost in til
4 track Of the storm, and had tho bniidin
been erected it would have received muc
+: damage. On the site Of the old powde
d mill Of the Garesche Brothers. stood
n grove Of trees. The tornado cracked an
e broke them with greater violence tina
a an explosion Of powder could generate
: The fences on the route were completed
stripped Of rails and the posts were ofte
bent to the ground.
Desolated Hcarfhs.
7. The saddest accident that occurre
n near the end of the tornados path in DE
n aware was the demolishment Of the ~
it houses occupied by Charles Cathcart al
IA Thomas Hamilton and their familie
= The houses were Of frame Charles Cat
II cart. wife and child lived in the frs
as having moved there about a week ag
4 and William Hamilton with his wife az
IS children, lived in the other. Mr.. Hami
N ton and son Harry were
in town. Mrs Cathcart was one Of the fir
n. to notice the approaching storm, whi'
~ made a deafening roar Frightened a
+ the swiftness of it. she exclaimed. IF,
g Gods sake Charlie. lots run TO 10
al mics" This was about seventy hy
d. Yards away, just outside of the storm
path Mr.. Cathcart caught his lit
child which is about three years old an
ran tow lrds Tolmie's while his wife an
Mrs Ha milton with her three childr'
il followed As they were crossing 4
er track. the wind blew with gre
~ violence and Mrs Cathcart fell MI
4 Hamilton seeing her daughter, threw Il
mi children down on the track and lying ne
" them sheltered the children as best =
n was able When the storm had pass
~ over Mr. Cathcart was standing in 4
II door Of a one-st0ry frame building ne
A Tolmies holding the child between !
ng knees. The blood was streamii
N, down the fathers face upi
~ the child and when Mrs Cathcart car
III up he said: Here take the child; we
ruined The little boy had conyulslo
last evening. having been injured by I
same thing that struck his father. VIII
~ it was no one knows Mrs. Hamilton al
Il three children were not hurt. Tn
N stayed at Tolmie's all night, where tn
ae were tenderly cared for. DIR. Ol
. . attended the injured boy and reports til
y his condition is critical There is nothi
Of value left to either Of the famili'
y. The houses were without celia
.ni and She tornado lifted them frt
~ the ground bodily and twisted them
y every direction. A chair and table w
saved from the wreck The cloth
was nearly all destroyed. and the DANA
is SO extensive that no repairs can
q made The families practically are wit
~ out home George Raymond has start
~, a subscription list for the desolate fan
~ lies and is quite successful in his etfor
% In talking to an EVENING JOURNAL
.he porter this morning Mrs. Cathcart 81
- that the tornado sounded exactly i
"a. several locomotives laundering alo
the track. and that there v
ball Of IRE leading the stor
ri Christiana Rolling Min.
1av Opposite the wrecked buildings y
oid the Christiana Rolling Mill, now to
+ wreck. Il received the full force Of
vin tornado. and pieces Of lumber and sh
al. iron can be found scattered all over
~ field towards the river hank On
bank itself several pieces of boa
were thrown. The mill contain
ii four pudding furnaces and seven boile
coy which are more or less damaged A hes
Z 9 ~. Ftsrsr