The Penn's Grove record., 1889-05-18
VIOLENT Wind STORMS.
PENNSYLVANIA. NEW JERSEY AND
MARYLAND VISITED.
PEOPLE KILLED AND INJuRED--MANf
BUILDINGS AND TREES DEMoL-
IsHED.

IEOGLh hlLLEb AM
BUILDINGS AND TREES DEMoL-
IsHED.
NoREIsTowN, Ia, May lO.-Th'
tornado that passed over Norristowl
and surrounding country, about nv
O'Clock this evening, was the LercesI
and by far the most destructive kuowi
In this section of country since 1875
The gale ven ed its fury on buildings
sheds, trees, chimneys and almost any.
thing movable in its path, and LASTED
about ten minutes. The wind was
preceded by an omlnous daTkenln2
OF the skies, making 1t neces'
sary to resort to lights in dwell
ings and factories. The darkness
was made the more intense py
the clouds of dust that tlleC
the air. As far as heard from, no ont
was Killed or injured, but the wind
PLAYED some very costly pranks rs re
CARDS buildings. AT The Hospital iol
the Insane weather vanes "ere blcwI
off and chrushed through the roofs
The roof of the carpenter shop wa
raised about one foot, and was at onct
secured by means of ropes. The shed
ding of Shaffer Brothers. brick yards
were blown away. Smith " Hamiilf
brick yard sheds crsahed into Rober'
Morris's bennery and Killed 5O o.
more head of poultry. Tie entire roo
of the pavilion at the Norristown Base
Ball and Athletic Grounds was lifted
off bodily, carried nearly 200 feet, and
dropped into a quarry. The root o.
one of a block of four houses Oh
Spruce street was torn entirely off and
the tin of three Others in the same
block rolled into sheets and carrie
away. The roofs of a block OF SIX
three-story and another block OF I'VE
two-story dwellings on kohn street
were carried across back yards and
across a 20-foot alley, crashing into
the frame back buildings of dwellings
fronting on the next street. completely
wrecking the kitchens and projecting
bath rooms and bay windows. In this
quarter of the town, where the destruc-
ton was the greatest, CONSERVATION
prevailed. Fairview Heights, a wooded
resort on the other side Of the Sehuyl-
kill, presents a scene of genuine havoc.
The observatory, 200 feet high, was
leveled to the ground at Il blow.
Trees were uprooted and twisted and
the large pavilion considerably dam
aged. The Knickerbocker ice houses
along tile Schuylkill, west of the town,
are badly twisted and partly unro0fed,
at the Star Glass Works, where a force
of men was engaged roofing a new
building with sheet iron, heavy sticks
of timber and plates of iron were
caught up by the gale and scurried
hither and thither across the building.
The roof of the new engine house at
the Watsunk Furnace was lifted of
nd fell on the old engine house. Two
boats Of the Schuylkill Navigation
Company became unmanageable i'll the
Schuylkill at Watsunk, and it was
necessary to cut the towlines TO save
the mules. The coal shed of William
Davis Jr & Co., at ConshohOcken,
was totally demolished, and Out-hou-
ses ar q, mall shedding were carried
on tLi gale for 100 feet or more.
CHESTER COUNTY.
" EST CHESTER, Pa, May l0.-A
wind storm of an almost cyclonlc char
acter passed over this borough, at 4.45
this afternoon, which for a time struck
terror to the minds OF the people be-
cause of the weird and threatening ap-
pearance of the surging clouds. Tele-
graph and telephone wires were
snapped and thrown into great disorder
in q twinkllng and many trees and
fences were twisted off and felled with
great force. A flying limb of a tree
struck a horse ridden by a young man
and felled the animal to the ground as
though it had been struck with a
sledge. Another limb crashed into
q carriage and wrecked 1t In the most
complete manner. On the West Chester
and Philadelphia Railroad, near Ash
bourne Station, the storm is reported
to have been very severe, and q bag
edge car was crushed by a falling tree
and the engine tank had two holes
made in it. The train was running at
the time and the postal agent and pas
sengers narrowly escaped with their
lives. Boxes. barrels and signs were
caught by the gale and sent in many
directions. The cloud was of a peculiar
hue, and its velocity was something
like seventy miles IN hour. At NAL
vern, one a Of a freight train, filled
with cattle, vas unrOofed without any
further damage.
BERKS AND sCHUYLKILL COUNTIES.
READING, Pa, May 10.-When the
heavy storm-cloud gathered over this
city at 4.30 O'Clock this afternoon
causing an oppressive atmosphere and
a darkness not before known at that
hour of the day almost everyone
thought of the terrible cyclone on JAN
uary 9th, four months ago, when the
Reading silk mill and other buildings
were wrecked and over 20 lives lost.
The wind was terrific. On the out
skirts of this city it twisted Of
large trees like pipe-stems, Half a
dozen houses were unroofed, three
IN one row, near the orner or
Eleventh and Douglass streets, creating
great CONSERVATION among the &C.
cupants. The stacks Of several indus.
trial establishments were blown over.
Many wires are down, and communl-
cation with some OF the country dis.
tricts is cut of. Throughout the
Lebanon Valley the trees In numerous
orchards are twisted off like straw, and
several barns were unroofed.
The storm seems to have been most
severe in Schuylkill county. AT
Auburn q hotel was unroofed. AT
Fremont and Schuylkill Haven seve-
raj houses were seized and toppled over.
In this city a wagon, attached to a
pair Of horses, was completely over.
turned. 1t was so dark that business
places were illuminated the same as at
AT landingyille the tops OF
many houses were carried away. Fences
YER carried away, and none of the
rails can be found. Fields, in which
were growing crops, were washed out,
leaving not a vestige of Vegetation in
the earth. The storm disappeared as
suddenly IS it came, and in fifteen
minutes all was over. Crops we're
seriously damaged, many trees being
stripped of all their blossoms. 1t is
believed to have been a portion of the
recent Western storm.
louisville, Pa, May 10:-At 4
O'Clock this afternoon "a terrific wind
and rain storm swept I've this city,
causing great damage. Trees fences
and awnings were Frustrated, Chin
neys blown down and many buildings
unroofed and otherwise injured. In
uAynn aaaAo YNanxry K.AataI1Ea rANF0 xNnrA