Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-15
Terrific Hail Storm.
A Section Of Virginia Swept
with Destruction.
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS RUINED.

Damage to tho Amount of $1,000, 900
Done-Drifts of Hail Two Feet Deep,
Many of the Stones Being the Size of
Killed and People Injured-Mishaps,
Fatal and Otherwise.
BALTIMORE, May 15-The Suns special
from Norfolk says: About o'clock yester-
day afternoon one of the most severe hail
storms that ever struck this section passed
over Norfolk and Portsmouth and vicinity.
Ice particles Of extraordinary size came
down with the hail, and several inches of
hail lay in drifts before the deluge of rain
that followed carried it away. The shade
trees in the streets and the flower and veg
etable gardens were badly wrecked
A Calamity to Vegetables and Fruits.
In the country the truck farms were torn
up. the Strawberries and peas, cabbage and
other crops being ruinously beaten to the
ground. The vineyards and orchards suf-
fered severely, vines and trees being cut ter
ribly, and the fruit destroyed Many of the
truckers express themselves as ruined for the
season. A swath Of five or six miles was
out through Norfolk and Nansemond coun-
ties by the storm. The truckers all around
the Hodges ferry section, AM between the
Western Branch river and Portsmouth lost
everything. The loss will probably reach
81 600. 000 and it is too late now to attempt
to recover.
A Regular Storm of Ice.
Monday morning about 2 o'clock a terrific
hail storm and rainfall swept over South
ampton county, in the vicinity of Newsoms
Depot, and the growing crops and orchards
were badly damaged by large pieces of ice
and the great quantity of it. The drifts of
hail were twenty-four inches deep in some
places, and twelve hours after the storm the
drifts were over six inches in depth.
Loss of Buildings and Stock
The barn Of Mr.. W. s. Francis was blown
down by the wind and demolished and three
horses killed. Other farmers suffered In
damage to their buildings. Late Monday
afternoon hail storm struck the great bridge
section of Norfolk county, and the hailstones
TO considerable extent were as large as pull
let eggs. The potatoes and vegetable gardens
were damaged. Three men at work in a field
beyond Deep creek during the sans storm
were struck by lightning and badly injured.
Destruction =, Danvflle.
From Danville, Va, comes this report:
The seyerest cyclone known here passed over
this city at $3.50 O'Clock yesterday afternoon,
doing great damage to roofing, fences and
shade and fruit trees. In Danville three to-
bacco factories were unroofed, the bridge
over the Dan river damaged, house in
course of construction blown down, the
colored Baptist church blown down, the roof
of storage warehouse was partly blown
off and Lees tobacco warehouse was dam
aged The shed over the brck-mill was
blown down and fell on N A. Fitzgerald,
the proprietor seriously injuring him The
cyclone was accompanied by rain and slight
hail. lasting fifteen minutes
Had Taste of 1t In North Carolina.
CHARLOTTE, n. c., May IA special to
The Chronicle from Lumbarton, half way
between here and Wilmington, says six
inches of hail fell there Yesterday afternoon
A gale preceded the storm, unroofing many
small houses and utterly celebrating the
crops.