Daily Republican., 1889-05-11
A STORM OF DUST.
1T ENVELOPES THE CITY AND
sTIRs THINGS UP.
No Great Damage Done, but Several
Houses Were Unroofed, Trees
Blown Down and Every
thing Busted.

away sought shady spots in search oi
cool breeZes. These were found in the
parks that are proving q great blessing
TO the city. Brandywine park was lagely
patronized, the Tenth ward park the
same, and the Eighth and franklin Street
park had more than It's usual number oi
people in search of seat under a tree,
where they could mop their sweltering
foreheads.
Between 8 and 4 O'Clock representa-.
tive OF The REPUBLICAN came to the
latter park and took In the surroundings.
Every seat had its occupants. Mothers
trundled baby coaches around, stopping
anon to fan the sweating brow Of her
darling, while "Pater familias'' smoked,
read newspapers, nodded and slept. Dol
lard was busy giving his park clean,
close shave with his lawn mowers for
Sunday. Dollard is always on the move,
and allows no long struggling grass to
grow under bis feet.
Soon after O'Clock the atmosphere be-
came breezler, and there were indications
of a gust arising In the northwest. In a
bali hour more the Indications had grown
amazingly large. Whatever kind of gust
1t was came up very fast, but, said some,
it is going around to Philadelphia. No,
1t is going around below Newport and
over into Jersey, and then 1t seemed to
be coming right straight over the city,
| such gust there was no telling where 1t
was going to strike.
Nobody had very long to wait. A roar
Ing noise gave warning to vacate the park
and the expeditions manner in which
baby coaches disappeared from the park
was perfectly astounding, neither would
anybody have believed that those nodding
sleeping newspaper readers possessed so
| much life and activity as they exhibited
when they acudded off the park. But
here comes the storm. 1t Is accompanied
by neither thunder, lightning nor rain,
but simply wind and dust. Great clouds
came rushing in Lancaster avenue,
Fourth street and all the travelled thor
oughfares, and from Broome street these
ro ling clouds of dust swept out over the
tallest steeples and came down enyelop.
Ing the city in perfect winding sheets OF
dust. Cloud after cloud of dust was
propelled out from Broome street hiding
the whole city from view. Over went
about half the seats In Eighth and Frank
lin park, the trees bowed, but none were
| uprooted, though every moment 1t was
expected to see them turn up their rcote.
A solitary lady braved the storm and
remained upon the park, only once seek
| ing shelter behind the band stand, but II
was very uncertain how long It would
remain stand. Dollard seemed to enjoy
the blow and kept on pushing his lawn
mower as II nothing had happened. TIL,
| nrDrr''' c. ~ rannrter and a friend. VIII
'may perhaps next spring have for 6li
masterpiece painting of the storm OF
cDnvas, crouched down behind the parB
| terrace for protection.
| Yet notwithstanding the fury of the
| storm, the damage done was small. Oh
| course there was general tearing up OF
! awnings and blowing down of swinging
signs. Shutters clapped and ratified,
doors banged, and window curtains flew
out to the breeze like flags of truce, and
stores were filled with dust before the
occupants could get their outside trap
pings in and the doors shut. And all
this time not drop of rain, flash of
lightning nor rumble of thunder. Such
a storm was never known In Whining
ton.
Several shade poplars In front of Tay
lor Causes residence on Pennsylvania
avenue were partially upturned and
limbs blown from others.
In Brandywlne Park the storm was an
advantage as 1t blew no living trees down
but blew down the dead limbs from other
trees.
Lancaster and Pennsylvania avenues
were swept perfectly clean Of dust down
to the solid gravel.
A brick house at Front and Lincoln
streets in course OF erection had a portion
of the west wall blown down, and some
new houses about Ninth and DUPONT were
slightly damaged.
Eiuhth and Tanl,enn af
deed all over the city bricks were blown
from number of chimneys.
The greatest damage done In the city
was to row Of seven houses which VIII
liam Guthrie was erecting on Head
street near Twelfth. They were totally
unroofed and parts of the roofs were car
ried across Cade street badly damaging a
Of back kitchens.
A frame house on Twenty-ffth street
between Tatnall and West, belonging to
Francis D. Talley, was completely de- |
molished. 1t was carried two feet from |
its base when the roof fell in and the |
walls iell in on the roof. The house was |
ready ior plasterlng and several men
working in it saved themselves by Jump |
Ing from it. Mr. Talley places his loss
at 81 200.
At Eighth and Orange streets tree
was blown down, which scared horse,
which started off at a rapid rate out |
lghth street, but he was soon captured.
Several telegraph poles were blown down
n different parts of the city, and avn.
ngs around the Heald building, at Sev-
,nth and Market streets, were torn, panes
)f glass were broken, and limbs torn
rom trees wherever there were trees.
A shutter was blown from the resi-
lence of Charles Bonham, grocer, at Sew.
nteenth and Union streets, and carried
INTO the school yard close by.
The steamer City of Chester was caught
n the blow on the Delaware river, but
Vas not damaged In any way. The
teamer Major Reybo!d was also on the
tver having lett Philadelphia an hour
head of the City of Chester. The Rey-
'old made for the wharf at Edge Moor,
nd tied up to avoid former bitter ex-
erience
The storm seems to have been far-reaeh-
Dg in its effects. 1t extended as far as
leading, and struck Philadelphia about
s 1t struck Wilmington, but with more
amage to property.
The storm extended south as far as
Dover, but no great damage is reported.
t was, as here, simply a gust Of dust,
hough 1t was sooner followed by a real
ust OF rain, thunder and lightning.
Chilliness, dizziness, pairs in the side
I'D back, sleepiness, listlessness-in