The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-07-31
Saturdays Tornado.

The storm of Saturday afternoon, ris-
ing with only few moments warning,
swept with terrific force over a tract
about half a mile wide. Ithad its origin
between Danbury and Brewster and,
without doubt, did greatest damage in
the vicinity of Great hill in Taunton,
where the chimney of Frank Toole's
house was swept clean off and forest and
fruit trees were uprooted and torn down
by the score. Continuing to travel at an
angle between east and southeast, the
storm spent its destructive force IN the
country about Long swamp and Hitfield.
though rain fell in torrents in the Hous-
atomic and Naugatuck valleys and Vio-
lent gale accompanied the downpour.
Eve witnesses describe the approaching
storm cloud as appalling, though there
was not the inky blackness which often
accompanies an approaching tempest.
Clouds one above another, swept up
from the horizon and, before one could
realize the nearness of the storm, which
roared as it approached, great drops OF
Edlu ANU Hail pSIb1b9 A'O
damage from the hail was comparatively
slight and only tender plants or gardens
suffered. About farm buildings in the
track of the storm, handfuls of ice could
be gathered, many of the stones being as
large as small marbles. The wind blew
with the force of a tornado, which it re-
sembled rather than a cyclone and tore
down or uprooted trees by the score in
Danbury, uprooting willow on Rose
hill, which was notable as coming from
a twig brought from tree growing on
Washington's grave. Railroad travel
was stopped for a time by huge tree on
the New England near Danbury and an
empty freight car was blown from side
track. Hail and torrents of rain fell for
a few moments in Bethel. Plumtrees
lay in the path of the storm, an OCCASION
al overturned tree showing the swath
cut. Frank Toole reports more than
dozen apple trees uprooted on his farm
and, in grove of about 80 young chest
nut trees, not many rods from his house
on land of Albert w. Fairchild, IA were
torn up by the roots or broken off. On
Great hill, two hay stacks were levelled.
Handsome oaks, hickories and other
shade trees in pastures of Dea Henry and
William Fairchild and Edwin Clark, as
well as fruit trees at the foot of S. s..
Scudder's garden, were leyelled, together
with others as it swept over the hill into
Sugar street, blocking the road leading
to Taunton with fence rails. Several ap-
pie and shade trees were torn up by the
roots or broken short off on land of Nor
man Northrop, Esq, Hon William N.
Northrop and Mrs Sophia Northrop; at
the place of Mrs w. d. B. Ferris, consid-
erable damage was done. The storm
spread over a wider area, extending
from Oliver and Turney Northrop's in
Palestine on the south to Walter Glover's
farm. Greatest damage was done in a
field of corn on land of Walter Ruffies,
where swath was cut obliquely through
two acre corn field, completely running
the crop on strip so or 20 yards wide,
while the crop received little damage at
the outskirts of the piece. Other corn
fields were damaged, but none to such
an extent. At William Stillson's, Thorn
as Farrelrs vacant farm, E. L. and G. B.
Johnsons and other places along the
turnpike, lightning striking there as well
as elsewhere, as far south as jerome
Northrop's, results of the gale are seen,
but the damage is not SO great as further
west. The lightning struck locust tree
near w. C. Johnson's.