Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-12

Everything loose was torn from the
buildings Of the city, chimneys came
crumbling down, out-houses sailed
away from their foundations into the
night, verandas disappeared from pic
turesque villas, and as the terrible fore e
of nature let loose its powers more and
more. whole buildings disappeared be-
fore it's onslaught. The air was filled
with flying fragments Of architectural
ornamentation, with component parts of
vehicles, with particles of glass, with
planks, and shingles, and branches of
trees, and bricks, all shriekiDg like the
shells OF old over battlefield. Ma
ture's reign of terror had ensued.
At 2 O'Clock the climax of this curious
phenomenon was reached. By this
time church steeples were falling right
and left, enormous buildings were col
lapsing and crushing within them all
they contained, huge pepper trees were
hurled through the air, giant expresses
were snapped off like pipe stems, and
fences were pulled up, posts and all,
and carried hundreds of feet through
the air.
And while the human settlements
were thus being devastated even worse
scene was being enacted in those great
orchards of golden fruit which fill that
great valley. Millions OF oranges and
lemons, on the verge of ripening. were
torn from the limbs and jugged with
by the rampant Winds The game of
ball was jolly for the winds but ex-
pensive for mankind, and one-third of
all the glorious fruit of that district,
which was to tickle the gourmand's g
palate, now lies upon the cold, cold
ground, to rot in infamy instead of
drinking in succulent juices from the
sun-kissed earth.
1t all had an end. The storm had had
its fun and grew tired OF the sport. The
strain relaxed, comparative calm en-
sued, and the relics of the insane frolic
alone were left to show the deed. Yet
all the region which was visited by this
terrible outbreak has reason to be thank
full for one great mercy. With all the
crumbling of walls, the raising of roofs,
the reduction of timber to kindling-
wood, the hurling about of all sorts OF
debris, there was in Pasadena and its
immediate surroundings not a single
fatality, and it was only in its further
wild career that the storm claimed hui
man victims.
THE DESTROYED CHURCHES.
A most peculiar fact about the dam
age wrought in the town OF Pasadena lie
that four churches were sadly demol-
ished, and OF those four three were
absolutely destroyed.
A prominent physician OF Pasadena
had intended to sleep in building inn
mediately opposite the Methodist Epis-
copal church at the corner OF Colorado
street and Marengo avenue,
but was kept awake by the
turmoil of the elements. He de-
clared yesterday that the spire to
this church began to sway at o'clock,
and that he watched it with fear and
trembling from that until o'clock.
Under the influence of the wind the
tower osciliated during those two hours
in a gradually increasing angle, until at
last it began to splinter at its base, and
finally with a crash like an explosion,
fell over, and landed on the middle
of the roof, crushing the lat
ter into smithereens. The bell
which had hung in the belfry
broke through the roof timbers, and the
entire wreckage fell into the audito-
riam, where it ground the furniture
into a chaotic macs. The windows on
the Marengo avenue side were pulver-
lied, and the pavement there yesterday
afternoon was covered with layer of
broken glass. Nothing but the walls
now remain, and repairing the building
is entirely out of the question. The
church was built in 1886, and
until recently it has been con-
sidered perfectly safe. A few
hours before the wind had reached its
climax, however, Pasadena builder
predicted that the edifice would GER
tainly collapse in high wind. Luckily
the congregation have for their religious
services q large new tabernacle which
has been recently built.
Diagonally opposite from the Meth
odist church is the Presbyterian church,
at the corner of Colorado street and
Worcester avenue. tits the largest build
ing in the town, and has some fine archi-
tectural features. The approach to it
had been beautifed with rare plants,
palms and Expresses and magnificent
lawn. The storm caught hold on the
exposed part OF the spire and tore away
the entire top, hurling the fragments
down on the lawn and destroying all
the landscape gardening OF the ap-
proach. The interior of the church
luckily escaped serious damage, only
the walls OF the belfry tower having
been badly cracked.
AS thorough wreck, however,
as was caused by the tempest, was the
destruction of the Christian church on
Delacey street. The building was ex-
posed to the wind without any object in
tervening, and after groaning for several
hours it suddenly fell fiat, the side walls
falling inward, and the roof toppling
down upon them. The furniture was
almost entirely demolished, even the or
gan being crushed in the collapse. The
ruins were sad sight to contemplate.
Almost as completely wrecked was the
North Congregational church, on Ray
mond avenue, near the Painter hotel.
Its broadside was also exposed to the
wind, and the building was actually
razed to the ground.
| All of these churches are more or less
| in debt, and the results of the storm
leave them in deplorable condition
All day yesterday members of the diff
ferent congregations gathered about the
ruins to gaze with sorrow upon theil
| beloved houses of God.
THE LOSS IN CITRUS FRUIT.
The damage to the citrus crops in the
l