The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-04-21
THE sHIRKsHIRE OF 1893.

THE SHIRKSHIRE OF 1898.
Yesterday afternoon a. storm came
down upon Bennington from the Green
Mountains, that rapidly developed the
dimensions of what is locally known as a
| "Shirkshire." These storms are not
| usual in April, but were supposed from
former experiences to belong to the au-
t INN and winter nor this. The wind COZ
tinued to rise during the afternoon and
evening, with falling temperature, and
at midnight developed alarming proper
tions. At sunrise this morning the tenn
| pest, worn out with its Is hours raging,
suddenly died away and warn day has
ensued with pleasant skies. The rain of
yesterday was accompanied by cutting
sleet reminding one of grim winter.
When people in this section arose and
| looked out of doors the sight was enc to
be remembered. In this Village the walks
and streets were strewn with branches
of trees, in many places trees were up
rooted, roofs were off, chimneys down,
barns overturned and other damages
appeared. We give partial list of some
of the moro prominent examples: The
weaUher-vane of the Graded school build
| ing gone from it's tower, the flag staff
broken in two, and the upper half gently
repOsing in the branches of two trees
suspended in mid-air. At the Soldiers
Home seventy of the largest trees OF the
grove and grounds are down. The large
chimney Of the wooden mill is Frustrated,
and the chimneys of Hearts and other
houses in that vicinity demolished, the
roofs denuded of slate, etc. The wagon
shed, fence and out buildings of Frank
| Sullivan, corner of River and Mill street,
were blown completely into the river. A
large tree fell upon theIh use Iof John Lee,
breaking in the roof, and cracking all
the crockery in the house. Fortunately
we hear of no one injured. A large elm fell
upon the tenant house of the Maj. Brown
estate. between, North and School streets,
demolishing windows, and but for the in
torpositonlof another tree, would probably
have crushed in the roof.
The plank sidewalk, running the entire
north side of Hillside Avenue, was lifted
bodily, taking south and left bottomside
uppermost in front of the residence of
H. S. Bingham and A. p. Childs. The
chimneys of Mr.. Bingham's house were
also injured. The ''oobblestone' house
occupied by Maj. Frost, corner of Silver
and Union streets, was partly demOlish-
ed, one side being unable to withstand
the force of the wind. Up on Grand
View Terrace. barn for J. Ed. Wal
| bridge had been put up and covered. 1t
was overturned. The house fortunately
for the pocketbook was not yet up. The
damage to shade trees and yards is most
apparent at the residence of VIM. E.
Hawks, North street; Col. DIN Scott's
head of Pleasant street; A. G. Patch
ems, Main street, although there is
scarcely yard in town that does not go
fer the loss Of one or more tr~ -
east of the village les; AT tne
Ialin , md occupied by Jas. Davis,
: was considerably injured, and the barn
was overturned and entirely demolished
On Branch street the slate roof of one of
the new dwellings of the Austin sisters"
was blown off and hitting the other dwell
| ling did good deal of damage. The tin
roof on the residence of the Misses Park
Pleasant street, was ''rolled OFF, as neat
as you please and with ''noise enough to
awaken the dead" Hundreds of instan-
ces more might be quoted. People
were pretty generally kept awake
by the raging of the elements,
and there was little rest in
their rocking beds. During the storm
the fire alarm rang from Boxes No. 30
and No. 80, the former at $50 and the
latter at Z O'Clock, but no damage en-
sued. The burning chimneys were in
both instances extinguished without the
department, which, however, was
promptly on hand.
Out in the country orchards are com
pletely uprooted in places; Others with
scarcely tree standing, and in the path
of the storm our neighbors Jared no bet
ter than we did. In SALISBURY, Sylves-
ter Hawkins had = barn blown over, kill
ing one horse and other stock, and the
new house of G. P. Montgomery was
overturned.
People of course refer TO former storms
of this kind, and naturally to the one
10 years ago when the steeple of the
Second Congregational church, then
partly completed, was blown over upon
the house occupied by Clark Rice.
That was a severe cyclonic storm, but an
inventory of the damage done last night
seems to evidence that the "Shirkshire
of 1897 exceeded that of 1874. The
occasion few years later than the last
date, when the Baptist church steeple
was demolished that of the old build
ing), is cited as the last great storm
prior to yesterdays. But the writer,
who was here then, has never seen a
"shirkshire'' where so many panes OF
glass are out, roofs damaged, and such
general destruction manifest as that OF
this morning.