Smyrna times., 1895-07-03
A Ten Hour Thunderstorm.
MILL DAMS BROKEN, BRIDGES WASHED
AWAY, &C.

On Saturday the mercury was $50
and the humidity 940 condition of
the weather conducive to a heavy rain
fall, but no one expected such an one
as directly followed, much worse in
this LOCALITY, from what Ye hRar and
read in the papers, than anywhere else,
1t was q continuous thunder storm of
ten or eierea hours, feat in the line of
thunder storms that in the memory of
our oldest people is without parallel.
Those who were up after midnight say
the rain began mildly about one
o'clock; at two o'clock it was more
manifest in both rain and electrical
disturbance, aud at :hreJ O'Clock had
developed into fall force arousing the
heavy sleepers from ther slumbers and
disquieting the usual long Sunday
morning nap.
From three o'clock to eight, a period
of five hours, there was not minute
when the decorating sound of thunder
vas uob heafd Fortunately II was
not of the splitting, crashing kind in
| dicating that the bolt was tearing
| through your house or that oE your
neighbOF, but at Is respectable, il not a
safe distance. There was space enough
between the bright fash and the re-
| port to indicate that it was a little dis
tance off, though the roll of the heav-
enly artillery might come with such
reverberating power from the clouds
lwhpre II seemed TO copfne itself as
to at times rattle the windows and
make the timid think the house was
shaken.
There was absolutely no wind
all this time and the clouds and cleo
trical points seemed to be stationary
for hours. There was, however, some
movement, as was manifest about
eight o'clock, when the cloud indicat-
ing the most aGtige agencies which had
apparently from the early dawn been
hanging over Kenton Hundred, passed
slowly to the eastward with the heav-
lest rainfall of the morning.
Though the rain was intermitting, it
never ceased, nor did the thunder.
About nine o'clock with renewed
showers there was indication Of q
light breeze from the west end posi-
bic clearing, but 1t increased rather
than diminished, and at the time indi-
Gated by the bells for church gong,
the clouds were letting 60 their con.
tents in fury The large congregation
that usually assemblies at the Metho,
dist church was reduced to 20, and the
other churches less number.
Finally, at about half-past eleven
o'clock, the clouds parted and the sun
came out, but the thunder, whose roll
for ten or eleven hours had become O
familiar sound, was heard after the
clock struck twelve. AS before said
it was without parallel for duration
but there have been many more dam
aging.
Some who had buckets out estimated
the rainfall of the morning at three or
four inches. The culvert at the "foul
corners" could not vent the water, and
. the new cellar at the Raymond corner
: was again partly overrun,
The flood gates at the Smyrna and
Denpey mills on either side of the
town, had to be drawn all day, passing
through an immense volume of water
, The lOwland on the Pryor farm, In hay
and truck, was submerged in two OF
three feet of muddy water.
Several bridges on the Thoroughfart
Neck road were washed away near the
residence of Andrew Spear, causing
persons coming to town to do so bS
way of Smyrna Landing.
The causeway at Green's Branch, on