The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-09-24
VOL. 81
A DESTRUCTIVE STORM.
A veritable Kansas Storm Visits Blooms.
burg.
DESTRUCTION HERETOFORE UNKNOWN

The most destructive storm that
ever visited this section arrived here
last Thursday afternoon. A few
minutes past three o'clock the sun
became obscured, and Immediately
afterward the wind blew gale, which
was accompanied by terrific peals of
thunder and vivid flashes of lightning
and in less time almost than it takes
to write it, the rain descended in
sheets, accompanied by a downfall of
hail, some of which were as large as
eggs. Whilst the storm was terrific in
this place, yet the force appeared to
have been expended at, and in the
neighborhood of Espy, a village two
miles east of uc. Indeed at this late
writing it is almost impossible to COM
pute the damage. 1t seemed to travel
in a comparatively narrow strip
and did not extend further north
than Light Street, south beyond
Rupert, nor east beyond Willow
Grove A canvass of the town reveals
the following destruction: The Magee
Carpet works had twenty-eight hun
dred panes ofglass broken, which with
the damage to the roof will entail a
loss of one thousand dollars. Mr.. 7.
l.. Dillon will sustain loss at his
green house of fully five thousand
dollars caused by the breaking of his
acres of glass, whilst the damage to
his growing plants can not be esti-
mated. The green house of Bryfogle
Bros, below town escaped the severity
of the storm and but about four hun
dred glass were broken. AT the Key
stone Machine shop, in addition to
breaking nearly all the glass, the large
stack was blown down.
The Silk Mill, Woolen Mill, School
Furnishing Company, Elevator Plant
and Furniture works had all the
windows facing the north blown in,
and at the Brass and Copper plant,
in addition to running all the windows,
the roof and sky light was damaged TO
such an extent as to cause a new one
to be placed on the same.1 In fact
there was not building in the town
escaped the ravage ofthe storm. Many
persons when they saw the storm
coming closed the blinds of their
houses and the force of the storm can
be imagined when we say that not
only were they broken but the windows
as well. The large plate glass in the
front window of this Office was broken
close to the frame, and the Normal
school suffered a loss, about six hun
dred large panes of glass. Neither
were the churches exempt from the
effects the storm, as they were near
ly all sufferers to greater or less
degree. In Mount Pleasant and
Scott township the leaves were strip
ped from the trees and houses and
barns unroofed.
1t is estimated that the damage
done will reach fully 100000, In
Columbia County alone. Dozens OF
houses, barns and out building were
unroofed, hundreds of fine fruit trees
blown over, fences leveled, thousands
and thousands of window panes
broken, shutters damaged, crops and
fruit ruined and even the interior OF
public and private buildings drenched
with water, and furniture, carpets,
plastering, &c, badly damaged.
All day Saturday people were busy
repairing roofs, buildings and putting
in glass and up to the time of going
to press the damage has not been
repaired owing to the want of glass
and the scarcity of glaziers.
The Bloomsburg Poor District
suffered the following loss: 80 old and
young turkeys, IS chickens, $50
bushels buckwheat, all the cabbage
5000 heads), all the apples goo
bushels), slate roof on mems building,
TIN roof on woman's building, 7 boxes
OF glass OKLA and oxIa, shingle roofs
on wash house, Ice house, kitchen,
wood house, wagon shed and barn
requiring about SO thousand shingles
and fears of the loss of all the un-
thrashed grain in the barn by the
continued storms, as the water is run,
nlng down into the stables, grain in
barn about IS bu. rye, 500 bu.. oat:
and 200 bu. wheat, also 20 accfes O.
hne growing wheat in the ground.
All in all, it was an experience that
we hope we shall never be called upor
to pass through again.
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