The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-09-24
WIDE Path OF RUIN.
Storm Spreads Destruction In
Eastern Pennsylvania.
LIGHTNING STRIKES A CHURCH
And Nearly Causes Panic In n SCHOOL,
house Close By-Many Persons Have
Narrow Escapes - Much Damage Done
to Buildings and Fruit Trees.

PHILADELPHIA. Sept. 19.-The storm
of wind, hail and rain which has swept
over the eastern part of Pennsylvania
was the most severe that has visited
this section in a long time Scores OF
buildings were unroofed, some of them
ruined, thousands OF panes of window.
glass and many skylights being shat.
tered, while the apple and other late
crops were almost destroyed. The storm
was most severe in Chester, Montgom.
cry, Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Lycom-
ing counties.
Hatfield, about three miles north of
Lansdale, has been visited by destruc-
tive storm. Fortunately no lives were
lost. Scarcely a house in the town es-
capped without more or less injury and
the village has dilapidated appear.
ance, The damage done is variously es-
timated at from $50, 900 to $4,000
Isaac Hendrickson of Philadelphia,
who was engaged in erecting wind
mill at the residence of George Snyder,
had narrow escape from instant
death. AT the time the storm broke he
was working on the tower, about 40 feet
high. He noticed the storm coming,
but it travelled so rapidly that he was
unable to reach the ground before he
was hurled down by the wind, the scat
folding upon which he was standing be-
ing reduced to pile of twisted iron and
timber. Mr.. Hendrickson was uncon-
scious for time and was badly bruised
Reports received from Shenandoah
state that all the apple orchards in the
Catawassie valley have been stripped of
their fruit. Three thousand panes of
glass were broken.
In Williamsport and vicinity great
damage was done. George Weikel, q
farmer, was killed by lightning while
at work III his cornfield. A portion of
the Williamsport rolling mill was blown
down, and every window on the north
and west sides of the big Central avenue
school building was broken. Fruit
trees in the Blake Hole valley were
stripped of fruit.
AT Picture Rock, Lycoming county,
lightning struck the Baptist church,
wrecking the spire, passing from there
to the main roof, tearing a large hole in
the roof. a panic was narrowly averted
in the public school building which
stands close to the church. The pupils
were all more or less affected by the
stroke. Some of them were knocksd
from their seats and one girl was in
sensible for some time. At Burrows
Bros. d Co.'S furniture factory bolt
of lightning came in the part of the
factory where the machinery is located,
and knocked several of the workmen
down.
AT Mahanoy City hailstones the size
OF baseballs fell thick with terrible ve-
locity, smashing thousands of window
panes and causing several runaways.
Hundreds of poorly-clad children are
without the protection of win
dow panes and shingle roofs
AT Bloomsbury, Columbia county,
windows were broken in all parts of
the town-in fact there is not one house
that was not damaged in some way
Roofs, slate and shingle, look as though
missiles measuring two or three inches
in diametet were fired through them.
The Bloomsbury carpet mill, the nor.
NAL school buildings, the silk mill, the
Novelty works, the brass and copper
building and nearly all the
business houses are damaged more or
less and windows broken.