The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-09-30
VERY DISASTROUS STORM +!
Unequaled in Severity IN This Section
OF the Country.
MANY HOUSES WERE BLOWN DOWN
A Breaker Also Toppled over and Then
Caught Fire-school Houses and
Churches Also suFer-Ashland
Suffered Greatly.

/
at home, as the weather was Of genuine
cyclonic character and would have toyed
with their distinguishing growths with
homelike velocity The storm was even
more severe than the recent hail storm that
wrecked so many thousand panes of glass
The gales were snorters and left unmistak
able traces of their trails in all parts Of the
town this morning. The path of the storm
was a wide one and reports of damage came
in from all parts of the county to-day 1t is
| seldom that gales blow down houses in this
region, but they did it last night at Lost
Creek and Ashland No houses were blown
down in this town, although several
narrowly escaped that fate. Fortunately no
loss of life is reported from any point.
Appearances this morning indicated that
the town rested in the direct path of a
genuine cyclone last night. Many buildings
were stripped of their coverings chimneys
were wrecked trees were twisted and stripped
and the streets were covered with debris. 1t
will take few thousand dollars to repair the
damage. The storm was most severe be-
tween the hours of l and 2 this morning.
The gales shook buildings like cradles and
many people became so much alarmed that
they left their beds and dressed themselves,
ready to rush upon the streets should the
worst come. To add to their fright, when
the storm seemed to be the worst the fire
alarm bell rang, but there was only one tap.
1t was caused by the crossing of wires.
1t would be impossible to detail all the
damage done by the storm, it was so general.
| The tin coverings on the roofs of Maurice
Morrison's hotel on East Centre street. and
one of the Egan buildings, ON the same
street, were blown clean Off. The same
damage was done to the house of Joseph
Raimes, on South Main street. The roof of
the electric light station at the southern end
of Main screet was also badly ripped and one
of the tall SMOKE stacks was tilted over
dangerously. The tin covering from
the Morrison building was ripped in
twain, one part falling on Union
street to the east and the other drop
ping down into an alley to the north.
The covering from the Egan building was
caught by group of trolley, electric light
and other wires and held suspended twenty
feet above the street. 1t was an object Of
much attention for several hours to-day.
Two chimneys on the Egan building were
also blown down. The cross on the Greek
Catholic church. on West Centre street, was
carried from the steeple. 1t made big hole
in the roof of the church in its fall to the
ground. Much of. the slate roofing of the
was carried away and some of the slate
smashed windows in the residence of Samuel
Roberts on the opposite side of the street.
The slate roofs of E. ]. Brennan's buildings
on Poplar street were also badly damaged
and the Shenandoah Steam Laundry build
ing was badly ripped. The grape arbor at
Thomas Baird's residence was blown down.
A whole sash was carried out of a window of
the German Lutheran church. A tree about
six inches in diameter in front of the Hess
property, on West Lloyd street, was twisted
like a corkscrew. The tin covering of a roof
at the Shenandoah Lumber & Feed Com
pany's yard was ripped off and carried to the
Lehigh Valley railroad and one Of the sheds
at Fowler's East Coal street yard was blown
down. The roofs of five or six houses at the
flats, on West Coal street lost their coverings.
The Valley and other points west of town
suffered greatly. The new school house at
Preston No. was blown down and destroyed,
and fragments of it were carried to Girard-
vile by the gales. The rear wall of the new
school at house at Girardville was blown
down.
At Lost Creek house near Moons crossing
of the electric road was blown upside down.
All members of the family were in bed at
the time and miraculously escaped injury.
northwest of Mt. Carmel, was blown down
and subsequently consumed by fire.
The Catholic church at Locust Gap was also
blown down, but escaped fire.
The front of DR.. Donahue's drug store at
Girardville was blown in and wrecked and
and the sush trough at the VIM. Penn col
liery was blown down. 1t had just been re-
paired after having suffered damage from the
hail storm.
Ashland was right in the teeth of the
storm No less than fifty houses were un-
rooted resident who watched the effects
from window says he saw roof carried up
and down the Main street for distance of
over a hundred feet three times before the
roof finally settled down upon the street
One roof rafters and all, was carried clean
across a street, over another building and
buried itself in the roof of a second building.
The Buck and Hoover warehouses and the
coffin factory were badly wrecked. small
stable was carried some distance and then
dropped roof down, A pony was in it and
when found by the owner was found with its
back wedged against the roof, but the
animal was comparatively uninjured.
Reports from Pottsville state that there is
hardly a square that did not contribute
wreckage to the effects of the storm One
house was unrOofed.
Ringtown also suffered severely from the
storm From fifteen to twenty houses were
unroofed and the steeple Of the White
church was blown down.
, At Wiggans 100 feet of Pennsylvania sta
ton shed was blown down and at Fackville
the roofs Of several houses were carried away
by the gales. One house which had been
partly erected was completely destroyed
No damage was done at Gilberton and
Delano escaped.
The storm demoalized the telegraph and
telephone systems. Many wires were blown
down and the only means by which tele-