Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-10-01
TUESDAY NIGHTS
AWFUL STORM.
Great Damage Inflicted in the
Eastern Part Of Pennsylvania
and in Other States. y
A LARGE BRIDGE WRECKED
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company's
Heavy Loss al Columbia.
FATAL ACCIDENT NEAR READING
Two Men Killed and Several
Injured.

hsh al muir lhst nignC InlB CITY and
county were subjected to the seyerest
wind storm ever known here. 1t is
Impossible TO form any estimate of
the number of buildings wholly or
partly demolished or the monetary
extent OF the. damage. The greatest
single loss ia that of the Pennsylvania
railroad bridge across the Susquebanna
at Columbia, nothing being left of 1t
Out tine piers, the iron span In the
middle and the'frst span at each end.
ihe bridge was mile and guar ter
long and was said to be the biggest
covered bridge in the world. In This
city large number of buildings were
partly demolished and unroofed and The
streets Uttered With debris. Telegraph
and telephone wires throughout lie
county are down or badly tangled, but
from the meagre accounts thus far
received the country sections must
have suffered yet more severely than
the city. From every part come re-
ports of tobacco sheds DESTROYED.
schoolhouses and churches damaged
and private residences unroofed.
A farmer named John Wilmer was
driving to market this morning, when
his horse stepped ON a broken tele
phone wire just east of the city and
was killed, the wire having been
crossed with an electric light or trolley
wire.
The Lancaster & Columbia Electric
railway is completely tied up, the
trolley wire being reported down nearly
the entire distance, while the tracks
are blocked with trees and other
debris.
Columbia appears to have suffered
more than any other section of the
county. The people became terror
stricken and left the upper stories of
their homos until the storm snbsided.
The damage in the borough il estimated
at half million dollars. The streets,
this morning, were filled with portions
of the wrecked buildings. Not one of
the many big manufacturing plants
along the river escaped injury. The
remains OF the bridge, which was lifted
bodily from the piers, lie in the river
above the piers. When il was carried
away cries for help we're distinctly
heard coming from it, but it was i'm
possible to search the ruine Diigent
examination is being made to-day by
the aid OF hoats, but 80 far without
success. Two men are reported to have
gone down with the bridge, but this
remains unconfrmed. IL is known
that tickets were sold up to within 30
minutes before the bridge was des.
troyed, but il the purchasers hurried
they would have reached the other
side in safety. The bridge was built
in 1863 and cost about 81, 600, 600.
The street car stables in that city
were also demolished and Weimer's
machine works were badly damaged.
The storm throughout the Lebanon
valley apparently was not as severe as
in this county. The loss OF the Col
umbia bridge is a severe blow to the
Pennsylvania railroad, which has sent
all its through freight to Baltimore
and Southern points over the Frederick
division and consequently over this
bridge.
Marietta, three miles above Colum.
bia, also suffered severely from the
storm, Center Hall, the Catholic
Church and several of the large manu-
featuring plants being the principal
sufferers. The people OF that place say
that when the storm struck them the
water in the river rolled up in such
a manner that it sounded like the
banks OF the canal had broken and all
the water of the canal rushed out at
once. Owing to their construction the
number OF tobacco sheds destroyed is
largely out of proportion to the other
buildings, and as most of tho sheds
were filed with the newly gathered
crop OF this year the loss among the
tobacco farmers will be very heavy.
This years. crop was generally conceded
to have been the best raised in this
county for many years and the growers
were counting on getting good prices
for 1t.
FATALITIES NEAR READING.
Reading. Pa, Sept. 30 AT 2 O'Clock
this morning the cast house of the
Temple furnace, at Temple station, five
miles above Reading, was blown down
by the wind aud nearly dozen work
men were buried in the ruins. The
wind blew perfect gale and the large
building collapsed without warning.
The men were pinned down by the
heavy timbers and it was some time
before they could be reached.
Killed-Edward Rismiller and Samuel
Trout.
Injured - William Collar, Joseph
,Rothenberger, Harry Becker, William
Schadler and William Merit.
All Of the injured are badly hurt and
it is believed some of them will! die.
COLLISION ON THE HUDSON.
Newburgh, N. Y, Sept. 30. During a
terrific storm on the river at 2 o'clock
this morning the passenger propellor
Redfield, from New York for Hudson,
collided with the tugboat Edwin Terry
of the Cornell Steamboat Co., which
was towing the barge Enterprise. The
accident occurred off Gold Spring.
Pilot George Hammond and Steward
Robert Roosa, both of the tug Terry,
were seriously injured. The Redfield
was beached Oh the fats off Gold
Spring.
GREAT DESTRUCTION IN GEORGIA.
Savannah, Ga, Sept. 30.-A terrific
storm struck this section last night
Eight lives are reported lost and the
property loss is sid to exceed a
million dollars. Fl lly building in
this city escaped Without damage and
many are total wrecks. The loss OF
life and damage to property outside OF
this city will probably DO great.
Telephone communication with
Brunswick was established at an carly
hour this morning The loss of life at
that place lie reported to be five in
, number The property loss there is
said to exceed $500, 900. Wallace John
son was killed by falling roof. W. }.
Thompson was killed by the wrecking
OF A. s. Bacon's lumber mill. -Four
negroes were killed In house on