Smyrna times., 1897-07-28
THE COUNTRY STORM-SWEPT
FOUR HAIL STORMS FRIDAY AFTER.
NOON.

delays in threshing and slight damage
to wheat by the prolonged wet spell,
but not so. Friday afternoon after
two days of sunshine, gave us
cyclonic storm that exceeded at least
in hail anything that the town had
had for years.
Smyrna was not alOue, for it seemed
to cover a wide extent of country, in
a cloud which came from the North and
swept on down to the lower end of this
Peninsula, and we know not how
much further. The first record of it
was from New York, at four o'clock,
with wind, hail and rain, the papers
speaking of the city as "stOrm-swept. :"
1t struck Philadelphia at half-past
four most violently, with wind, hail
and rain, the papers requiring four to
five columns to record the destruction
of trees, &c. Baltimore seems not to
have been reached, but Pennsylvania
and New Jersey were, hail being an
accompaniment everywhere with the
cyclOnic wind.
When first seen, about 3 o'clock at
the north, it looked like a small storm.
Before reaching us, however, when
hanging over ThorOughfare Neck be-
tween half-past four and five o'clock,
it attracted much more attention than
ordinary because of its peculiar aspect
rapid ascent of steam-like clouds,
twisting and whirling, in one case
forming a regular funnel. Shortly
before five o'clock a tongue thrust out
and in advance of the storm cloud OF
wind and ram, stretched across the
town and dropped down here and there
big hail stone, like the bang of &
bullet or briekbat thrown by boy
against the house. These falling just
before the wind came, fell dowr
straight on the roof and broke no
glasses. Fortunately they did not fal
thick. The largest were the size o.
door knobs, one measuring two inches
across it, from that on down to the sizt
of hickory nuts. They were more
nearly the size of hulled walnuts
They were only fOrerunners and stop
ped when the rain came. There wer,
three heavy showers after this, all o
which were accompanied with hail an(
cyclonic bursts of wind, four in all o
hail, but these last were much less il
size, the damage coming from tn,
wind and excessive waterfall. This
however, was more apparent than real
five or six trees only being destroyed
Two of these were in L. NJ. Price
yard and fine shade tree at the hom
of Miss Jennie Moore, half q squar
below. Four of the shade trees at tn
ascent of the hill at Odd Fellows
cemetery were toppled over. The top
of these were cut out and next da
Strengthened l..) with block and fall
At Belmont Hall three of the larg
trees that stood at the rear were blow
down. One of them crushed down tn
"wash house" that was more import
ant in its Colonial days. Several tree
were also uprooted in the grove.
ThOrOughfare Neck caught the stOrr
in greater fury than Smyrna. Bot
: the wind and hail were worse, man
trees being prOstrated and in som
places the corn was badly cut by th
D hail. The fury of the storm may b
imagined from the fact that ten-foC
: chimney at the residence of of WilliaI
D Collins fell on the roof, and the fan
= lily did not know it until after th
storm was over. At Fleming's Land
/ ing the noise by the falling hail on th
/, roof made some of the teams almos
/; unmanageable. The gable end of til
, residence of James L. David wa
struck with lightning and knocked il
f and his daughter, young lady, rel
}. dered unconscious for time.
t Bombay Hook island was almos
e ruined in its corn crop, or so it seemed
S but one field escaping, that at IL
/ lower end of the island. John Co
says the ground at his place was whi
= like winter, with the icy pebble
VIM. Perry's corn, at Woodland Beacl
looks ruined.
i The barn at the residence of H.
II Hartman, this side of the island, wG
struck and fired, losing besides h
e crop of hay, salt meats, two loads
q wheat not stacked, calf, farm impl
# ments, &c. Loss between $500 an
'. 5000. The building wss insured
IT the American for $500, with w.
f. HOfecker. The worst vein of I'll
|, storm was right across the Neck
le mile or two above Woodland Beac
/. though it was bad enough there. III
Ie wheat in the field of John Gooden, {
d a Peterson farm, was all blown to
e division fence, and some carried ov
le and across another field. On Robe
le Rawley's farm, in the same vicinit
t, in an apple orchard of 100 trees,
IL we've destroyed, and of 1S fine pc
De trees only one was left.
IL AS before said, the rain came in Sc
: eral showers, lasting between five al
,s seven o'clock. In many places bO
:. shade and fruit trees were blow
n- down. Thoroughfare Neck receiv
nj the storm first, and had the worst of
II The rainfall, in addition the hail, W
4. prodigious, washing away bridges, al
is scalding the corn in the low groun
10 from the excess of water.
IN At "Glenfern," d. J. Cummir
,d farm near town, the vineyard was
"a mOlished and peach orchard torn
pieces, and the forty-acre cornfield
"a J. p. Hoffecker's farm over the ro
r. was badly twisted and broken, t
n tenant, Mr.. Slaughter, says.
The corn fields in all directions,
of the farmers expressed it, looked til
4, day as if a roller had passed ov
! them, but by Monday they had most
Il. come up and, though crooked, look
ns fresh and green.
D 1t looked for some time as if I
= neighborhoOd of Blackiston's and j