Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-05-29

niyersary of the great hail storm OF
May 2Sth. 1869, which inflicted an es-
timated loss of two hundred thousand
dollars on the upper portion OF TINS
city and surrounding country on Doth
sides of the river Thousands CT cur
people remember the calamity, but 10
other thousands the facts will ap-
pear as a particularly ornate piece or
fiction. Like the flood Of 1884, people
who did not see the great hail storm
cannot realize how bad it was.
The storm came little after three
o'clock in the afternoon, after cay
of great heat. which was particularly
intense from noon until nearly three
o'clock. Then a few heavy clouds be-
gan 10 pile up in the west. and n0ftn-
west. and the air grew sultry ana SUI
fling. The western and northwestern
clouds grew heavier and assuming a
dark green tint. showed a disposition
TO unite into one pOrtentious mass. ana
as they finally touched and began 10
amalgamate there came a blast OF ICY
air. followed by a dash of cold ram.
Then the storm broke in its fury the
wind assuming the force Of a tornado,
and the air was filled in moment Win
shingles. boards, bricks, fragments OF
Tin roofs. and movable objects gener-
ally. Many chimney tops were torn
off. awnings were threshed into tat
ters the displays Of Main street dry
goods merchants were whirled into the
streets. and hats, parasols. waste pa
per and such like things filled the ar
This wind lasted but a couple OF MIN
utes. but wrought fearful havoc, ana
then came the hail.
It was by no means the ordinary dash
of hail. in which the stones are OF the
size of marbles or smaller, and which
lasts for two or three minutes. but
chunks of ice fell from the size or
plums to base balls. and they came
down bv the ton. They battered roofs
IN pieces. smashed tens Of thousands
of windows. set horses frantic, cut and
bruised human beings, leaving several
men unconscious. and wrought general
destruction. The fury nj the s'orm
lasted for fifteen Oh twenty mrutes'
followed by a deluge of rain, and then
the sky cleared and the sunset was
fine. -
But what ruin had been left behind?
North of the creek as far as the north
ern limits of the city, there was scarce
" a whole pane of glass on the west or
north side of any building. Plate glass
windows. even. were shattered. ana
hundreds of rooms were as wet as
though a fire hose had been turned IN
at the windows. On Main street, from
Twelfth to the stone bridge, hail ana
water stood three feet deep, while IN
places there were piles and ridges OF
hail on the street five feet high. Many
cellars were filled to the level Of the
street with hail. washed in by the flood
of water which could find no outlet
through the choked sewers, and at John
Weltv's grocery. as an example, on
Market square. the cellar was full or
hail to the joists week after the
storm. and it had to be dug out ana
carried away in carts. Many other bus
mess men were in the same fix.
The wind which came with the hail
did enormous damage. At the First
ward school the west side OF the build
ing was torn out: the roof Of the Balti-
more and Ohio depot was rolled up Ike
a scroll and swept off the building INTO
the street: the steamer Hudson was
torn loose from the wharf. and whirled
across the river. and the fact that the
boat had steam up alone saved it from
destruction: the Martins Ferry boat
was caught in the wind, and nearly
lost. and a horse and buggy was blown
overheard and the horse drowned; at
the Cathedral the handsome stained
glass windows were involved in the
common ruin, while at the Grant
House not pane Of glass was left.
One of the men caught in the storm
was Daniel Thornburg, and he was
terribly cut and bruised by the chunks
of ice. and Robert Sweeney Jared al
most as badly. while many others were
seriously hurt. either by falling hail
stones or glass. The horse street cars
were banged out of shape, and had TO
be abandoned in the streets, when
were turned into torrents OF mingled
ice and water. In the country north
west of the city. and particularly in
the vicinity of Clinton, the storm was
equally terrific. great trees being torn
ont bv the roots and growing crops
utterly destroyed yet few squares
south of the creek, there was no hail,
ard in the Eighth ward people could
not believe the reports. until belated
street cars began TO come along win
every window wrecked and the wood
work mashed and broken.
II was a fearful visitation OF the
weather man. and one which eye-wit-
nesses will not forget as long as they
live.