The Republican journal., 1897-07-22
Last Weeks Storm
A Summer Gale of Unusual Severity, with Its
Attendant Wrecks and Disasters.

The storm of Tuesday and Wednesday.
July 18th and 18th, was the worst July
storm New England has seen for many
years. All along the coast there was a
terrific sea and some disasters are report
ed, though not SO numerous as might be
expected, as the vessels had sought
shelter.
All over New England the rainfall was
heavy while the wind reached hurricane
velocity. The rivers were swollen and
great damage to crops is reported In
some places accidents occurred involving
loss of life, and wreck is reported at the
mouth of the kennebec in which one life
was lost.
The storm seems to have been the cul-
mination of the extended spell of hot
weather, although in but few localities
was there. ANY electrical manifestations.
From reports received from all over
New England it seems that the storm was
most severe along the valley of the Con-
necticut river, and that the storm centre
moved slowly up the river from New
Haven to the Canadian line, being central
over Quebec Wednesday night, while to the
south and east of the storm centre the
southerly and southeastly winds reached
the velocity of a gale. The remarkable
1OdlulG VI lIlC StOIul Was LIE tremendous
downpour of rain. Such torrents of
water as have fallen at New Haven, Hart
ford, Springfield and throughout Yer
mont and New Hampshire have not been
experienced for many years. In many
instances the rainfall exceeded the aver
age precipitation for quarter Of year.
Rivers, which had almost subsidized into
brooks by the usual summer d1yness, sud-
denly 6y-a1finual thpjv bop1-c Il
ont over the lowlands into vast seas. and
sweeping away thousands upon thousands
of tons of hay all ready for the barns. Small
brooks which We're fast becoming trick
ling rivulets swelled into mighty streams
that carried away bridges and small
structures along their banks.
Fruit trees were also heavy sufferers,
being weighted down not only with the
growing crop, but with the heavy moist
ure, and the wind in many cases broke off
great quantities of green boughs.
Along the main lines Of railroads the
traffic was delayed almost as much as by
a heavy winter S snow, by reason of nu-
merous washouts and great boulders roll
ing on the track.
The mosquito fleets which at this time
of the year fill every little inlet along the
coast, from New 1ork to PASSPORT, suffer
ed greatly through Juggling and straining
at their cables, and not a few of the boats
went crashing into others as they We're
driven upon the beach. Half dozen of
the larger craft broke up ON the rocks.
Highland Light, at the end of Cape Cod,
saw schooner go to pieces ON the treach-
erous sands, the crew happily reaching
land. Seguin Light saw another schooner
go on the rocks off Cape Small Point.
At Crescent Beach little Maine coast
er lies high and dry while Bucksport also
reported schooner on shore. Only the
hardest of the coasting steamers ventur-
ed out, and those coming into port all re.
ported tempestuous weather.
In fact, nearly every service was more
or less crippled-telegraph, telephone,
railroad and steamboat lines-by this
summer shower which developed into a
storm equaling West Indian hurricane.
And it will be many days before New
England will have recovered from the
effects of the blow.