Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-08-05
SATURDAYS SEVERE STORM
Wilmington and Its Vicinity
Considerably Damaged.
LIGHTNING, RAIN, HAIL AND. WIND
Some of the Icy Balls Larger
Than Walnuts.

Than WalnutS.
Hot Houses Nearly Ruined, Windows
Broken and Other Disastrous Results
superstitious Coiored People Frightened;
Thought the End of the World Had Come.
Hail, rain and wind did considerable
damage in Wilmington on Saturday
afternoon between 4. 80 and $40 o'clock
The rain and wind were Of unusual /
severity, while the hail, which fell for |
fully 10 minutes, was larger, 10 many |
y instances, than walnuts. The storm was |
\ heralded by an electrical disturbance |
in a heavily cluuded sky. One of the |
flashes of lightning struck tree in Old |
Swedes churchyard, splitting it for it's
entire length. Another struck curb
stone in front Of John Mays saloon, in
South Wilmington, damaging it and
Y killing some ducks.
The greatest damage, however. WAS
lbfrom hail. Every hot housa in and near
X the city suffered. In some every pane
OF glass was broken. while the plants
within were in some cases almost
5uined. Fruits and vegetables were also
N sdamaged, whilo many flower gardens
were sorry spectacles after the etorm
had passed over. This descending hail
Btones frightened horses and there were
several runaways. Several people we're
!, also struck and slightly injured. Among
the superstitioua people, negroea in
particular there was conformation Tor
time, and it was reported that some
were so badly frightened that it was
feared they would lose their reason.
The presence OF such an unusual storm
caused some to believe that they had
come to the end oil their existence on
this terrestrial ball.
The bicycle rHces on the Riverview
track were finished and consequently
were not interfered With, hut there
were several games of base.ball which
were at their height and the players
had a grsat time running for shelter.
which in some cases was considerable
distance off.
AT the p, W. e. B. railroad machine
chops the glass panes in the skylights
were broken and some OF. the workmen
were slightly injured by pieces OF glaas,
One of the skylights in Harry Yerger' s
studio, at No. 4l9 Shipley street. was
broken, although -the glass was three
eghths OF an inch thick. Glass was
broken at the car shops and the Office
OF The Harlan s. l1ollingsworth Go. a
screen was torn off the door Of barber
chop IN South Wilmington. A window
was broken in the Grand Union Hote
barber shop. Numerous panss OF glast
were broken at the hot houses d
Gharlns e. Sparks, on Walnut. stree
7f' between Second and Third; Harry p.
Potter, Twenty y-fourth and Marke
streets: James j. HHgeerty. No. 16it
(, West Sixth street; Nj. +. Hayden, OF
: the Newport turnpike; J., f. Baylis
ON the Philadelphia turnpike, and a
the McComb conservatory, at Twelfth
md Market streets. Glass was als
broken at the High School, the morocc'
factories of Mitchell & Thomas and th
American Leather CO. at the grocer.
store of T. M. Weir, Fifth and Kim
streets, ST. Paul's Catholic Church, J
r. Cummings' photograph gallery. )
Taylor Causes conservatory, Asbur
Church, j. d. Cnalfant's studio. Eight
and Market streets; II. Q. Conner
Y nursery, No. 6l3 French street; Y. ii
4 I,oeand's conservatory, No. 700 Adam
street; H.G. Browns nursery in Sout
Wilmington. and in fact wherever ther
was any glass exposed SO that the ha
could strike it,
II A funeral procession, which was pre-
n reeding to Riverview cemetery, was il
III terfered with. Several of the horst
"a were frightened and attempted to ru
away, but were prevented by coo
huaded drivers. A team belonging
N the Proyident Ice Co. ran away on Shil
ley street. A horse owned by Erne
" Melton of Talleyville ran away fro
M Twelfth and Madison streets, and tt
IN driver was thrown out, but was nj
Ea seriously injured. A horse beiunging
tsf John Ryan ran away on Poplar sire
N and had a narrow escape from goir
'S into the Christiana. One of the Hnr
S mann & Fehreuhach brewing co.
|8 teams ran away from Third and Jelfe
IA son streets and collidsd with DIR. JOB
W g. Faney's carriage, damaging 1T.
# horse which Fred Heisier was driviI
# in from Edge Moor also became frigh
ened and ran away.
& A daughter of Mrs. John a. Melan
2 who was sitting ut window at No. Z
T French street, was struck in the Q
vi hy hail stone which had crash
"a through the window. huckster, W
~ was standing at the corner of Fifth al
t6 King streete, was struck on the fol
head by haistone, but was not baG
M hurt. Several other people who b
the misfortune to be out were al
III struck.
1# The telegraph and telephone compan
'f# we're interfered with slightly, as
ME wires were Knocked down and d
arranged in some places, but the trout
#N was quickly located and repairs WI
made at once The delays were sho
&sN and there was very little iuconvenien,
M Branches were cut from trees, busl
and vines in all parts of the city, a
M on the shaded thoroughfares the sire
M were strewn with leaves, bark and dt
. limbs, some of which were more th
f an inch in thickness, showing the TO
W of the hail.
E Although tho storm reached N
Castle. reports from Greenville a
MN Edge Moor aru to the effect that v
WAl little was known of it at either pla
J 1t came from the direction OF the S
ouehanna River.
W AS stated above, the nursery n
1JK were probably the heaviest losers.
UZ E. Baylis' loss was 5000. II. p. Pot
WEI had $500 panes of glass broken; NJ.
N Hayden, 1000; Charles e. Sparks,
'M while the loss at the other nursei
&J was about the same. All of the pa
M at q. @. Naylor's Riysryiew Genet
% hot houses we're broken. Nearly al
the photographers in the city will
M more or less.
M Somes horses in Warner's coal y
'SW we've badly frightened and got NJ
their knees. lin coal while seek
YM shelter.
& IL ia sYid that the crops in