Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-12-09
IN T HE BIG BIO w.
THIS SECTION INCLUDED IN THE HUR-
RICANE OF SUNDAY NIGHT.

South of Us Badly Damaged-RepOrts
from Surrounding Towns.
The big storm which swept over New
England last Sunday night originated
down in Texas and sped northeastward
at 40 mile per hour gait, covering
most of the territory east of the Mississ-
ippi. The weather bureau at Washing
ton had ample warning of its coming,
and all day Sunday the government
monopolized the telegraph wires Of the
three big companies leading out of
Washington to send warning messages
to shpowners, railway companies,
public works contractors aud others
whom the storm would be most
likely to damage. More than 5000 such
messages were sent over the wires, and
to this fact is probably due the small
loss as compared with the blizzard of a
few days previous.
Here in Middlebury we were ex-
ceptiOnally fortunate. The protection of
the mountains caused us to feel the
heavy wind but little. Press dispatches,
however, indicate that other points in
Vermont caught the full force of the
hurricane. A terrible night is reported
from Bellows Falls and Bennington.
At the latter place the roof of the town
farm building was blown off about 30
feet, the roof of the Lyons knitting mill
went off the balcony around the upper
part of the porch of the court house was
carried off and a portion of the brick
cornce on the building occupied by Van
Weeks drug store. At least 30 private
houses report damages from windows
being blown out. At the wooden mill of
Holden, Leonard & Co. the roof over
that part occupied as a designing room
was blown off. At the Soldiers Home
the fence around the deer park was
blown down and the deer escaped. In
the morning the large buck, Oklahoma,
was found in the lot with a hip broken
and had to be killed. Much damage was
done in South salisbury, and between
there and North Bennington several
barns were laid fiat.
In Brandon the loss to windows,
blinds, sheds, barns, shade trees, etc,
amounts to hundreds of dollars. The
greatest damage to live stock probably
was at Rutland where the storm struck
with terrific force about midnight.
George G. Thrall's barn on upper Main
street, was blown down. The barn con-
tanned about 60 head of cattle belonging
to a. B. Engrem, who buys stock.
About % head of the cattle were killed
by the weight of the hay and falling tim
bers. There were several sheep in the
barn at the time, but hardly any Of them
were killed. A number of the slate
squares were blown of from the roof of
the French Catholic church.
Fair Haven received more than its
share, too, the damage there being Sc
verest. To add to the general alarm the
fire bell began to ring, being rung by the
swaying of the hose house tower. People
got up and watched the Knight block,
recently destroyed by fire, and then
being rebuilt. The architects and
masOns had the building nearly COM
pleted. The brick work had been
about completed and the immense
girders had been put in place for the
roof and the whole united with not less
than half a ton of iron rods. The wind
swept everything above the second floor
into the street. The girders, which
were 60 feet long, snapped in two like
pipe stems, and brick, boards and tim
bers went down in ore heterogeneous
mass, as though struck by a tornado.
The loss on the Knight block is estimated
at $1,000. The large brick building south
of the depot, owned by George Dalrym-
pie, was struck by the gust and about 40
feet of it was destroyed. The wind
struck the building on the southeast
corner and blew in the entire east end.
The roof was also smashed and the
building, which few days ago was one
of the best looking in town. being II
feet wide by l04 feet long, is dilapidated.
Mr.. Dalrymple's loss is probably $500.
A barn was blown down in Water
bury, the property of James Demeritt.
The scaffold fell down on some cows and
doubled them up, position which they
remained in for hours. Other barns in
the vicinity were blown off their founda-
tiOns.
At CastletOn the storm did considerable
damage to property in town. The barn
belongining to Mr.. Atwood. west of the
village, was blown of its foundations
the chimney on the house occupied by
LerOn EaStOn was blown down; window
glass was broken also; many buildings
lost slate and shingles from their roofs.
A large branch of one of the trees in
front of A. S. Ransom's and many
smaller branches of trees through the
village were broken off. The chimney
of the house occupied by w. C. Rice
caught fire Sunday afternoon. Some of
the neighbors assisted in putting it out.
The fire broke out again in the middle
of the night, but quick work succeeded
in extingUishing it and saving the house,
The two poles on Main street used to
hold up the Democratic flag were blown
down and the town hall lost slate SO
that immediate repairing is necessary
Those residing at the town farm were
much alarmed, fearing the building
would 90 over A large tree fell on