Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-29
THE STORM WAS SEVERE
A Wilmington House Was Unroofed
and Steps We're Washed Away.
BALLS OF FIRE AT MlDDLETOWN
WagonIoads of Hall In the
Vicinity of Dover.
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE AT NEWPORT

Shortly after 3 O'Clock on Monday
afternoon terrific storm broke over
the lower part of South Wilmington,
taking in Eden Park and that vicinity,
where the greater part of its force was
apparently spent.
About q 40 o'clock dark clouds were
seen moving from the west and after a
short time large drops of rain began to
| fall. The wind storm followed with
all its fury, and in few minutes q
roaring sound was heard and the clouds
were seen to revolve with great
rapidity,as if in the midst of cyclone
Or whirlwind
Sharp flashes of lightning and heavy
thunder accompanied the storm, which
was a combination of high wind, hail
and heavy rain, which latter descended
in such volumes, and for time that it
was impossible to see 40 feet away.
When first noticed the storm seemed
| to move in stretches or belts and one
of these winds caught in large wal
nut trees south of Eden Park and tore
the upper branches off and wrenched
| the trunk off about four feet from the
1 ground. The tree, where 1t was
| wronched off, measured nearly three
| feet in diameter. In Eden Park a
number of trees were torn ont by the
roots and two trees were wrenched off
about 20 feet from the ground as neatly
as il they were pipestems e
Another strata of wind caught the
steps of the houses Nos. 500 to SIS New
Castle avenue, carrying the steps over
the railroad tracks. They were tossed
about and broken to pieces and in
one case, those of the house No. 514,
have not yet been found,
The same volume of wind apparently
turned about and after destroying a
number Of panes of glass in the fronts
of the houses took jump to the brick
house OF William Casolis, on Clay
mont street, and raised the roof off the
house to the heighth of six inches and
placed it or the edge of the walls. The
force of the storm was apparently spent
at this place and it worked in an east
erly direction laying low several poles
along the tracks of the Baltimore &
Ohio railroad.
At the shipyards Of the Harlan &
Hollingsworth Co. the men who were
employed on the vessels we're compelled
to stop work and leave for their homes
on account of the rain. Some who were
on the upper decks of some of the ves-
sells in the yards state that they wit.
messed the blow in South Wilmington,
but that at the boatyards no such wind
was felt.
/ The rain fell in torrents all over the
city several times during the afternoon
and much outdoor work was sus-
pended.
SMOKE STACK BLOWN DOWN AT NEWPORT.
The storm caused damage in Newport
and vicinity. The rain was accom-
panied by wind and hail. Trees were
uprooted and broken off and limbs were
scattered around. The smoke stack at
the glue factory was blown down.
On the farm of John e. Oskins the
COWS were being milked in the barn
when the heavy storm broke. Trees
and branches suffered in the wind and
bee hives were upturned and scattered.
1t became SO dark that the men had
to stop milking for time. They were
apprehensive that the barn might be
unroofed, but the storm went by with
out doing serious damage.