Smyrna times., 1903-09-23
CYCLONE SWEEPS DOWN
ON FIKF FARM PROPERTY
GROWING CORN BADLY DAMAGED IN THE
LOWER PART OF THE STATE.
-Four Houses Were UnrOOfed at Laurel and
the Lewes Electric Light Plant Suffered
SeVereIy-MilfOrd Shade Trees Down.


the Lewes Electric Light Plant Suffered
Severely-MilfOrd Shade Trees Down.
precedented in violence, passed over
this section early Thursday morning,
demOlishing trees, razing light build
ings and cutting wide swaths in corn
fields and fruit orchards. The rain
penetrated residences, barns and eel
lars. and together with the terrific
gusts of wind, beat down acres of
growing things. A representative of
Alexander Maxwell of MiddletOwn,
started from Middletown Thursday
morning at o'clock, while the stars
were shining and the sky unclOuded.
He was on his way to Dover to get
some horses from the stock farm of
George A. Millington. There was no
indications of storm until Smyrna
was reached about 4. 80 o'clock, when
bowling gale seemed to come upon
the country in a burst. The traveller
journeyed all the way to Dover
through the hurricane, seeing freaks
of the wind on either side and almost
being blown from his carriage. When
Dover was reached, the Silver Lake
bridge was seen to be in a condition
to admit of no travel. In the blind.
ing storm the horseman embarrassed
his horse and led it over the foot
bridge, afterward dragging the light
carriage over. He reached his desti-
nation about 7.3O that morning. The
storm subsidized at 8 o'clock.
Heavy damage was done in some of
the towns in Sussex county, houses
were unroofed and other similar
damage was done. while shipping in
the streams in that part of the penin-
sula was at the mercy of the gale. At
Lewes the wind unrOofed several
houses and blew down the large stack
OIL the electric light station. Four
houses at Laurel were unroofed and
the residents OF the town were badly
frightened. Crops on the farms in
lower Delaware were badly damaged,
especially corn. Whole fields can be
seen with hardly stalk left standing.
Mllford's streets present wilu appear
ance. Many large trees have been
blown down, and there is litter of
limbs and branches. The Freder1ca
road is blocked in consequence of a
century oak having been blown over.
The steamer Gainsborough, which left
MllfGgd ,yith 5000 baskets of toma-
-. fsae=an ladelphiG, was driven back
y y the Mispillion, and the chances
are that the tomatoes will be a total
loss.
At Georgetown sheds, fences, trees
and small shrubbery were leveled.
Thousands of bushels of apples were
blown from trees, and corn was pros
trated. Georgetown presents a dis
NAL appearance. The Circle, which
contained many shade trees, has been
stripped, and sidewalks and porches
are blocked by fallen trees.
Somewhere in the Delaware Bay be-
-S%ReE Mahon's and Cohansey, five
men are believed to be drowned. AS
q result of the hurricane, a sloop is
turned bottom upward and could not
be reached because of the high winds.
She was seen in the teeth of the storm
and was supposed to be well-manned
by the ordinary oyster crew of five.
because jlb was put out and after
ward reefed. The oystermen of Ma
hons could see no way that her crew
could have put to shore. She is be.
ieved to be Jersey sloop, although
she was in the Delaware jurisdiction
when the storm struck her.